OSV News illustration/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier

ATLANTA—Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv. of Atlanta, Bishop Stephen D. Parkes of Savannah and Atlanta’s auxiliary bishops—Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM., Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III and Bishop John N. Tran—are urging Catholics to be more engaged in political life.

As early voting in the primary for the 2026 midterm elections began, Georgia’s bishops released a statement May 5 to promote mindful participation in the political process.

In the message, the bishops remind all that the November election will shape Georgia’s future for years to come.

“Our participation in political life as Catholics is not just encouraged—it is, as the U.S. Bishops remind us in ‘Forming Consciences for Faith Citizenship,’ a moral obligation of our faith when directed toward the common good,” the bishops wrote. “Moreover, this call to participation is at the very core of our existence as human beings. It is founded in our creation in the image and likeness of God, who is himself in relationship with all living beings, and developed through our faithfulness to Jesus’ commandment to ‘love one another as I love you.'”

The bishops emphasized that the obligation must be carried out with “intention and forethought.”

“It is not the role of the Church, or any of its ministers, to tell the faithful how they should vote. Rather, it is through our formation in the Church’s teachings and careful examination of the issues and candidates that we can rely on our individual consciences to make what we believe to be the best, most responsible decisions in the voting booth,” said the bishops.

According to the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study of 2023-34, 73 percent of U.S. Catholics said they were registered to vote. The study also indicated that 9 percent of Catholics were not registered to vote, with 4 percent “not sure” and 5 percent not answering the question, or were non citizens.

The statement was released through the Georgia Catholic Conference and is published in full on its website. It is also available in Spanish. Under the direction of the bishops, the conference promotes public policy positions related to state governmental programs, legislation and policies that affect the common good and interest of the Church.

The Georgia Catholic Conference provides resources and teaching materials for voters at https://georgiacc.org. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offers the faithful “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” (en Español), its teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. The document represents the bishops’ guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in democracy.