Messages from Above: Conflict and Convergence of Messages to the Catholic Voter from the Catholic Church Hierarchy

Abstract

The Catholic Church often plays a policy and mobilization role in American politics. We assess the degree to which the Catholic Church hierarchy — including national and state conferences of bishops — can provide uniform information to parishioners about political participation. Using a textual analysis of information distributed to parishioners in Florida in the 2012 election, we evaluate how much political information is conveyed to parishioners, the sources of this information, and the factors associated with higher or lower levels of information. While we find that most parishes provided information related to the election, there is wide diversity in the types and sources of information. And, while the Catholic hierarchy attempted to provide messaging about the importance of political participation, not all parishes complied with these efforts. Our findings are consistent with the ideas that the local community and hierarchical structure combine to shape the behavior of the parishes.

Political Speech in Religious Sermons

“…As such, clergy that view their congregations as politically active are more likely to be politically active themselves (Guth et al 2003). These findings suggest that the characteristics of congregations and the community have the potential to influence both the emergence and form of political content in sermons; as Djupe and Olson note, “While ministering to local concerns might simply involve a particular agenda construction, it also might entail identification with the particular values of the community first and the religious organization second” (2010, 275; emphasis in original; see also Holman and Shockley 2017).…”

Gender, Religion, and Pro-Life Activism

“…Religious settings can provide opportunities to hear anti-choice discourse and meet anti-abortion activists (Djupe and Gilbert 2009). Prayers and sermons by Protestant clergy often tell their members to be politically engaged and offer information about elected officials and political events (Brewer, Kersh, and Petersen 2003) while priests-newsletters in Catholic Churches often tell congregants to be against abortions and how to vote on morality amendments and political candidates (Scheitle and Cornell 2015; Holman and Shockley 2017). People who are highly religious often seek an end to legal abortions (Bolzendahl and Myers 2004; Elder and Greene 2016) as do people who regularly attend religious services (Begun and Walls 2015; Allen, McCright, and Dietz 2017).…”

American Constitutional Faith and the Politics of Hermeneutics

“…There is evidence that both Protestant pastors (Guth et al 1997; Smidt 2003; Crawford and Olson 2001; Fetzer 2001; Djupe and Gilbert 2003;) and Catholic priests (Jelen 2003; Smith 2008) can influence their members. There are, however, a number of features about the clergy's position that may condition their influence, including their political difference from parishioners, their personal discretion about how stridently to engage with political matters, denominational demands to engage (or not), as well as their frequency of engagement and congregants' exposure to it through attendance (see McDaniel 2008; Calfano 2009; Djupe and Gilbert 2009; Calfano, Oldmixon, and Gray 2013; Calfano, Michelson, and Oldmixon 2017; Holman and Shockley 2017). Nonetheless, everyone agrees that clergy are in the position to help shape political attitudes.…”

“…Of course, politics also matter. The American Catholic Church contains both conservative and progressive elements, particularly among Hispanic Catholics, which sometimes produces tension within (and between) the public and the Church hierarchy (Leege and Welch 1989; Smith 2008; McKenzie and Rouse 2012; Calfano, Michelson, and Oldmixon 2017; Holman and Shockley 2017; Kraybill 2019). Protestants, too, have competing elements, though white evangelical Protestants dominate political discussions of the Protestant landscape.…”