Just in time for an election year and in advance of next week's "Super Tuesday" presidential primary, the 12 Catholic arch/dioceses of California announced a joint statewide initiative Jan. 28 to educate Catholics on the church's social teaching and encourage them to advocate on public policy issues based on those principles.

"For Catholics, participation in the political process is a moral and ethical obligation," said Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, president of the California Catholic Conference. "This program will help Catholics in the effort to sort through the often confusing rhetoric of political debate, and encourage them to take Catholic social teaching into account when voting and communicating with elected officials."

Using an email alert system called the "Catholic Legislative Network," the electronic grass roots advocacy project will focus on legislation, regulations and other issues in the nation and world on which Catholics may want to take action.

It will provide information on how Catholic social teaching relates to public policy and encourage participants to email, call or write their legislators or appropriate officials. Network participants can contact their elected officials or government representatives using an email or letters provided, or they can write their own messages.

The free, non-partisan network aims to promote the common good for all, especially the poor and vulnerable. It is not a voter guide, nor will it tell Catholics how to vote, stressed Bishop Blaire.

Steve Pehanich, newly-named network director and CCC's senior director of advocacy and education, said the new statewide diocesan cooperative program will help people sort through the "morass" of political debate.

"We'd like to bring more civility to political debate," said Pehanich, former executive director of Catholic Charities of California. He said the network will help Catholics express "some of those nuanced views we can not communicate with a simple ballot mark."

According to Pehanich, the network strives to focus "more on moral principles than the latest polls; more on the needs of the weak than on the benefits to the strong; and more on the pursuit of the common good than on those of narrowed interest."

Catholic social teaching will be used to analyze how proposed/mandated public policies address or ignore the church's concerns in key areas: life and dignity of the human person; the call to family, community and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; dignity of work and workers; solidarity; and caring for God's creation.

Participants will receive periodic newsletters and invitations to special events, forums and workshops. Local alerts will be produced by the respective arch/dioceses. Statewide and national alerts and information will be issued by the CCC in consultation with the local representative in each arch/diocese.

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Solis, director of the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace, is the archdiocesan network representative. Information on the new network will be included in Lenten packets sent to parishes next week focusing on "A Journey toward Justice and Peace."

"We have to utilize and maximize important technology for our own ministries," said Bishop Solis. "The network will become an effective instrument to channel information, to educate people in forming their conscience and to call people to active participation."

The ultimate goal is to have 100,000 Catholic network subscribers in California. People can sign up at www.cacatholic.org and also in person at the Feb. 28-March 2 Religious Education Congress in Anaheim at the following booths: California Catholic Conference Respect Life Ministries; Catholic Relief Services/Office of Justice and Peace; and Office of Restorative Justice.