Last Monday, Marquette University hosted a very fruitful day of study and dialogue for bishops and Catholic civic leaders. Bishop Richard Sklba and I participated. I’m glad we did, and I’m eager to tell you about it.

The idea actually surfaced about this time last year. Remember the heat of the election campaign? Instead of bringing light and reason to the fractious debate, we Catholics seemed as divided as the rest of the electorate. Reflective people began to ask questions: What is the proper role of the church in a country with freedom of religion as one of its fundamental principles? What obligation does a Catholic politician have in bringing the values and moral principles he or she cherishes as a believer to the public square? And, what is the most effective way for pastors, especially bishops, to teach the truth with clarity and conviction?

These intriguing questions were hardly being asked in a vacuum. The bishops of the United States were posing them to ourselves, both individually and nationally; the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, led by the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was offering clear and prophetic guidance; the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” – as is so clear in the recent “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church”– had a lot to say on the topic; and the late, great John Paul II was characteristically perceptive in both articulating the thorny questions and leading the way to answers both faithful to our normative tradition and sensitive to the challenges of democracy.

One thing all agreed upon – Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, individual bishops and pastors, Catholic politicians, and Catholic faithful – was the indispensable value of dialogue. Particularly urgent was the necessity of dialogue between Catholic political leaders and their pastors.

After last November’s election campaign, Bishop Sklba, Rob Shelledy (our director of the archdiocesan Office for Catholic Social Action), John Huebscher (the executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference) and I approached Jesuit Fr. Robert Wild, the president of Marquette of University, about hosting such a day of dialogue. With a sense of service to church and community so characteristic of that university, he enthusiastically agreed.

And so, there we were on Monday — Catholic politicians from local, state and federal government who represent citizens within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and who were invited to be part of the dialogue. Although not all could attend, all expressed their deep appreciation for and interest in the event. Present – besides Bishop Sklba, Rob, John, Fr. Wild, and myself – were Congressman Paul Ryan, former Lt. Governor Margaret Farrow, State Senators Mary Lazich and Jeff Plale, State Representatives Peg Krusick, Mark Gottleib, Sue Jeskewitz, Tony Staskunas, Pat Strachota, Milwaukee County Treasurer Daniel Diliberti, Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, along with Stephanie Russell from Marquette University and Fr. Bryan Massingale, a priest of the archdiocese who teaches at Marquette.

I am happy to report that Pope John Paul II, former Cardinal Ratzinger, and the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” were right on target; dialogue was indeed valuable, enlightening, and very productive.

We counted upon Fr. Massingale for input, and he presented the “state of the question” with remarkable clarity and depth, citing in abundance the relevant documents of the magisterium. Margaret Farrow and E. Michael McCann also shared with us their own moving personal testimony as to how and why their interior Catholic values influenced their vocation as political leaders. The two-sessions of follow-up discussion and conversations were most valuable.

Clear conclusions arose, all of which I found fascinating and reasons for hope.

One, each of those Catholic politicians takes his or her faith very seriously. Sometimes the impression is given that Catholic politicians try to hide their faith, or ignore it, or bury it and maybe there are some who do, but on Monday, these leaders I talked with embrace their faith, struggle to apply it, and want it to be a “light to the world.”

Two, the services the church can best offer Catholic political leaders are education and faith formation. Ms. Farrow and Mr. McCann spoke eloquently of their Catholic schooling, how it had given them a world view and helped them interiorize and integrate values about human dignity, the noble call to public service, care especially for the poor, and defense of the family and human life. However, as grateful as the participants were for their Catholic schooling, they asked for ongoing formation as adults. Most of them honestly admitted that they had never even heard of the teaching documents mentioned by Fr. Massingale, even the new “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.”

Thirdly, both bishops and politicians most struggle with the virtues of prudence. Differences arose, not about clear church teaching, but about how to make wise faithful, prudent decisions about applying it. This is especially delicate for elected officials, they told us, who must represent constituents other than Catholics, and who sometimes, while fully supportive of the natural law and church teachings, must make pragmatic decisions to back bills which are less than perfect.

Finally, the political leaders asked us to be, not only firm, clear and prophetic in our divine role as teachers, but also to enlighten them, challenge them, and engage them, rather than threaten them. That takes prudence on our part as well.

This Dec. 7 will be the 40th anniversary of the historic “Decree on Religious Freedom” promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, probably the most richly “American” contribution to that providential Council. As I left Marquette Monday, I could not help but thank God that the respect, civility, and dialogue envisioned by that teaching had all been part of our day together. I hope there are more days like it.