Persuasion, not Punishment

"Yes, the bishops are 'called to teach the truth,' he [Theodore Cardinal McCarrick] said, but 'there should be no place in the Body of Christ for the brutality of partisan politics, the impugning of motives, or turning differences in pastoral judgment into fundamental disagreements on principle. Civility and mutual respect,' he continued, 'are not signs of weakness or lack of commitment, but solid virtues which reflect confidence and faith.' "

From a great article on how the bishops have, can, and will respond to politicians who reject or ignore church teaching by Peter Steinfels, one of the best Catholic church-watchers in the United States (excepting the Loggian Whisperer, of course, who's been on assignment for the installaion of Donald Wuerl as McCarrick's successor as Archbishop of Washington).