Listening to bishops at election time can be dispiriting. So many seem intent on finding slightly opaque ways to tell their flock exactly how to vote, offering tendentious renderings of the moral calculi at work in voting, or invoking important moral categories like "intrinsic evil" and "prudential judgment" in ways that would not pass a Moral Theology exam in an undergraduate course.
But, this article from San Francisco Catholic shows that one bishop, Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElory, actually spoke to some Bay Area Catholics about how to form one's conscience, and demonstrated sufficient respect for his listeners to respect their ability, and their right, to form their own conscience on the issues of the day. I have only met McElroy in passing, but have heard good things about him from a variety of sources. This story confirms those good reports.
