The Politics of Housing: Catholic Activism and Dissent under Archbishop Joseph McGucken of San Francisco
This article is a case study examining the divergence of American Catholics from ecclesiastical authority on matters they view as ones of private or personal choice. In this historical example, Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1964 reacted to the positions outlined by Archbishop Jose...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
American Catholic Historical Society
2006
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| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2006, Volume: 117, Issue: 3, Pages: 17-31 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article is a case study examining the divergence of American Catholics from ecclesiastical authority on matters they view as ones of private or personal choice. In this historical example, Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1964 reacted to the positions outlined by Archbishop Joseph McGucken in favor of California's fair housing law and opposed to a ballot proposition to repeal that law. Conservatives insisted that it was inappropriate for the church to concern itself with the issue of who owns private property. Other Catholics active in the civil rights movement expressed disappointment with McGucken for not opposing the ballot proposition as strongly as they would have liked. The issue exposed a growing rift between Catholics of differing political ideologies over the role of the church in the political sphere and the "living out" of Catholic social teaching within a secular society. At the same time, the criticism of the archbishop from both sides of the issue showed an increasing willingness to challenge episcopal authority and oversight. The characteristics and outcomes of the fair housing campaign in California would be repeated in the ensuing decades as Catholics of differing social and political philosophies continued to disagree over other issues, most particularly abortion. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
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