So Brian Said:

Every time the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops gets together, I like to come here and hate on them a little bit.

They had their annual meeting this week, and for once, I'm liking what I see. They just published A Call for Bipartisan Cooperation on Iraq that has a lot for most people to agree on.
Our Catholic teaching on war and peace offers hard questions, not easy answers. Our nation must now focus more on the ethics of exit than on the ethics of intervention. The grave moral concerns we and others raised prior to the war now give way to new moral questions.
The bishops say the current course in Iraq is "unacceptable and unsustainable," and they call for a "responsible transition" that balances a prompt withdrawal with a minimization of casualties.

But even more interesting is the Faithful Citizenship Statement. It's long -- 44 pages -- so I haven't read the entire thing yet, but here are some highlights from the press release:
-- “As Catholics we are not single issues voters";
-- Though abortion is still considered "intrinsically evil," support or opposition to it should not be used as a litmus test when voting;
-- Catholics must participate in a political life, and not just on Election Day;
-- When voting, Catholics should consider issues of poverty, racism, hunger, health care, the environment and use of the death penalty.

UPDATE: After reading all 44 pages, I still find myself in general agreement with the bishops. To me, it sounds like a call to vote Democratic, though I suspect a Republican would feel otherwise.
--McJangles 11:11 AM
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