In Rome We Trust

A tightly written, dispassionate and unsentimental account of American Catholic political history, one backed by substantial research.” —Jason K. Duncan, The Review of Politics

In Rome We Trust examines the unusually serene relationship between the chief global superpower and the world's most ancient and renowned institution. The "Catholicization" of the United States is a recent phenomenon: some believe it began during the Reagan administration; others feel it emerged under George W. Bush's presidency. What is certain is that the Catholic presence in the American political ruling class was particularly prominent in the Obama administration: over one-third of cabinet members, the Vice President, the White House Chief of Staff, the heads of Homeland Security and the CIA, the director and deputy director of the FBI, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top military officers were all Roman Catholic. Challenging received wisdom that the American Catholic Church is in crisis and that the political religion in the United States is Evangelicalism, Manlio Graziano provides an engaging account of the tendency of Catholics to play an increasingly significant role in American politics, as well as the rising role of American prelates in the Roman Catholic Church.

“[Graziano’s] convincing conclusions with regard to the current mutually influential relationship between United States and Rome make for fascinating reading.” —Timothy Byrnes, Colgate University

“Graziano demythologizes the U.S.-Vatican relationship in the post-World War II era.” —David T. Buckley, Political Science Quarterly

“A priceless interpretation of the geopolitics that the Roman Church . . . and America . . . have recently practiced and will continue to practice in the post-Cold War era.” —Corriere della Sera