The Catholic Church in US Politics

With nearly a quarter of citizens of the United States professing to be Catholic, the Catholic Church has continued and expanded efforts to shape both the opinions of individual citizens and the national discourse on a number of fronts. Though the Church’s efforts to combat perceived social ills, especially abortion and same-sex marriage, have garnered the most attention in recent years, the Catholic Church’s advocacy for better immigration policies, healthcare reform, and nuclear disarmament, among others, have continued to influence conversations and attitudes. "Faithful Citizenship" guides, produced every two years by the US bishops, provide guidelines and explanations of Catholic teaching to Catholic voters and serve as a very prominent example of the Church’s involvement in US affairs.