--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But because I am a Catholic, and no…" description: "\"But because I am a Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been elected president, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured - perhaps deliberatel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/john-f-kennedy-246_america_but-because-i-am-a-catholic-and-no-catho_2887894.jpg" --- # But because I am a Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been… ![“But because I am a Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been elected president, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured - perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. So it is apparently necessary for me to state once again not what kind of church I believe in - for…” quote by John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/john-f-kennedy-246_america_but-because-i-am-a-catholic-and-no-catho_2887894.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/john-f-kennedy-246_america_but-because-i-am-a-catholic-and-no-catho_2887894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/john-f-kennedy-246_america_but-because-i-am-a-catholic-and-no-catho_2887894.jpg) > “But because I am a Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been elected president, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured - perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. So it is apparently necessary for me to state once again not what kind of church I believe in - for that should be important only to me - but what kind of America I believe in.” [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith should be personal, not a political weapon; the nation’s values transcend any single religion. **In simple terms:** Religion is personal, not political. Key Takeaway Focus on shared American ideals. Themes religion politics identity Mood thoughtful political Type civic philosophical When to use this quote - elections - public policy - interfaith dialogue - media coverage Key Concepts secularism national unity Questions to Reflect On - How to balance personal faith with public duties? - What role should religion play in civic life? A Different Perspective Religion can still influence politics subtly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-believe-614957/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Campaign Obscured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaign-obscured-4038569/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Catholic Elected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic-elected-4038568/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-believe-1141594/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [I believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe-in/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Quarters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quarters/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-issues/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) ## Related quotes > [What church I go to on Sunday, what dogma of the Catholic Church I believe in, is my business; and whatever faith any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/what-church-i-go-to-on-sunday-what-dogma-of-the-catholic-church-i/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [That is the kind of America in which I believe. And it represents the kind of Presidency in which I believe - a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/that-is-the-kind-of-america-in-which-i-believe-and-it-represents-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [One of my greatest lessons in life came from my mom. When I told her I didn't want to go to church, she said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/one-of-my-greatest-lessons-in-life-came-from-my-mom-when-i-told-her-i/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [The Church is that one wherein the true word of God is preached, which Christ left to His Apostles, which the same Church hath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-clitherow/the-church-is-that-one-wherein-the-true-word-of-god-is-preached-which/) [Margaret Clitherow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-clitherow/) > [Never allow the cross to lose it’s centrality to the ministry of your church. I believe we ought to connect ancient truth to contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-cox/never-allow-the-cross-to-lose-it-s-centrality-to-the-ministry-of-your/) [Brandon Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-cox/) > [My whole life has been based on two principles: the love of the Church to which I am united, and the love of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-feodorov/my-whole-life-has-been-based-on-two-principles-the-love-of-the-church/) [Leonid Feodorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-feodorov/) > [I'm looking for a second reformation. The first reformation of the church 500 years ago was about beliefs. This one is going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/i-m-looking-for-a-second-reformation-the-first-reformation-of-the/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [We grew up going to church, and I believe in God. I don't know that I have the ability to define what or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/we-grew-up-going-to-church-and-i-believe-in-god-i-don-t-know-that-i/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [“Having a husband, it seems to me, is a small matter like going to church. Either you trust in something or you do not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-graham/having-a-husband-it-seems-to-me-is-a-small-matter-like-going-to/) [Winston Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-graham/) > [How can we call ourselves a church and not believe in healing and in miracles? I cannot read four pages anywhere in the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/how-can-we-call-ourselves-a-church-and-not-believe-in-healing-and-in/) [T.L. Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-osborn/) > [“We have raised the bar so high on how church is done that few believe they could ever do it themselves. The dark side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cole/we-have-raised-the-bar-so-high-on-how-church-is-done-that-few-believe/) [Neil Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cole/) > [“Unfortunately, some in the Church may believe sincerely that their testimony is a raging bonfire when it really is little more than the faint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/unfortunately-some-in-the-church-may-believe-sincerely-that-their/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [...the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-only-thing-that-makes-the-church-endurable-is-that-it-is-somehow/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Manly natural religion - it is not joining the Church; it is not to believe in a creed, Hebrew, Protestant, Catholic, Trinitarian, Unitarian, Nothingarian.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/manly-natural-religion-it-is-not-joining-the-church-it-is-not-to/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I don't go to church so much, but I do believe in God and I understand the consequences of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/i-don-t-go-to-church-so-much-but-i-do-believe-in-god-and-i-understand/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) ## More by John F. Kennedy > [“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-meet-any-hardship-support-any/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We stand today on the edge of a new frontier - the frontier of the 1960's - a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-stand-today-on-the-edge-of-a-new-frontier-the-frontier-of-the-1960/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We must recognize that every nation determines its policies in terms of its own interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-must-recognize-that-every-nation-determines-its-policies-in-terms/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Someone always needs rescuing, yet there's only one person who ever seems to understand you. It's a lot like being Lassie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/someone-always-needs-rescuing-yet-there-s-only-one-person-who-ever/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Great crises produce great men, and great deeds of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/great-crises-produce-great-men-and-great-deeds-of-courage/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [There comes a point where you see no evidence that the carrot and diplomacy are working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/there-comes-a-point-where-you-see-no-evidence-that-the-carrot-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counter-weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/suspicion-on-one-side-breeds-suspicion-on-the-other-and-new-weapons/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We have some of the most influential Members of Congress here today, and I do hope that we can get this appropriation for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-have-some-of-the-most-influential-members-of-congress-here-today/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Disarmament without checks is but a shadow - and a community without law is but a shell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/disarmament-without-checks-is-but-a-shadow-and-a-community-without/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/this-is-one-country-it-has-become-one-country-because-all-of-us-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-courage-of-life-is-often-a-less-dramatic-spectacle-than-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/washington-is-a-city-of-southern-efficiency-and-northern-charm/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/peace-does-not-rest-in-the-charters-and-covenants-alone-it-lies-in/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Explore all 824 John F. Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But because I am a Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been elected president, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured - perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. 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