Former US attorney general
William Barr is an attorney who served as United States attorney general in the administrations of Presidents George Bush and Donald Trump. In the late 1990s he was a “Supreme Board Member” of the Knights of Columbus, but today he is just a member. For 21 years, Barr was also on the board of the DC-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
President and First Lady of the United States
Joseph Biden, 79, is the 46th president of the United States and the second Catholic president, after John F Kennedy, and also a Democrat of Irish heritage. He served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017. In 2016, Biden was awarded the Laetare Medal, considered the highest honour for American Catholics, by the University of Notre Dame. Jill Biden, 71, is an American educator and the first lady of the United States. They both often make donations to Catholic charities and attend Mass but have been consistently criticised by members of the clergy – and Catholic lay leaders – for a voting and political record that does not reflect Catholic values, such as their stance on abortion. Biden’s election campaign was heavily supported by Planned Parenthood and he has called on Americans to make the overturning of Roe v Wade a political issue. In a 2021 cover story for the Catholic Herald, NYC priest Gerald Murray said that he would not give the president holy communion. Biden had a 90-minute audience with the Holy Father at the Vatican in October 2021. He also has a photo of Pope Francis in the White House Oval Office.
Former speaker, US House of Representatives
John Boehner, 72, is a Catholic who grew up as one of 12 children. He is a former politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A Republican, he was the representative for Ohio’s 8th congressional district from 1991 to 2015. In 2016, Boehner was awarded the Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame.
Former governor of Florida
John “Jeb” Bush, 69 and from Houston, is a former politician and businessman who has previously served as the 43rd governor of Florida. He is the son of former president George HW Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, and a younger brother of former president George W Bush. In 1995, Bush converted to Roman Catholicism and is now a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.
US representative for Texas
Henry Cuellar, 66, is an attorney and politician who has served as the US representative for Texas’s 28th congressional district since 2005. He is widely considered to be one of the most conservative members of the Democratic Party. Cuellar has said that his Catholic faith has guided him throughout his political career.
Former New York mayor
Andrew Cuomo, 64, is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. At the time of his resignation, he was the longest-serving governor in the United States still in position. Born in Queens, New York City, Cuomo is a graduate of Fordham University and Albany Law School. He is a Roman Catholic but has positioned himself in favour of abortion rights and same-sex marriage. His father Mario, also once mayor of New York, was a devout and publicly self-proclaimed Catholic, as is Andrew’s brother Chris.
President, Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America
Marjorie Dannenfelser, 56, is the president of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, a non-profit organisation that seeks to reduce and ultimately end abortion in the US by supporting anti-abortion politicians, primarily women. She was brought into the organisation as its executive director in 1993. Although she grew up as an Episcopalian, she converted to Catholicism and adopted an anti-abortion stance while attending Duke University.
Governor of Florida
Ronald DeSantis, 44, is a practising Catholic and an attorney and politician who has served as the 46th governor of Florida since 2019. Before this, DeSantis represented Florida’s 6th district in the US House of Representatives for five years. DeSantis joined the United States Navy in 2004 and was promoted to lieutenant before being deployed to Iraq in 2007. DeSantis attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and Dunedin High School, graduating in 1997.
Former US ambassador to the Holy See
Miguel Díaz, 59, is a theologian and diplomat who served as United States ambassador to the Holy See from 2009 to 2012, following the nomination by President Barack Obama. He was the first Hispanic US ambassador accredited to the Holy See. Díaz holds the John Courtney Murray, SJ, University Chair in Public Service at Loyola University Chicago. He has authored several books and is the co-editor of Disruptive Cartographers: Doing Theology Latinamente. He is a contributor to the “Theology en la Plaza” column for the National Catholic Reporter. As part of his commitment to human rights, he participates in diplomatic initiatives in Washington DC, including being a member of the Atlantic Council, a member of the Ambassadors Circle at the National Democratic Institute, and a member of the board and senior fellow for Religion and Peacebuilding for the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Díaz holds a PhD in Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame.
US ambassador to the Holy See
Joseph Donnelly, 66, is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who served as a US senator from Indiana from 2013 to 2019. Since 2022, he has served as the US ambassador to the Holy See. Born in Massapequa, New York, Donnelly graduated from the University of Notre Dame. Donnelly met his wife, Jill, while attending Notre Dame; the two married in 1979. They have two children.
President and CEO, Americans United for Life
Catherine Glenn Foster, JD, serves as president and CEO of Americans United for Life. Americans United for Life is US’s original national pro-life organisation, the nation’s premier pro-life legal team whose strategists have been involved in every pro-life case before the US Supreme Court since Roe v Wade.
Governor of New York
Kathleen Hochul, 64, is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 57th governor of New York since 2021. A Democrat, she is New York’s first female governor. Her family is of Irish Catholic descent. She received her BA in political science from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 1980 and a JD from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law in 1984. She is proudly pro-choice.
Senator, North Dakota
John Hoeven, 65, is a banker and Republican politician who has served as the senior US senator from North Dakota since 2011 and as the 31st governor of North Dakota from 2000 to 2010. Before being elected governor, Hoeven was a banker who undertook numerous executive roles at various banks. He is on the board of directors at First Western Bank & Trust, and with an estimated net worth of $45 million, he is one of the wealthiest US senators. As a Catholic, he takes both an anti-same-sex marriage and pro-life stance and votes accordingly.
