American Church or Church in America? The Politics of Catholic Bishops in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

A comparison of the political roles of Catholic bishops in the US & Poland argues that the role of American bishops is determined by the intersection between the constraints of transnational Catholicism & the unique character of the American political process. The degree to which the church's authority structure curbs the political involvement of bishops notes how papal encyclicals outline the church's position on specific issues like peace/war, economic relations, & abortion. Demographic, historical, & cultural characteristics that affect the Catholic hierarchy in the US & Poland are explored to suggest that the nature of the relationship between the church's moral agenda & policy positions held by political parties significantly affect the bishops' political activities. Although American bishops are less free to set their own moral agenda than other American clergy, national historical & political contexts have a powerful effect on their activities. The political role of bishops in both the US & Poland is deeply impacted by the unique relationship between the Church's universal moral teachings & the cleavages/alignments of a particular political movement. J. Lindroth