I'm going to guess that Fr Neuhaus is using the "American Catholic" term in reference to the "AmChurch" (American Church) issue many have written about whereby Americans assume that they can run by their own rules as a Church since they do so in so many other areas. There are those who would take it so far as to suggest we should have our own Primate and that he should be at or near the level of authority of the Pope. Fr. Neuhaus has written about the AmChurch issue before, IIRC.
Peter | Homepage | 04.11.07 - 9:23 am | #

Peter:

I bet you are right. Most people such as Fr. Neuhaus would say that they are Catholics who happen to be American. We should not define our religion by our nationality the way Anglicans do.
Patrick Kinsale | 04.11.07 - 9:28 am | #

I saw Fr. Neuhaus give this talk a few weeks ago in NYC. Have no fear! It was interesting, patriotic and orthodox. His thesis was that being Catholics first makes us better Americans, not t'other way round.
Nicole Genevieve | Homepage | 04.11.07 - 10:33 am | #

Ah, well no argument from me on that one. :)
Thomas Peters | Homepage | 04.11.07 - 10:49 am | #

I'm pretty sure, as others have stated above, that Neuhaus will say that he is a Catholic American, instead of an American Catholic.
Kevin Cary | 04.11.07 - 10:56 am | #

A Catholic who has US citizenship -- much as St. Paul was a Catholic who had Roman citizenship. "American Catholic" definitely will not do (cf. Testem Benevolentiae, 1891; and the voluminous work on the subject (and on the limitations of Russell Kirk and "conservatism, as well) by the late Triumph magazine [1966-1976]). "Catholic American" only if America is defined as the whole New Christendom Ferdinand and Isabella founded in 1492.
Robert Miller | 04.11.07 - 12:09 pm | #

Kevin Cary is correct. He recently wrote about that very topic in First Things (which I highly reccomend).
Recusant | 04.11.07 - 4:19 pm | #

"He" obviously refers to Fr. Neuhaus, not Mr. Cary. :-)
Recusant | 04.11.07 - 4:19 pm | #