On Thursday, the British will vote in their new government after an electoral campaign during which TV came of age.The party leaders' televised debates were an innovation that stole the headlines and will perhaps be the part of the campaign that most influences who is anointed as the winner.
Although I am very interested in this media aspect of the campaign, I would prefer to comment on another aspect, though the media gave it very little importance.
The Catholic bishops of England and Wales released a document entitled 'Choosing the Common Good' in anticipation of the general election and the Pope's planned visit.
The bishops base their document on key themes in Catholic social teaching in the hope that it "will introduce some of the patterns of Catholic thought to those who are unfamiliar with them, and indicate the ways in which that thought can be a significant contribution to our common endeavours".
A shorter document was published by the bishops after the electoral campaign was formally announced.
Both are evidence of Archbishop Vincent Nichols' statement that "the period before a general election is a time to reflect on what sort of society we live in and how we would like it to be".
The society envisioned by the bishops is one based on the common good that "refers to what belongs to everyone by virtue of their common humanity".
Consequently, they argue that social issues cannot be left only to government to solve, but are the responsibility of all.
The document gives great importance to civil society. One of its parting points is that, for a number of reasons, trust in institutions has been fractured.
They refer to the crisis in the financial sector as essentially a collapse of trust in economic institutions.
This state of general mistrust, unfortunately, is a state of affairs prevailing in many countries, not just in the UK.
The bishops argue that it is up to all in civil society to lead the re-building of this essential trust, based on the conviction that we are not self-contained individuals but inter-dependent; where human flourishing lies in the quality of our relationships and the practice of virtue which "is doing good even when no-one is looking".
The bishops said: "The virtues form us as moral agents, so that we do what is right and honourable for no other reason than that it is right and honourable, irrespective of reward and regardless of what we are legally obliged to do. Virtuous action springs from a sense of one's dignity and that of others, and from self-respect as a citizen."
The document translates the general principles about common good to practical consideration of concrete subjects, such as the elderly, immigration and the family.
It states: "Serving the common good requires that the needs of the elderly are not discounted, and that we work to ensure health and social care is better coordinated so that older people get the care they need when they need it.
"Policies on immigration should start from human dignity and the inalienable rights that follow from it.
"Society has a vested interest in supporting marriage as the surest basis for family life."
The bishops conclude by quoting Pope Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate: "The complexity and gravity of the present economic situation rightly causes us concern, but we must adopt a realistic attitude as we take up with confidence and hope the new responsibilities to which we are called by the prospect of a world in need of profound cultural renewal, a world that needs to rediscover fundamental values on which to build a better future."
SIC: TOM