WASHINGTON -- A year to the day before the presidential election, a group of Catholic laity advocated for civility in American politics, urging Catholic voters and politicians to avoid dragging the Church into divisive partisanship.

With five Catholic candidates in the presidential field, the group  released a statement co-written by former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Thomas Melady addressing issues raised in the campaign..

Forty-seven prominent Catholics – former office-holders and ambassadors among them -- signed the statement, which was made public Tuesday by Melady and 14 others at a Washington news conference.

It is not the place of lay Catholics to question whether politicians who take positions conflicting with Church teaching should receive communion, their statement says.

At the same time, “Catholic politicians who advertise their Catholicism as part of their political appeal, but ignore the Church’s moral teachings in their political life confuse non-Catholics by giving the appearance of hypocrisy.”

The statement also urges Church members to remember there are Catholics “of equally good will but differing political convictions” who deserve their respect.

Thus far, the effort is geared strictly toward the Catholic laity. The group has not invited clergy to sign because “they are not supposed to take part in partisan politics,” Melady said.