The Politics of the American Catholic Hierarchy

Abstract

The American Catholic hierarchy became very actively involved in the national political process over the 1970s and 1980s. They have been leading figures in an increasingly partisan right-to-life movement. They have published lengthy pastoral letters on U.S. economic and defense policies. And they have actively participated, both individually and collectively, in several national election campaigns. In part, these activities have been due to the bishops' adoption of a less defensive, less parochial approach to the political process, and to the development of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) as a vehicle of collective political action. However, the bishops' new activism, particularly in terms of their participation in the electoral process, has also been a function of the regime instability and renewed partisan competition that have characterized the American party system. Candidates and political strategists seeking to emphasize new issues that cut across party lines and to mobilize new political coalitions have sought the bishops out and tried to associate themselves with elements of the bishops' policy agenda. In this way the bishops have played a part in the redefinition of the national political agenda and in the dealignment of the national electorate.