The U. S. catholic bishops on nuclear arms: Corporate advocacy, role redefinition, and rhetorical adaptation

The authors examine the communicative, organizational, and political dimensions of how the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) treated the issue of nuclear arms control in the early 1980s. They argue that the NCCB as an organizational unit shaped a new “corporate advocacy” role for itself; the bishops responded to internal and external needs, revitalized their image within the Church, and achieved a new political status.