Liberty, Catholics and the American Republic: Fulton Sheen & John Courtney Murray

American Catholics traditionally do not advocate for authoritarian or "integralist" approaches to politics. Rather, they have advocated for a Catholic interpretation of American constitutional republicanism. The two most important twentieth-century figures in conceptualizing this interpretation were Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and Fr. John Courtney Murray. Despite writing nearly a century ago, their ideas are newly relevant given the current political context for people of faith in America and more broadly. Both advocated for freedom of conscience, protection of minority rights, and the critical role that religious institutions provide in forming citizens and their elected officials.