NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice is a left-of-center advocacy organization that advocates for legislation. It is the lobbying arm of NETWORK Advocates, which handles its direct activism and the training of local communities to organize for left-of-center causes. ¹

NETWORK is an outspoken critic of Republican policies. The group first rose to prominence with its “Nuns on the Bus” tour in opposition to then-Republican Vice Presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), with NETWORK executive director Simone Campbell speaking at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.  ² It opposed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment, and other pro-business and pro-free-market legislation. ^{3 4 5 6 7}

In 2025, NETWORK launched a database titled “Trump Administration Executive Order and Action Tracker” which documents executive orders and other activities within the second Trump Administration. The tracker scrutinizes the administration for its decisions to cut spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs; for deregulating conventional energy production; and for executive orders instructing law enforcement to enforce immigration laws. ⁸

History

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice was founded in April of 1972 by a group of 47 nuns, beginning immediately by promoting left-of-center legislation to prominent Democrats, such as former U.S Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), former U.S. Sen. Adlai Stevenson III (D-IL), and former U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY). ⁹ According to its first newsletter, its priorities were “international poverty, congressional reform, minimum wage, child care, consumer protection, the environment, farmworker rights, healthcare, opposition to the Vietnam War, prison reform, tax fairness, welfare reform, and women’s rights.” ¹⁰

NETWORK has been highly critical of every Republican administration since its founding, most notably those of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. The lobby called Bush-era tax cuts “shameful” and “unconscionable ¹¹ and opposed any military response to the September 11^th attacks. ¹⁰

In the words of the National Catholic Reporter, a left-of-center Catholic publication, NETWORK did not “gain traction on [Capitol] Hill” until 2010, when it lobbied for Obamacare under executive director Simone Campbell, a member of the Sisters of Social Service religious order. ¹² The group wrote a “nuns’ letter” to the U.S. Congress supporting the legislation, despite opposition by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, earning it significant favor from the political left. Then-President Barack Obama specifically thanked the NETWORK for its work, remarking that without the influence of NETWORK, he would “not have gotten the Affordable Care Act done ¹³

Advocacy Activities

Opposition to Republicans

In 2012, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice led a campaign opposing proposed reforms to the Medicare system proposed by the Vice Presidential candidacy of then-U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) through its “Nuns on the Bus” activist tour. Simone Campbell addressed the 2012 Democratic National Convention in support of the re-election of President Barack Obama. ²

The 2018 “Nuns on the Bus” tour, a country-wide tour by which NETWORK seeks to bring attention to specific issues, sought to convince Americans that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was a giveaway to the rich. ¹⁴ In previous years, the topics of the bus tours included illegal immigration and income inequality. NETWORK lambasted “the second year of the Republican-led 115th Congress [as] another year of chaos and struggle,” calling their legislation a “barrage on the common good.” ¹⁵

President Ronald Reagan was also retroactively targeted by Executive Director Sister Simone Campbell, as she blamed him for modern-day poverty in America. According to The Valley Catholic, Simone “said it began in 1980 when Ronald Reagan became president. Reagan, she said, changed the notion in America from ‘We the People’ to the one, lone, rugged, individual.” ¹⁶

In June 2025, the NETWORK participated in organizing or supporting protests branded under the “#NoKings” banner, a national demonstration positioned as a defense of democratic norms against President Donald Trump. These events were part of a larger mobilization involving over 70 Democratic Party affiliates and allied organizations across at least 19 U.S. states and multiple international locations, according to publicly available event listings on Mobilize.us, a Democratic Party-aligned organizing platform. ^{17 18}

Criticism from the Catholic Church

A 1983 article from the comparatively nascent NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, then stylized as merely “Network,” even then displays the contention between Rome and the progressive nuns. Nancy Sylvester, a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the then-national coordinator of Network, told the New York Times: “We’re operating out of one model; the hierarchical church, out of another [. . .] Often we’re just not respected or appreciated for what we have done.” ¹⁹

The conflict reared to a head in 2012, when the Vatican accused NETWORK of having ““serious doctrinal problems.” It pointed out that it was “focusing its work too much on poverty and economic injustice, while keeping ‘silent’ on abortion and same-sex marriage.” ²⁰

When questioned by a journalist about whether abortion should be prohibited, Simone Campbell said, “That’s beyond my pay grade.” ²¹

