Bishops’ document on election goes high tech in podcast, video format

WASHINGTON (CNS)—Ask Catholic teenagers if they’ve read a recent document by the U.S. bishops and you might get a blank look. But ask if they’ve heard of the bishops’ statement “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility,” either through a podcast, a video quiz on YouTube or its page on the social networking site Facebook, and you might get a nod of recognition. That’s what the U.S. bishops are hoping anyway. “Faithful Citizenship,” the document that urges Catholic voters to form their consciences around a variety of social concerns based on Catholic social teaching, is not something new. The bishops initially published the document in 1975 and produce a new version of it about every four years to coincide with the national elections. The document for the 2008 election was approved by the bishops in November 2007. But this time the document looks a lot younger. For starters, its Web site, faithfulcitizenship.org, has resources for youths and those who work with them.