text: The Catholic Church has been the world's "Rainbow Coalition" before America even existed. The Catholic Tradition includes much that can be used to provide a common basis for the building of authentically human civilization. This includes the way it employs "Natural Law" philosophy to social issues and an abundance of political, theological and  philosophical works. Of course the Church's social teaching provides a basis that I think no one could possibly object to, in principle. 
  
  There has to be an intellectual aspect to our striving for unity. These intellectual resources that the church has are really the property of us all as they represent a very large part of the patrimony of Western Civilization  and indeed of all the world. If you are an American, whether you are Catholic or not, what the Catholic Church possesses is part of your history and inheritance.