Catholic Church in the United States

For the structure of the Catholic Church in the United States, see List of Catholic dioceses in the United States.


Catholic Church in the United States
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., the largest Catholic church in North America
TypeNational polity
ClassificationCatholic
OrientationMainly Latin, with minority Eastern
ScriptureBible
TheologyCatholic theology
PolityEpiscopal
GovernanceUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
PopeFrancis
USCCB PresidentTimothy Broglio
Prerogative of PlaceWilliam E. Lori
Apostolic NuncioChristophe Pierre
RegionUnited States and other territories of the United States, excluding Puerto Rico.
LanguageEnglish, Spanish, French, Latin
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.
Congregations16,429 (2022)[1]
Members72,000,000+ (2020)[2]
Official websiteusccb.org
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The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope. With 23 percent of the United States' population as of 2018, the Catholic Church is the country's second-largest religious grouping after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church if Protestantism is divided in the separate denominations.[3] In a 2020 Gallup poll, 25% of Americans said they were Catholic.[4] The United States has the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines.[5]

  1. ^ "CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE APOSTOLATE (CARA), Georgetown University > Frequently Requested Church Statistics > Parishes". cara.georgetown.edu/frequently-requested-church-statistics/. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Black Catholics seek worship spaces free of racism". Diocese of Raleigh. March 28, 2022. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Brenan, Megan (March 29, 2021). "Religiosity Largely Unaffected by Events of 2020 in U.S." Gallup.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Catholic Data, Catholic Statistics, Catholic Research". cara.georgetown.edu. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2013.