Catholicism and the US

http://www.bostoncatholic.org/
Quotes taken from: http://www.webcitation.org

Haven't been feeling well,

I think the Catholic church is an interesting one in the US. The united states was set up fundamentally as very anti Catholic:

"Anti-Catholicism was official government policy for the English who settled the colonies along the Atlantic seaboard.
Most English colonies had official established churches; none of which were Catholic. In fact, some English colonies had anti-Catholic laws and anti-Catholicism was rampant"

The United States of America were set up on the principles that they wouldn't be governed by a Prince. Whether it be the King of England/United Kingdom or the Pope in rome. The US was at first rampantly anti Catholics.

Yet however: With more than 68.5 million registered members, it is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22 percent of the population. "According to a new 2011 study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, "The US Catholic population is currently 77.7 million." The United States has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Because of the separation of church and state There has been a great growth in the number of Catholics, mainly from Irish background. They are concentrated around the Boston area, Louisiana (French influence), Florida (Spain) and in the Hispanic population. This means as a single church they are the most powerful in America, making their voice one of the strongest. Though protestant would probably be more "American". Catholicism is a major force, and very effective on American politics and social structure.