Catholic Moral Demands in American Politics

Although it has been quickly forgotten, Rudolph Giuliani, who considers himself a Catholic, was the Republican frontrunner for most of the 2008 presidential primary campaign. This evoked mixed reactions within the church hierarchy, from silence to notable opposition to “hizonner’s” pro-choice policies. While Giuliani’s loss of the Republican presidential nomination appears to have been for reasons other than religion, 1 it still leaves open the question of what difference a candidate’s Catholicism makes in U.S. politics. Thus, it is important to articulate and understand the influence of Catholic thought and teachings on candidates, especially since more critical moral demands have been placed on Catholic politicians since the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade 2 in 1973. Since then, the Church has asserted that a candidate for public office must work in the public arena to support public policies that protect all life. Catholic religious doctrine and its attendant social teachings, known as the “magisterium,” are both profound and pervasive, and they are meant to influence candidates’ platforms, citizens’

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