Catholic political identity and engagement defy categorization. The complexities of political realities and the human nature of such institutions as church and government often produce a more fractured reality than the pure unity depicted in doctrine. Yet, in 2003 under the leadership of then-prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life". The note explicitly asserts, "The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility toward the common good". "Catholics and Politics" takes up the political and theological significance of this "integral unity", the universal scope of Catholic concern that can make for strange political bedfellows, confound predictable voting patterns, and leave the church poised to critique narrowly partisan agendas across the spectrum. "Catholics and Politics" depicts the ambivalent character of Catholics' mainstream "arrival" in the U.S. over the past forty years, integrating social scientific, historical and moral accounts of persistent tensions between faith and power. Divided into four parts - Catholic Leaders in U.S. Politics; The Catholic Public; Catholics and the Federal Government; and, International Policy and the Vatican - it describes the implications of Catholic universalism for voting patterns, international policymaking, and partisan alliances. The book reveals complex intersections of Catholicism and politics and the new opportunities for influence and risks of cooptation of political power produced by these shifts. Contributors include political scientists, ethicists, and theologians. The book will be of interest to scholars in political science, religious studies, and Christian ethics and all lay Catholics interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the tensions that can exist between church doctrine and partisan politics.
IntroductionKristin E. Heyer and Mark J. RozellPart I: Catholic Leaders in U.S. Politics1. The Politics of the U.S. Catholic Bishops: The Centrality of AbortionMargaret Ross Sammon2. Political Marriage of Convenience? The Evolution of the Conservative Catholic-Evangelical Alliance in the Republican PartyMark J. Rozell3. One Church, Many Messages: The Politics of the U.S. Catholic ClergyGregory A. Smith 4. Catholics in the Political Arena: How Faith Should Inform Catholic Voters and PoliticiansKristin E. Heyer Part II: The Catholic Public 5. Between Church, Party, and Conscience: Protecting Life and Promoting Social Justice among U.S. CatholicsMark M. Gray and Mary E. Bendyna 6. The Myth of a Distinct Catholic VoteMatthew J. Streb and Brian Frederick 7. Politics y la Iglesia: Attitudes toward the Role of Religion in Politics among Latino CatholicsAdrian Pantoja, Matthew Barreto, and Richard Anderson Part III: Catholics and the Federal Government 8. Catholicism, Abortion, and the Emergence of the "Culture Wars" in the U.S. Congress, 1971-2006William V. D'Antonio, Steven A. Tuch and John Kenneth White 9. Catholics and the Supreme Court: From the "Catholic Seat" to the New MajorityBarbara A. Perry 10. White House Outreach to CatholicsThomas J. Carty Part IV: International Policy and the Vatican 11. The United States-Vatican Relationship: "Parallel Endeavors for Peace," Competing Visions of JusticePaul Christopher Manuel 12. Reforming the Vatican: The Tradition of Best PracticesThomas J. Reese
