How the media are reporting what the bishops said

Now there’s an exercise in obfuscastion. On one side or the other.

Here’s a random sampling.

USAToday said the bishops offered guidance. Here’s part of the excerpt they chose to make that point:

Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods.

Good and clear so far. 

A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter’s intent is to support that position. In such cases, a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate’s opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or in attentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.

There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible for only truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interest, or partisan preference or to ignore a fundamental evil.

Now what did that say?

The Associated Press story said the bishops were instructive. But then…

The document makes clear the broad concerns that keep Catholics from finding a true political home with either the Democrats or Republicans.

The bishops said helping the poor should be a top priority in government, providing health care, taking in refugees and protecting the rights of workers, and the bishops highlight the need for environmental protection.

However, they also opposed same-sex marriage, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research, in addition to their staunch anti-abortion position.

The prelates, who oppose the death penalty, said torture is “always wrong,” and expressed “serious moral concerns” about “preventive use of military force.” But in a very brief floor debate Wednesday before the vote, they heightened their language on terrorism, adding a sentence acknowledging “the continuing threat of fanatical extremism and global terror.”

When you are that broad, everyone can find something that stakes their claim. And the New York Times did.

The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops approved principles Wednesday intended to guide Catholics in choosing whom to vote for but leaving the door open for them to back candidates who support abortion rights.

Somehow, the “Faithful Citizenship” document seemed clearer before it was updated.