US special presidential envoy for climate
John Kerry, 78 and from Massachusetts, is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who is the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of Boston’s influential Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he served as the 68th US secretary of state from 2013-2017 under Barack Obama. Kerry came to public attention as a decorated naval officer and Vietnam veteran turned anti-war activist. He is said to have carried a religious rosary, a prayer book, and a St Christopher medal when he campaigned. At school he considered becoming a priest.
Political activist and former ambassador
Alan Keyes, 72, is an American conservative political activist, author and former ambassador. He has run for president of the United States three times and has served on the board of advisers for the Catholic League, a non-profit Catholic advocacy group headed by William Donohue. Keyes is a traditional Catholic and a third-degree Knight of Columbus.
CEO and VP, the National Rifle Association of America
Wayne LaPierre, 72, is an American gun rights lobbyist who was raised in the Catholic Church. He is CEO and executive VP of the National Rifle Association of America, one of the most influential advocacy groups in the USA, a position he has held since 1991.
Former US Secretary of Defence
Leon Panetta, 84 and a resident of California, served as US Secretary of Defence under President Barack Obama from 2011-13. He previously served as director of the CIA and White House chief of staff. He oversaw the operation that brought down Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Panetta also served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton, and as a representative from California. He currently serves as the chairman for the Panetta Institute of Public Policy. Panetta is the son of Italian immigrants and, growing up, attended two Catholic grammar schools.
Speaker, US House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi, 82, is the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, a position she previously also held from 2007-11. She is the first woman to hold the position. She previously served as a US Representative from California since 1987. Before her election to Congress, Pelosi chaired the California Democratic Party from 1983-87. Although she claims to be a devout Catholic and often speaks about her faith, she has spent much of her political life in opposition to Church teachings on abortion and same-sex marriage. In 2022, her archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred her from receiving communion in his San Francisco diocese over her support for abortion, yet a month later she received holy communion at a papal Mass at the Vatican.
Junior US senator, South Dakota
Michael Rounds, 67, is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior US senator from South Dakota since 2015. In 2014, Rounds was elected to the United States Senate, succeeding retiring Democrat Tim Johnson. As a Catholic, Rounds promotes a pro-life view and is also a member of Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pierre, South Dakota.
Junior US senator, Idaho
Jim Risch, 79, has served as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. He previously served as lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2003-06 and 2007-09, and as governor of Idaho from 2006-07. Risch has a grade A Catholic voting record. He has been a constant supporter of pro-life legislation and co-sponsored the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which would have made it illegal for a minor to cross state lines for an abortion.
Senior US senator, Florida
Marco Rubio, 51, has served as the senior United States senator from Florida since 2011. He was Speaker of the House for the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2008. In 2016, Rubio unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination. He attends Mass at Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. His Catholic faith has influenced his political philosophy and congressional career. He is a staunch opponent of abortion and has said he disagrees with the 2015 Obergefell v Hodges Supreme Court decision which legalised same-sex marriage.
Former Speaker, US House of Representatives
Paul Ryan, 52, served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015-19. He was the vice-presidential nominee in the 2012 presidential election, running alongside Mitt Romney. Ryan is a Catholic and attends St John Vianney Church in Janesville, WI. His faith has informed his political career. He opposes abortion and same-sex marriage, yet he does favour same-sex civil unions.
Former US senator, Pennsylvania
Rick Santorum, 64, served as a United States senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate’s third-ranking Republican from 2001-07. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, finishing second behind Mitt Romney, and ran again in 2016. Santorum calls himself a culture warrior and a true Christian conservative. He has supported pro-life legislation throughout his career, proposed a ban on pornography, and has opposed same-sex marriage.
US House of Representatives Minority Whip
Steve Scalise, 56, is the United States House of Representatives Minority Whip and representative for Louisiana’s 1st congressional district. He comes from an Italian-Catholic background and his faith has been a driving factor in his political career. He staunchly opposes same-sex marriage. In 2017, Scalise was shot by a left-wing extremist during practice for the Republican team’s annual congressional baseball game. Scalise survived the shooting and has written about how the incident strengthened his faith.
Senator, Alaska
Dan Sullivan, 57, has served as a Republican senator from Alaska since 2015. He previously served as Alaska’s Attorney General. Senator Sullivan comes from a Catholic family and as such is generally pro-life, except in the cases of rape, incest or risk to ‑the mother, and he opposes same-sex marriage.
Senator, Pennsylvania
Pat Toomey, 60, has served as a Republican senator from Pennsylvania since 2011. He previously served as a member of the US House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005. In addition to his work in politics, Toomey has worked in the financial services industry, served as president of the Club for Growth and owned and operated a small restaurant chain in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. Toomey comes from a Catholic family, being the third of six children of Catholic parents of Irish and Portuguese descent. Toomey is staunchly pro-life, and has consistently supported measures to either restrict or ban abortion during his time in the Senate.
Former first lady
Melania Trump, 52, is a Slovenian-born former model and businesswoman who was first lady of the United States under President Donald Trump, whom she married in 2005. Raised Catholic, Trump identifies as Catholic and was only the second Catholic first lady in the United States. In 2017, she visited the Vatican with the president on an official visit and met Pope Francis. During this visit, Pope Francis blessed her rosary beads, and she placed flowers at the feet of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Vatican children’s hospital.
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