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The neo-Catholics : implementing Christian nationalism in America / by Betty Clermont.
Van Pelt Library BX1407.C76 C58 2009
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Clermont, Betty.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Conservatism--Religious aspects--Catholic Church.
- Conservatism.
- Conservatism--United States.
- United States.
- Catholic Church--United States.
- Catholic Church.
- United States--Church history.
- Church history.
- Physical Description:
- 352 pages ; 23 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Atlanta, GA : Clarity Press, [2009]
- Summary:
- This book examines how hawks and neo-conservatives in the Republican Party forged a nexus with Powerful rightwing Catholics that would change the face of American Catholicism, the structuring of social policy in the United States, and the American agenda in the world.
- The model of "national Catholicism" established BY Opus Dei in Spain meshed neatly with the neo-conservatives' Straussian notions of an intellectual elite's road to power through the union of church and state. The Church preached submission to civil leaders who in turn protected the Vatican's financial interests and privileged position in Society. While Catholics were the largest single Christian denomination in America, a union of Catholics with evangelicals was numerically required in order to establish a "national Christianity" in the United States. The neo-conservatives began by uniting orthodox Catholics, Protestant fundamentalists, and evangelicals, all naturally conservative constituencies but separated by historical enmity, through fear of a common enemy-"the liberals"-just as Opus Dei had done in Spain.
- At the start of the 1980s, the Church's social justice agenda had been committed to alleviating poverty, to demilitarization, to affirmative action, and to ending capital punishment-an agenda antipathetic to the Republican platform. By the end of the nineties, its mission had been totally redefined, with the justice agenda marginalized, and political action mobilized around concern for the dying and the uniform.
- This book examines how and why it was accomplished.
- Contents:
- Chapter 1 1968-"Neoconservatism" Begins 13
- Chapter 2 Catholicism: The Neoconservative Religion of Choice 20
- The Knight of Material 20
- Opus Dei 22
- Opus Dei in America 25
- The Vatican Bank 27
- The Papacy: "A Perfect Vehicle" 30
- Chapter 3 Hawks and Neocons Align 33
- Ronald Reagan Materialized Out of Nowhere 33
- The Nixon/Ford Administration 35
- The Heritage Foundation 37
- Chapter 4 Formation of The Religious right 40
- The Moral Majority 41
- The National Conservative Political Action Committee 43
- The Conservative Caucus 44
- Building an American Nationalist Christian Theology 45
- Abortion 46
- Support for Israel 49
- Chapter 5 Two Popes Named John Paul 52
- John Paul I 52
- And the Winner Is...Wojtyla! 56
- Chapter 6 John Paul II and Latin America 62
- Liberation Theology 62
- Right-wing retrenchment Under John Paul II 66
- The Neoconservatives Confront Liberation Theology 68
- John Paul II Tours Latin America 69
- Chapter 7 Making Movie Actor Reagan "God's Man" 83
- The 1980 Presidential Campaign 83
- Foreign Backers 84
- The Iran Hostage Crisis 85
- Infesting the Reagan Administration 87
- Deploying the Against the USSR 88
- The Us and the Holy See: Government to Government 93
- Finding "Parallelism" on Abortion, Star Wars and Latin America 94
- Chapter 8 Pope John Paul II and The Media 97
- The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center 100
- Fatima 100
- Joaquin Navarro-Valls 102
- Chapter 9 The Neo-Catholic Church 106
- "Reform" of the Episcopate 106
- The Last Hurrah for Progressive Prelates 109'
- The Neo-Catholic Papacy 111
- Obedience 113
- Homosexuality 114
- Education 115
- The Neo-Catholic Episcopate 118
- The 1996 Presidential Campaign 121
- Chapter 10 Neo-Catholic Protagonists 124
- Michael Novak 125
- George Weigel 127
- Richard John Neuhaus 129
- Rev. C. John McCloskey III 132
- Rev. Frank Pavone 137
- Rick Santorum 138
- Chapter 11 The 2000 Presidential Campaign 142
- The Catholic task Force 142
- The 2000 Neo-Catholic Campaign 144
- Looking Ahead to 2004: Goodbye Evangelicals, Hello Catholics 149
- Chapter 12 Political Patronage In The Guise of Charity 153
- Charitable Choice 153
- The Faith-Based and Community Initiative 154
- Faith-based Legislation 158
- Faith-based Discrimination in Hiring 161
- Primary Purposes and End Goals 163
- Chapter 13 The Sex Abuse Scandal 166
- The Philadelphia Grand Jury report 167
- History of the Scandal 169
- Republican and Vatican responses 170
- Neo-Catholic responses 173
- Targeting Boston's Liberal Catholics 176
- The John Jay Report 178
- Anything But Mea Culpa 180
- Blaming Predation on Homosexuality 180
- An American (or Boston) "Problem" 182
- Abuse Caused by "Culture of Dissent" 182
- Clerical Sexual Abuse is "History" 183
- victims Are in This for the Money 185
- And Besides, Social Programs Will Suffer 186
- Targeting Priests But Not Other Professions 186
- But Not Celibacy 187
- Officially, Homosexuals Are the Scapegoats 188
- Chapter 14 The 2004 Presidential Campaign 189
- The war in Iraq 189
- The US Neo-Catholics Tout "Just war" Doctrine 191
- The Pope Strives Tirelessly for Peace 196
- Purging the Vatican Doves 199
- The Neo-Catholic 2004 Presidential Campaign 202
- The Attack on John Kerry 204
- The Vatican Intervenes for Bush 209
- Republican Catholic Outreach 213
- Deal Hudson: The "Most Influential Campaign" Catholic in Washington 216
- Vatican Grants Knighthood to Pro-choice Official 217
- Countdown to Election Day 218
- Kerry Wins ... 220
- Bush Wins the Catholic Vote 221
- Neo-Catholics on Torture 222
- Chapter 15 Pope Benedict XVI 225
- From "God's Rottweiler" to Opus Dei's Pope 225
- The Heart of the Matter: Money 227
- Relations With Other religions 230
- Jews 230
- Muslims 231
- Europe as Christendom, and Vice Versa 283
- A Singular Status at the UN 234
- Vatican Overtures to Russia and China 236
- Chapter 16 Benedict XVI visits The US 244
- Us Donations to the Vatican 244
- Navigating the Diplomatic Thicket 244
- Hosting the Vicar of Christ 248
- Addressing Sex Abuse and Immigration 252
- Assessments of Benedict's Visit 253
- Chapter 17 The 2008 Presidential Campaign 260
- Summation of the Bush Presidency 260
- Iraq 260
- Torture and Deaths of Detainees 260
- Deaths on the Border 262
- The New Poverty 262
- Abortions 262
- The Campaign Begins 262
- Bush Visits Benedict-Again 267
- Communion Denial Strikes Again 270
- Putting Abortion Back on Center Stage 275
- The National Conventions 280
- Sarah Palin 282
- Christian National Initiatives 288
- The Post-Convention Campaign 289
- The Catholic Vote Proves to be Elusive 292.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 9780932863638
- 0932863639
- OCLC:
- 262432666
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