Why Newt Gingrich Converted to Catholicism

The former Speaker finds a new home in the Catholic Church

Marco Grob for TIME

Newt Gingrich has eagerly embraced the role of political Catholic, taking on liberal Catholics and President Obama

Visitors to the Basilica of the National Shrine in northeast Washington often do a double take when they see Newt Gingrich and his familiar shock of white hair slip into a pew for the noon Mass on Sundays. The former Speaker of the House is known for many things, but religious zeal is not one of them. In fact, the social conservatives who fueled his Republican revolution in 1994 often complained about Gingrich's lack of interest in issues like abortion or school prayer.

This past spring, however, after several decades as a nominal Southern Baptist, Gingrich converted to Catholicism. With the...

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