1/ 🔥 The headlines from the Feb 9 Religious Liberty Commission hearing are sparking a firestorm. Conservative activist Carrie Prejean Boller claimed "Catholics don’t embrace Zionism.
But the data tells a different story. 🧵👇
2/ Boller’s rhetoric—complete with a Palestinian flag pin and "America First" isolationism—frames her personal stance as the "Catholic position."
In reality, the 70 million U.S. Catholics are a nuanced, pluralistic community grounded in peace, not extremism.
3/ Let’s look at the data (Pew 2025 / IJCR):
✅ 89% of U.S. Catholics hold positive or neutral views of Jewish people.
✅ 42% favor a two-state solution—the plurality position.
✅ The Catholic vote is split 50/50 politically. There is no "single activist line."
4/ Unlike some groups, only 25% of Catholics view Israel through "biblical prophecy." Instead, the majority view the region through the lens of Human Dignity and Proportionality.
Faith for most Catholics is about ethics, not geopolitical maximalism.
/ We are seeing a dangerous "Horseshoe Theory" in action. Both the far-right "America First" movement and the far-left converge on the same tropes:
• Portraying Zionism as uniquely malevolent.
• Questioning Jewish self-determination.
• Focusing on "global power" tropes.
6/ Boller’s rhetoric ignores Nostra Aetate (1965), the landmark Vatican II document that explicitly condemned antisemitism and called for a "common patrimony" between Christians and Jews.
Her stance isn't just radical; it’s a departure from modern Church teaching.
7/ While 53% of Catholics are deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and view the current Israeli government unfavorably, skepticism of policy is not a rejection of a people’s existence.
8/ As more info surfaces regarding Hamas’s tactics and rejection of coexistence, Catholic opinion will continue to evolve.
One thing is certain: One activist’s viral moment does NOT speak for the diverse hearts and minds of 70 million American Catholics.
9/ For the full breakdown on why the "Catholic position" is far more complex than a single hearing suggests, check out the full post here:
dannielleblumenthal.com/2026/02/11/mos…
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