Catholics should identify neither as liberal nor conservative January 8, 2026By Kenneth Craycraft OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Religious Freedom Over the last few weeks of 2025, two ongoing stories in the news illustrate why we Catholics should eschew party identification or partisan loyalty. The first is the ongoing fallout from the September assassination of Charlie Kirk and the legacy of the organization he founded, Turning Point USA. The second is the appointment of Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, as the new archbishop of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. Subsequent to Kirk’s murder, American conservatives have fought a virtual civil war over the meaning of American conservatism, including the scope of inclusion in the “conservative movement,” as some like to call it. Even apart from conspiracy theories claiming that Kirk’s assassination was the result of a vast, elaborate scheme, conservatives have been splintered over questions related to Israel, in vitro fertilization, Muslim immigration policy and other key issues. In its worst expressions, this dissension has exposed extremely ugly antisemitism among some conservatives. Prominent Catholics, including Vice President JD Vance and social media “influencers,” have taken one side or the other, for the sake, I suppose, of preserving the conservative movement. After the Vatican announced that now Archbishop Hicks had been appointed to replace Cardinal Dolan, the secular press rushed to announce that this was, as a USA Today headline put it, a “shake-up of NY Catholic Church.” Or, in the words of MSN.com, “Pope reshapes Catholic leadership.” The secular press was not alone in this hysteria. An article in the National Catholic Reporter gushed that Archbishop Hicks’ appointment demonstrates that “the U.S. church is at last aligning with Francis’ and Leo’s priorities,” after Cardinal Dolan’s tenure that was “characterized by culture wars and confrontation.” In each story, a Catholic reader might feel compelled to take one side or the other against news reports or social media interactions. This temptation should be avoided. On the contrary, both these news events provide yet another reminder that we Catholics do not have a home anywhere on the gamut of American liberalism, from the right (conservative liberalism) or the left (progressive liberalism). While we might find policy positions with which we agree on the spectrum of liberalism, we should resist identifying with either side of the divide or any place on the continuum. By American liberalism, I do not mean the left side of the political divide, usually identified with the Democrat Party. Rather, I mean the basic commitment to the possessive, rights-based individualism that informs the entirety of American political identification, from the far right to the far left. Liberalism begins with the moral assertion that humans are individual by nature, possessing claims against every other individual. Both major parties in the U.S. are variations on the same theme, or different dialects of the same moral and political language. Differences in policy positions are a function of how the basic moral individualism should be expressed in political, legal or regulatory structures. From a Catholic point of view, neither of these stories should be evaluated by the measure of American party commitments or partisan loyalty. But they almost always are. Reactions to these and other divisive stories are typically cast in categories and language that betray a higher commitment to one of the two dominant parties than to Catholic moral doctrine. Put another way, the measure of agreement or disagreement is nearly always party identification, rather than fealty to church teaching. It goes without saying that this distorts our judgment. If we take offense, or offer defense, in terms of partisanship, we will always take a position that is inconsistent with Church teaching. This is not merely because both parties adhere to policy positions that are contrary to church doctrine. Rather, it is because the standard of judgment itself is misguided. Our Catholic faith fundamentally rejects the possessive individualism of both major parties as contrary to the doctrine of solidarity. We do not have a home on the continuum of liberalism. While we might find common ground on particular policy issues, our standard of judgment must always be the fourfold principles of Catholic social doctrine: dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and common good. Liberalism is not interested in any of these goods. Nor are either of the two liberal parties in American politics. Our obedience is to the church, which must stand in vigilant judgment over both. Read More Commentary Putting Christmas away Getting to know our sacred space Question Corner: Do Catholics have a theological problem with a woman being the Archbishop of Canterbury? P.D. James and designer parkas for chihuahuas Embracing the Prince of Peace Visuals, rituals, traditions: How Catholic schools stand out Copyright © 2026 OSV News Print
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