NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Saturday, October 3, one month before a divisive presidential election pitting Democratic challenger Joe Biden, a Catholic, against Republican incumbent Donald Trump, America Media will launch Voting Catholic, a new podcast series examining the issues that matter most to Catholics. A group that the New York Times describes as “a diverse constituency that includes some of the few swing voters left in an era of intense polarization,” Catholics have voted for the winner in nine of the last ten presidential elections.
American Catholics are just as divided as the rest of the country. Voting Catholic is an effort to move beyond polarization to see the complexity and interconnectedness of pressing election issues. Hosted by Sebastian Gomes, an Executive Editor at America Media, the series culminates with an episode on “How to Vote Catholic” featuring Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, a leading voice on Catholic Social Teaching in a conversation about how Catholics should prioritize the issues, and what it means to form one’s conscience.
Catholic voting patterns have changed since the 1960 presidential election, when 80% of voting Catholics backed the Democratic candidate and fellow Catholic, John F. Kennedy. Voting Catholic begins by surveying the evolution of the Catholic vote from the election of JFK to Donald Trump, who won 52% of the Catholic vote in 2016 according to some polls. Each subsequent episode is dedicated to one issue, viewed through the humanizing experience and expertise of a Catholic working in the field, who makes the case for why Catholics should prioritize the issue when discerning how to vote.
Voting Catholic will have nine 25-minute episodes, and possible post-election episodes:
- Episode One: What happened to the “Catholic vote”? A survey of the evolution of the Catholic vote from the election of JFK in 1960 to the election of Donald Trump.
- Episode Two: Immigration: One of the most fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church is to welcome immigrants and refugees. So why are Catholics in America split?
- Episode Three: Health Care: The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the American healthcare system. How can Catholics vote to ensure that no one is denied access to care?
- Episode Four: Racial Justice: 2020 was a year of reckoning for racial injustice in America. Catholics of color are calling for the church to look in the mirror. Will the church respond and take a prophetic stand?
- Episode Five: Religious Liberty: A tenet of the constitution and central teaching of the Catholic Church. Is it under threat in 2020?
- Episode Six: Climate Change: A highly politicized issue that is central to the teaching of Pope Francis. The science and the moral framework are clear. Will American Catholics respond at the voting booth?
- Episode Seven: Poverty: A perennial social crisis affecting many other issues. Pope Francis has called for a poor church for the poor. What does poverty in America look like in 2020? And will the political parties finally tackle the issue plaguing tens of millions of Americans?
- Episode Eight: Abortion: The Catholic Bishops teach that abortion is a preeminent voting issue for Catholics, because it directly attacks life itself. Do Catholics agree? And should it take precedence over other life and death issues?
- Episode Nine: How to vote Catholic: In the series finale, Sebastian speaks with Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, a leading voice on Catholic Social Teaching in the American hierarchy. How should Catholics prioritize the issues? And what does it really mean to form your conscience?
“Our goal is not to tell people how to vote,” says Gomes, a Canadian citizen who wants to help lead the conversation about the election, but is not eligible to vote. “It’s to move beyond the political talking points by introducing listeners to the human side of the issues in all of their complexity. Hearing the stories of these Americans who are immersed in the issues changes you. No one who listens to this podcast with an open mind will be left unchallenged. If you think that voting ‘Catholic’ is all about one issue, think again and listen to the podcast.”
Voting Catholic, the next great podcast from America Media following the award-winning PLAGUE: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church is available on americamagazine.org/votingcatholic, Apple Podcasts, Google Play or on Spotify.
ABOUT AMERICA MEDIA
America Media is the leading provider of editorial content for thinking Catholics and those who want to know what Catholics are thinking. America Media leads the conversation about faith and culture by producing excellent, unique, relevant and accessible content across multiple platforms. Our contributors are the principal figures in the American church; the decision-makers and opinion leaders who lead the ecclesial and civic debate about religion, society, politics and the arts. Those with something to say to the American church say it in America: popes and presidents; Nobel laureates; Pulitzer Prize winners; world-renowned scholars; and distinguished men and women of letters. Our flagship magazine, America, has been published continuously since 1909, making it one of the oldest periodicals in the United States today.
Kelly Hughes DeChant Hughes & Associates, Inc. 312-280-8126 kelly@dechanthughes.com
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