In an effort to promote calm political debate instead of shouting matches and senseless personal attacks, Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) recently released an ad featuring the Civilize It pledge.

The one-minute ad, part of a statewide campaign to reintroduce civility to this year’s election season, shows Catholic individuals taking the pledge. First promoted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and conceived in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Civilize It pledge calls Catholics, but also anyone of goodwill, to pledge civility, clarity and compassion in all political dialogues.

“It has become all-too-normal to hear family, friends, and colleagues speak with fatigue and frustration about elections and how candidates and citizens speak about and to one another,” MCC Vice President for Communications David Maluchnik said in a release issued on the Conference's website. “It is our hope with this effort that an element of civility and respect for others will begin to return to our collective political dialogue.”

Viewing fellow humans with dignity is a core value MCC wishes to infuse into what promises to be one of the fiercest political seasons the U.S. has seen, the release said. With an emphasis on listening over being understood, the ad wove together personal videos recorded on smartphones and webcams, and made a point to include people of multiple races and genders. The pledge includes a promise to pray and consider the Christian gospel when evaluating candidates and issues.

Saginaw resident Chris Pham, one of the video contributors, expects taking the pledge will improve his political dialogue, but he also wants to set an example.

“By joining this effort and helping to share our message across the state, it’s my hope that perhaps those running for office and others discussing the election will also participate,” he said in the release.

In a season when air-time is extremely valuable, the ad is scheduled to run through the end of the month, but MCC intends to look for opportunities to keep the ad running. The pledge can be taken by visiting www.CivilizeItMichigan.com.