Catholic Bishops Keep Focus on Abortion, Marriage

U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are staying focused on abortion and gay marriage under Pope Francis.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted Wednesday to make only limited revisions to the voting guide they publish every presidential election year. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, says the document will continue to cite abortion as a top issue.

Francis has said he wants more focus on mercy than divisive social issues. DiNardo is among many bishops who say the pope wasn't seeking less attention to abortion, but instead wanted more attention on poverty.

The bishops meeting in New Orleans also reaffirmed their fight for broader religious exemptions to laws recognizing gay marriage and to a requirement in the Affordable Care Act that employers provide health insurance covering birth control.