Colorado Catholic Conference of Bishops

Top 10 Issues and Resources

The mission of the Colorado Catholic Conference is to uphold the dignity of human life and the common good in public policy. As a project of the Catholic Conference, Catholic Citizenship was created to educate Catholic faithful in Colorado on their moral obligation to participate in civic life and build community in parishes dedicated to promoting the common good and the Catholic faith across the state.

In 2020, the Colorado bishops provided the Colorado Catholic Conference with their top 10 issues to work on in public policy.

The Colorado Bishops’ Top 10 Catholic Conference Policy Priorities: 

1.       Sanctity of Life

2.       Marriage and Family

3.       Religious Liberty

4.       Economic Justice, Poverty, and Welfare

5.       Health Care

6.       Immigration and Promoting Foreign Peace

7.       Education

8.       Restorative Justice

9.       Energy and Environment

10.    Technology

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the common good is defined in “reference to the individual human person” (CCC 1905). The common good is “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment” (CCC 1906). This is consists of the presupposition of respect for the human person, the social well-being and development of the group as a whole, and peace to secure a just order (CCC 1907-1909). The role of the state is to “defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens and intermediate bodies” (CCC 1910).  Therefore the common good must consider man’s created nature, dignity of the individual person, which includes man’s nature to be in community and live in peace. It is the purpose of the state to safeguard the common good.

This brief Catholic Citizenship guide is meant to assist Catholic faithful in their understanding of the Colorado bishops’ policy priorities and the Catholic Social Teaching that informs it. 

In addition to the common good, key themes of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) that are addressed by each policy priority include: