Conservative Student News

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Walking through the center of Rome everyday on my way to class, I find myself surrounded by Catholicism.

Like lakes and Target stores in Minnesota, there are no shortages of beautiful Catholic churches and basilicas in Rome. I have become increasingly aware of the overwhelming acceptance of the Catholic Church here, and why wouldn't I? After all, this is where the first disciples of Jesus came after His death and resurrection.

Being a Catholic in Rome is simply a part of every day life. People here are not forced to really think about their faith and why they practice it, like they are in the U.S. In the U.S., Catholics seem to be in constant defense of their practices. I would like, then, to look at the difference in the Catholic political movements in Europe during its glory days, as well as consider the Catholic political situation in the U.S. today.

Again, the main reason for the discrepancy between mainstream acceptance of the Catholic Church's involvement in European politics compared to in U.S. politics can be traced to the fact that the Church is rooted in Europe, but transplanted in the U.S.

In Europe, the Catholic Church is the dominant religion, generally speaking, and is widely recognized as authoritative, especially in southern Europe. In the U.S., however, it is quite different. The Catholic Church is not so easily accepted because it was not until the Irish migrated to U.S. that Catholicism was even practiced in the states.

Despite the issues of acceptance, familiarity, and emersion, there are certainly similarities between the Catholic Church's political roles in Europe and the U.S.

The Catholic political movements in Europe can be traced back to the French Revolution, where, after a long turn of events, the Catholic Church became opposed to the new French Republic. The outcome of the French Revolution resulted in the beginnings of the tensions between Church and State in the modern era. These conflicts caused people to be torn between their two identities: Their national identity, and their religious identity.

People did not know where to put their loyalties. This sense of confusion called for a compromise between their Church and State so that they would no longer have to choose between the two. Catholic values were brought into politics, whether intentionally or not; this way, the people could be loyal to both the State and the Church.

It was in this pre-World War I era when Catholic political movements erupted and dominated much of the political life in Europe. The main purpose of the Catholic parties that emerged was to defend the Church. New ideas of individualism from philosophers like Rousseau threatened the loyalty people held to the Catholic Church. Catholics then, came together despite their differences; what mattered was that they were Catholic. They felt that it was their mission to collaboratively solve the world's problems at the time which included communism, and social liberalism.

The kind of folks practicing the Catholic faith, however, differed greatly, depending on what country in which they lived. Their geographic location in Europe played an important role in whether they ultimately embraced or turned away from the Catholic Church. For example, in certain regions the Church was viewed as dedicated to serving the poor because it had established welfare programs and created opportunities for work. In most areas however, the poor would be actively opposed to the Church because its leaders seemed to favor the bourgeois class who often appeared to hold influence and power over the Church.

The middle class generally favored Catholic political movements because they seemed like a healthy means to protecting their freedoms which were threatened by communism and socialism.

Comparatively, many Americans today view the Catholic Church as an institution that is out to restrict their freedoms. This is exactly why Catholic political movements in the U.S. do not really exist. People in the U.S. are usually afraid of having religion mixed with politics.

For example, when I tell people that my two minors are Theology and Political Science, they furrow their eyebrows, confused as to how these studies go together at all. Many people think that any sort of mix of religion with politics will threaten their right to religious freedom, a right that Americans hold dear.

No matter how much we try to deny it in America, a person's religious beliefs always influence how a person feels about the world in general and therefore their politics. The more Catholic a particular family is, for instance, the more right-wing that family will tend to vote, and this has everything to do with moral issues. There is no way to eliminate the influence of one's religious views, and therefore, Christian ideals have found their way into the major political parties in the U.S.

There are more similarities between the Catholic Church's political influence on Europe and the U.S. One example is that the middle class in the U.S. generally tends to vote more right-winged, just as the middle class in Europe tended to join the Catholic political movements. The reason for this is the same as it was in Europe; the middle class is afraid of losing their freedoms and luxuries, like keeping the money that they work hard for instead of giving it all up to the government. Therefore, they tend to join the right-wing parties which coincidentally follow more closely to the Catholic/Christian faith.

Political parties in the U.S. are often associated with particular religious strains of thought, although you would never want to say this out loud in America on the off chance of offending someone.

Generally, people in the U.S. do not want to hear that political parties have anything to do with religious faiths. This may be true in Europe as well, but there has always been a strong Catholic presence in Europe since it rooted itself in Rome in the first centuries after Christ's death.

As a result, Europe has had no difficulty in accepting Catholic political movements, whereas in the U.S., Catholic political movements are just unheard of; they do not exist.

It is not hopeless, however, for those in the U.S. who wish to have their faith influence their vote. In reality, the primary political parties in the U.S. differentiate themselves on moral issues and whether or not the party enforces Christian morals. We need to embrace the influence and intersection of Christian moral values and American politics, knowing that it will ultimately enhance our freedom and humanity.