Like many other Catholics of my acquaintance, I frequently feel distress at the bishops of our church. As a group and as individuals, they too often take positions that violate my sense of what they should be saying.

This applies especially to political pronouncements. Though I want them to offer leadership on public issues, I cringe when they take a position that is too narrow or short-sighted.

In particular, it strikes me as especially outrageous to find them threatening politicians with excommunication for their position on abortion. I feel embarrassed by such actions largely because they focus too much on a single issue and involve an overreach of authority.

I think that it is possible to have a strong pro-life bias (as I do myself) and still support a pro-choice candidate. And I don’t think that elective officials who support the legality of abortion deserve to be banished from the church.

But on this occasion, I welcome two recent statements from the bishops, both on coming elections. Both of them deserve widespread attention from members of the church, and could also prove of use to the wider community.

In saying this, I realize how the sexual abuse crisis in the church has had the effect of making whatever the bishops say widely ignored. People in general, including Catholics, tend now to disregard ecclesiastical leadership because it has been so compromised.

This seems to me regrettable, given our need of a moral compass on moral and ethical issues, such as war and peace. Had the bishops been in good standing at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, they could have condemned it, as indeed the Vatican did.

The first statement from the bishops is a reaffirmation of an earlier document  called “Forming Consciences for Faith.” It is now meant to provide guidance for Catholics in the 2012 elections.

“As Catholics we are not single-issue voters,” they say. “A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support.”

In reissuing the “Faithful Citizenship” document, the bishops may have had to face down some Republican efforts to alter it. Leaders of this party reportedly tried to get the bishops to focus on certain issues dear to conservatives.

Instead, the bishops insist on the importance of taking into account the whole range of Catholic social justice issues. And they also emphasize the importance of religious freedom.

The second initiative that I welcome with enthusiasm comes from a national committee of the bishops. They point out data that show 46.2 million Americans below the poverty line. And they are alarmed by the prospect of cuts in federal spending on programs for the poor. They want priority to be given to the needs of poor people.

On a practical level, they asked the archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, to write a letter calling upon bishops, priests, and deacons to preach, at weekend Masses, on poverty “as an affront to Justice and the God-given dignity of every man, woman, and child.”

Whether either of these two moves will make a difference remains unclear. Some bishops may ignore the statement about single issues, continuing to focus on abortion to the exclusion of other concerns.

And, though less likely, bishops may ignore the letter from their New York colleague. That would mean depriving church-goers of being informed about the rampant poverty in this country.

Still, the two initiatives should be welcomed. They are fine examples of leadership from church officials concerned about issues of great public concern. My hope is that both will take effect.