美天主教主教团主席吁教徒为中期选举投票：信仰先于政治，维护每个人的尊严
华盛顿讯——美国天主教主教团（USCCB）主席、Oklahoma City总主教保罗·库克利（Paul S. Coakley）10月14日发表选举文告，呼吁天主教徒在11月3日举行的中期选举中踊跃投票。“在代议制民主国家，参与公共生活——包括投票——既是权利也是责任，”库克利说，“在政治严重分化的时刻，人们容易灰心而不参与，但沮丧不是基督徒的美德。”
他呼吁教徒“把信仰放在政治之前”，并表示，教会对公共生活的贡献不是党派纲领，而是“对每个人尊严的承诺——每个人都是按天主的肖像受造”。他同时呼吁保障自由公平的选举，确保公民在登记与投票时不受不必要的阻碍与拖延，并勉励选民按候选人的实际行动、而非仅凭承诺来评判，拒绝诉诸恐惧、怨恨与分裂的言论。
今年的中期选举将决定美国国会两院的控制权归属，以及多州州长与州议会席位。
信息来源：美国天主教主教团10月14日文告；OSV News报道。
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U.S. Bishops' President Urges Catholics to Vote in the Midterms: Put Faith Before Politics
WASHINGTON — Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued a message on October 14 urging Catholics to vote in the midterm elections on November 3. “For citizens in a representative democracy such as our own, participation in public life, including voting, is both a right and a responsibility,” Coakley said. “In a time of deep political division, the temptation is to be discouraged and to not participate in the election process. But discouragement is not a Christian virtue.”
He asked Catholics “to put their faith before politics,” saying the Church's contribution to public life “is not a political or partisan program; rather, it reflects our commitment to the dignity of every person, who is created in the image and likeness of God.” He also called for free and fair elections, saying citizens should not face unnecessary delays or complications in registering or voting, and encouraged voters to judge candidates by their actions rather than their promises and to reject rhetoric that appeals to fear, resentment or division.
The November midterms will determine control of both chambers of Congress, as well as governorships and state legislatures across the country.
Sources: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops message, October 14; OSV News.
Related: America's Electoral System (4): The Midterms: What Is on the Ballot on November 3, 2026
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：美国天主教主教团主席、俄克拉荷马城总主教保罗·库克利（2026年） / Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (2026). Photo: DHS, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
