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U.S. Bishops Urge Catholics to Vote Based on Faith
· Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement urging Catholic voters to form their consciences in light of their faith and discern their votes informed by the teachings of the Church, ahead of the contentious 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
In a survey this month, 30% of all U.S. Catholics said they approved of President Donald Trump's job performance, compared to 47% when he returned to the White House in 2025. Trump won the support of 55% of Catholic voters in 2024, according to a Pew study.
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, said the meeting with Trump was arranged by officials with the White House Faith Office to discuss issues including immigration, visas for international clergy, and the 'exploitation of vulnerable poor persons.'
Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob issued a public apology for the meeting, saying he had received many questions and comments, some of them distraught, about the meeting on Thursday which he and 11 other bishops attended.
Bishop Robert M. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, is urging Catholics to pray, fast, and vote 'no' on two ballot measures that would protect abortion rights and repeal the state’s two-decade-old constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published the document 'Venite ad Me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change,' which is expected to be the last of the documents commissioned from the dicastery by the late Pope Francis.
North Dakota's Catholic bishops are urging Catholics to vote in support of North Dakota Constitutional Measure 1, while Hanefeldt of the Diocese of Grand Island issued a joint statement against online sports gambling, urging all Nebraskans to vote against Initiatives 440 and 441.
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has published a document outlining the work of the Catholic Church in Wales as well as its main policy requests.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the faithful to pray for Pope Leo XIV, who underwent lung cancer surgery, and thanked Catholics worldwide for their prayers.
Pope Leo XIV has said that Catholic school teachers should be 'models in life' as well as 'models of faith' during what he described as a teacher's 'pilgrimage of discipleship.'
What this adds
The U.S. bishops' call for Catholics to vote based on their faith adds to the ongoing discussion about the role of religion in politics and the influence of religious leaders on voter behavior.
Background
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging Catholic voters to form their consciences in light of their faith and discern their votes informed by the teachings of the Church, ahead of the contentious 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
What's confirmed
- “We are called to discern which policies best serve the common good — that which the Church defines as ‘the sum of those conditions of … social life whereby people, families and associations more adequately and readily may attain their own perfection’” ( Gaudium et Spes, n. 74.1).
- A subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged policymakers to protect “fair representation” in elections ahead of the 61st anniversary of President Lyndon B.
What's still developing
- More Catholics in the survey, 42%, said they preferred the Democrats running in their local House of Representatives races, where slightly less, 39% favoured Republicans.
- Photos and video of the 22 October meeting show a group of bishops standing around Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
- The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, has urged Nigerians to reject vote-buying and vote-selling ahead of the 2027 general elections.
- Missouri Bishops urge Catholics to vote YES on Pro-Life Amendment 3 - Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Get Started About / Offices / Vocations Get Connected Parishes / Schools / News Get Involved Give / Volunteer / Pray Toggle navigation Get Started About / Offices / Vocations Get Connected Parishes / Schools / News Get Involved Give / Volunteer / Pray Missouri Bishops urge Catholics to vote YES on Pro-Life Amendment 3 Posted on October 5, 2026 in News Download PDF Share Tweet Related Diocesan News On the Way with Bishop Johnston podcast available now News World Mission Sunday 2026 | October 18 News Message from Bishop Johnston on SSPX News Search Search Contact 816-756-1850 800-246-1850 P.O.
- Ahead of the contentious 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the U.S. bishops are urging Catholic voters to form their consciences in light of their faith and discern their vote informed by the teachings of the Church.
- WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Undecided Catholic voters are a swing voting bloc, but reliably show up to the polls, a new report found.
- More than 3,000 people have joined a growing Catholic Bible study initiative in Lebanon as organizers launch more days and times throughout the country and beyond.
- A Catholic priest can bless a gay or other unmarried couple as long as it is not a formal liturgical blessing and does not give the impression that the Catholic Church is blessing the union as if it were a marriage, the Vatican doctrinal office said.
- CathNews, the most frequently visited Catholic website in Australia, is your daily news service featuring Catholics and Catholicism from home and around the world, Mass on Demand and on line, prayer, meditation, reflections, opinion, and reviews.
- His range of beliefs and causes might make him appealing to both conservatives and liberals, which could prove unifying at a time when much of the country remains fractured, said Kristy Nabhan-Warren, professor of religious studies and the Figge Chair in Catholic Studies at the University of Iowa.
- Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful gathered for Sheen’s historic beatification in St.
- “We might ask ourselves, ‘What would the blessed archbishop think today about our turbulent times?’ But that’s not the right way to ask the question,” said Bishop Robert M.
Sources
- BBClink
- Bccatholiclink
- Catholic Church in England and Waleslink
- Catholic World Reportlink
- Daily Post Nigerialink
- Diocese of Kansas City-St. Josephlink
- Ewtnnewslink
- Ncregisterlink
- OSV Newslink
- PBSlink
- The Catholic Voicelink
- TheCatholicSpirit.comlink
- ZENIT - Englishlink
- kvrr.comlink
- Ewtnnewslink
- Catholicweeklylink
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — video link