In their new book, “Religion and the Struggle for European Union,” the political scientists Brent Nelsen and James Guth explore an unlikely source of support for — and opposition to — the European Union: religion. Public opinion surveys from as far back as the 1970s show that Catholics tend to favor European integration; Protestants tend to resist it. As Europe becomes more secular, this trend has weakened, but it has not disappeared.
In a recent interview, Nelsen and Guth explained why Catholics are more sympathetic toward the E.U., why this may not last, and what this might mean for the future of the European project.
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