- Feb 5, 2002
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by Msgr. Owen F. Campion
Sixty-five years ago, millions of Catholic Americans were uncomfortable, even worried, some indignant.
Every individual Catholic American’s loyalty to this country was being questioned by politicians, religious figures, in classrooms, in the media, discussed at every family dinner table. Billy Graham, who already had a wide following among evangelical Protestants, publicly and expressly wondered if a Catholic could be trusted to abide by, and defend, American constitutional requirements and American laws.
Provoking all this was the presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy, who won his first primary election March 8, 1960. In Graham’s mind, Kennedy was the perfect example of a Catholic American who would not be loyal to the country if push came to shove.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
Sixty-five years ago, millions of Catholic Americans were uncomfortable, even worried, some indignant.
Every individual Catholic American’s loyalty to this country was being questioned by politicians, religious figures, in classrooms, in the media, discussed at every family dinner table. Billy Graham, who already had a wide following among evangelical Protestants, publicly and expressly wondered if a Catholic could be trusted to abide by, and defend, American constitutional requirements and American laws.
Provoking all this was the presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy, who won his first primary election March 8, 1960. In Graham’s mind, Kennedy was the perfect example of a Catholic American who would not be loyal to the country if push came to shove.
The conundrum of a Catholic president
Continued below.
How the first Catholic president gave rise to cafeteria Catholicism
Explore the tension between Catholic identity and American values, from JFK's presidency to today's challenges in faith and politics.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
