The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met last week in Baltimore to amend a document titled "Faithful Citizenship" in hopes of providing political direction for Catholic voters.
The changes made to "Faithful Citizenship" focus on political guidelines for the 2008 elections that Catholic voters should adhere to when casting their ballots.
According to the USCCB Web site, "Faithful Citizenship" was approved by 97.8 percent of the voting bishops.
Joan Rosenhauer, the special projects coordinator for USCCB, said the document has been revised every four years since 1976.
Rosenhauer also said this is the first year the council was this actively engaged in the updates. She said developing the various drafts was a much more involved process and was organized by a wide range of committees of the bishops' conference.
In the document, the bishops said, "it is important to be clear that the political choices faced by citizens have an impact on general peace and prosperity and also the individual's salvation."
Patricia Chivers, communications director for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, said the updates to the document are a refreshing perspective on Catholic social teaching.
The new updates focused on voting issues with a stronger focus on abortion, stem cell research and other issues. The bishops also urged Catholics to consider issues of immigration, poverty and just war.
The foundation of Catholic social teaching deals with the dignity of the human person, Chivers said.
"The other principles extend from there but it's nice to know that you can count on those solid principles," she said.
But voting in accordance to Catholic teaching is not a black-and-white issue.
The Rev. William Kurz, S. J., a Marquette theology professor, said the upcoming elections are sticky situations because Catholics are facing political parties that do not directly correspond to the church's beliefs.
"The bishops have a responsibility to call Catholics to be good citizens. That includes voting in the cases of moral issues," Kurz said.
While the focus of "Faithful Citizenship" is to help guide voters, it does not direct Catholics to choose a particular candidate or party, Chivers said.
"Catholics are a diverse group of people," Chivers said, "These issues don't fit under just one party."
Rosenhauer said choosing a candidate to endorse was never a role of the committee.
The document reads: "In the end this is a decision to be made by each individual Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching."
In order to help further educate religious voters, the USCCB has used the updates to create an educational tool for dioceses across the country, Chivers said.
She said the new information includes a DVD and helps bring people up-to-date on current issues.
Chivers also said the Archdiocese of Atlanta will use the information at "Catholic Day at the Capitol," an event at Georgia's state capitol in Atlanta. The material will be used as a foundation when speaking to the legislature about current bills.