As the presidential election season continues to mature towards the November general elections there is still a conspicuous silence from the American Catholic Bishops on the direction Catholics in the United States need to consider when casting their ballots. In the past few days both candidates have suggested they would be willing to choose a running mate that is pro-choice in order to gain prominence among those who have the “swing” vote during the campaign. Names of former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and Delaware Senator Joseph Biden are being tossed around as potential VP choices. They both adhere to pro-choice ideologies. Senator Biden, unfortunately is the senator from the State of Delaware, where this author resides. Even more unfortunate, Biden claims roots in Catholicism and even shares a Norbertine Fathers Catholic secondary education with the author. Biden attended Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware for high school. The author attended Bishop Neumann High School in Philadelphia. Both schools were staffed by the Norbertine Fathers. Most saddening about Biden is the fact that he never seemed to take advantage of the traditional orthodox Catholic education provided by this community of priest educators. Biden made the choice to dilute his Catholic faith with the immoral secularism of pro-choice attitudes that affect quite a few Catholics.
Throughout all of this discussion and political bantering, our American Catholic bishops are mysteriously quiet. Benedict XVI is not remaining quiet about the need for Catholic to pursue the correct direction concerning Catholic opposition on the matter of abortion. Our American bishops should not be quiet either. Perhaps they are too instilled with the old cycle of the scholastic academic calendar and they are on hiatus until after Labor Day. Well Your Eminences and Your Excellencies… Catholic moral teaching does not take a holiday; it is time for all of you to make the voice of Catholic teaching and moral certitude heard in this electoral season.
An Associated Press survey released today indicated that 69% of American Catholics felt that there religious convictions and beliefs had no importance on their political choices of candidates. The same survey also illustrated that the same percentage of Catholics felt their Catholic moral and ethical teachings on the sanctity of human life played no part in influencing their votes for either presidential candidate. If indeed the numbers are correct, within an acceptable margin of error…Catholic voters have essentially forsaken the moral and social principles of their faith and have embraced completely secular opinions on pro-life issues. Such a trend towards secular humanism and even social modernism it appears makes the foundational teachings of the Catholic Church in the everyday lives of its followers virtually unimportant. That implication and indication quite honestly means our American Catholic hierarchy are not doing a very good job of teaching and guiding the Catholic faithful towards the correct observations of Catholic morality and ethical social concerns.
What American Catholics need is a clear statement from our hierarchy that outlines again the accurate and correct stance that should be taken in the pursuit of pro-life candidates and the rejection of pro-choice pseudo Catholics. The only American Bishops that seems to make a continuous noise about the need to prohibit pro-choice politicians from the reception of Holy Eucharist is Archbishop Raymond Burke, formerly of Saint Louis and now the Dean of the Catholic Church’s judicial and juridical arm. He consistently teaches that pro-choice, pro-abortion Catholics are in a state of grave sin and moral incorrectness if they receive Holy Communion.
Where are the rest of the American Bishops in dealing with the likes of Senator Biden, Governor Ridge, Speaker Pelosi and all of the other Catholic unfaithful that continue to compromise correct Catholic Church teachings in favor of moral and ethical issues that expound on secular issues of immorality such as abortion, same sex marriages and so on.
Labor Day is just a few weeks away, for the sake of faithful Catholics that are looking for some type of leadership from their American Bishops…don’t hold your breath. They are on vacation until after the September holiday. Be part of the 31% of Catholics that continue to feel their faith and political convictions are related and make sure to vote 100% Catholic in the upcoming elections. Tell both Obama and John McCain there is no such thing as a pro-choice Catholic, and make that sentiment loudly heard in the ballot box. Maybe by November, the American Catholic Bishops conference will wake up and realize their Catholic constituency is quite tired of their silence and moral inactivity.
Vote Catholic! Vote pro-Life!

Hugh McNichol is a Catholic author and journalist that writes on Catholic topics and issues. Hugh studied both philosophy and theology at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He writes daily at: http://verbumcarofactumest.blogspot.com & http://catholicsacredarts.com & http://pewsitter.com He writes about Irish Catholic experiences  at http://graysferrygrapevine.blogspot.com  Comments are always welcome @ hugh.mcnichol@trinettc.com