For American Catholics, “the election of Kennedy was an important moment in history, where they were recognized and accepted by American society as true Americans,” says Rev. Thomas Reese, S.J. But anti-Catholicism continued to linger until JFK\u2019s assassination, when the 34th president became an American martyr, and it was no longer acceptable to be anti-Catholic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"