In this episode of “What Is the Right,” Peter turns his attention to the religious dimension at play on the American Right. From the often-talked-about, rarely-understood Evangelical voting bloc to observant Jews and everything in between, it’s a confusing landscape. Religious groups add a layer of complexity to the freedom-vs.-order tension we’ve been exploring in this series as we think about what it means to be conservative or liberal theologically in addition to politically. Indeed, the guests in this episode are hesitant to apply today’s political labels to their own tradition.
Joining Peter to explain Catholicism in the public square and in conversation with political conservatism are Kathryn Jean Lopez and Kris Mauren. Kathryn is a Senior Fellow at the National Review Institute, where she directs the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society. She is also the Religion Editor for National Review magazine and a Fellow at the Catholic University of America’s Institute for Human Ecology. Kris is President and co-Founder of the Acton Institute, a think tank based on Grand Rapids, MI. Acton works to promote a freer and more virtuous society with research and resources that highlight the benefits and ethical foundations of free markets.
Transcending Politics
Right away in the conversation, Kris and Kathryn clarify that it’s a mistake to apply the language of politics to the Catholic Church. “Framing the Catholic Church as left/right is not very accurate. That’s kind of imposing an American political lens on the Church,” Kris argues. Americans may be tempted to label key figures such as Pope Leo XIV as “left” or “right” based on Catholic teaching on issues like marriage or poverty, but this framing distorts the deeper reality. Catholicism is not a political ideology but a global and historical faith tradition that spans centuries and continents. Its views on human dignity, life, the common good, and moral order resist simple categorization. When it comes to engaging in public life as a Catholic, Kathryn notes, “If you’re acting as a party player rather than a disciple, you’re getting it all wrong.”
A more faithful framework for understanding Catholic engagement is the distinction between orthodoxy and heterodoxy—that is, whether one faithfully upholds Church teaching, rather than whether one is politically conservative or progressive. Orthodoxy requires a commitment to what the Church teaches as true, even when those truths are uncomfortable or inconvenient for a given political camp. Disagreements about public policy and current issues among faithful Catholics stem from differences in prudential thinking.
Catholic Social Teaching offers enduring principles—such as the dignity of the human person, subsidiarity, solidarity, and regard for the poor—but applying those principles always requires prudence. “The problem comes when we try to impose politics on it and when we give short shrift to prudence,” Kris notes. “Sometimes those principles [of Catholic Social Teaching] are in conflict, and that’s precisely when you need prudence.”
Traditionalism and the Liturgical Divide
Among Catholics, one of the most deeply felt internal tensions is liturgical: the divide between those drawn to traditional expressions of the Mass and those comfortable with modern liturgical forms. This conversation is not primarily political—though it is sometimes interpreted that way—but cultural, aesthetic, and theological. Many young Catholics in particular are drawn to the traditional Latin Mass, seeing it as a more reverent and transcendent form of worship. “If you talk to somebody our age and mention ‘traditional,’ we’d assume you’re talking about people who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Kris notes. “But if you talk to somebody in their 20s, they think you’re talking about what kind of vestments a priest is wearing and what language the Mass is in.”
While it’s overly simplistic to equate traditional liturgy with political conservatism, recent years have seen a notable renaissance among tradition-minded Catholics. Kris and Kathryn are both quick to note that the cause is prior to politics. “There’s something happening in the culture. … The church is fuller. They’re demanding more traditional liturgy and songs. It’s full of young people. And there’s a notable rise in young, single men I’m seeing in the church as well,” Chris points out.
If you’re interested in the charitable work happening at the intersection of Catholic faith and the conservative movement, Kris and Kathryn each commend one another’s organizations: Acton Institute and National Review. Listen to the full conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to learn more!