Economy for All Agenda

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice’s “An Economy for All Agenda” is NETWORK’s policy agenda for its federal policy advocacy. It is critical of politicians for allowing wealth disparities to exist and advocates for policies that would increase the minimum wage, mandate paid leave, increase tax rates for higher-income earners, regulate or subsidize housing costs, socialize healthcare and food production, and for policies that implement universal basic income payments. ²²

White Supremacy and Christianity Series

The White Supremacy and American Christianity Series is a video series published by the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice that promotes the idea that there has been a cultural trend of white nationalist and Christian identities merging that resulted in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building. It defines the merging of the identities as “Christian nationalism,” which it claims is rooted in the belief of a “mythological founding of the United States as a ‘Christian nation,’” and that Christian nationalists “[demand] a privileged place for Christianity in public life, buttressed by the active support of government at all levels.” ²³

The NETWORK’s White Supremacy and American Christianity Series further promotes ideas that Christian nationalists’ political agenda is “rooted in white supremacy,” arguing that by demanding Christian ideals in their political advocacy, ethnic minorities are excluded from democratic processes. ²⁴

Racial Equity Workshop

The NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice organized a “Racial Wealth and Income Gap” workshop that discusses American history and legislation it claims are responsible for income and wealth disparities between Black and white Americans. ²⁵

Publications

In November 2023, the NETWORK published a blog post written by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) that supported her Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act in addition to universal basic income (UBI) policies that would require all persons in America to be provided an income of $25.02 per hour. She argued that providing people “unrestricted cash” through UBI is a “one-size-fits-all approach” to address economic issues. Watson’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program would create a pilot program to test if federally funded income support would prevent poverty for recipients to support the idea that such a program should be scaled nationally. ²⁶

In a June 2022 blog post, the NETWORK advocated for an increase in the federal minimum wage to address income disparities amongst members of the LGBT community. It also advocated for the U.S. Census Bureau to collect data on more specific variations of gender and sexual identities so that LGBT issues can be addressed based on the broader spectrum of LGBT identities. ²⁷ The workshop is based on 12 “key” federal policies that it argues contribute to wealth and income disparities. Included on the list is Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, arguing that schools have become more segregated and predominately Black schools are underfunded; it also includes the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, criticizing the construction of highway in Black communities and claiming that it allowed white people to move away from Black people; and the list includes the existence of subprime loans, claiming that they are “almost exclusively” given to Black people and cause Black people to be more likely to foreclose. ²⁸

Trump Administration Tracker

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice operates a “Trump Administration Executive Order and Action Tracker” that publishes executive orders and other activities from the second Trump administration it argues infringe upon people’s “freedoms” and “protections.” It focuses on executive orders and other activities that go against its An Economy for All agenda. ⁸

The Tracker highlights actions taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or actions that are in alignment with DOGE’s initiative to reduce or eliminate funding for federal programs deemed wasteful. ⁸

The NETWORK’s Trump Administration tracker criticized the Trump administration cutting the $200 million in funding to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) as well as the funding for Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Free Asia. ⁸

The NETWORK’s Trump Administration Executive Order and Action Tracker includes reporting on “Other Litigation,” which lists a lawsuit by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law against Meta for allegedly discriminating against Black people in Washington, D.C. by showing them advertisements for “predatory” for-profit schools while steering ads for nonprofit schools to white people on Facebook and Instagram. ⁸

Leadership

Laurie Carafone is the executive director for NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. She previously worked as vice president for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and earlier she worked as a nonprofit immigration lawyer.  ²⁹

Finances

In 2024, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice reported $1.9 million in total revenue. It also reported $1.1 million in total expenses, including $739,601 in salaries and compensation of its employees. ³⁰

NETWORK also reported $1.8 million in total transactions with NETWORK Education, a related charitable organization that handles the “Nuns on a Bus” program, to cover the costs of shared facilities and employees. ³¹

1. “Faith-Based Political Advocacy for the Common Good.” NETWORK Lobby, September 26, 2025. https://networklobby.org/.
2. White, Stephen P. “The Decline and Fall of Catholic Democrats?” National Review. September 11, 2012. Accessed July 02, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/2012/09/decline-and-fall-catholic-democrats-stephen-p-white/.
3. Campbell, Simone. “I’m A Nun Leading A Cross-Country Bus Tour To Protest The GOP Tax Law – Here’s Why.” Bustle. June 12, 2019. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.bustle.com/p/im-a-nun-leading-a-cross-country-bus-tour-to-protest-the-gop-tax-law-heres-why-12113941.
4. Sanchez, Brandon. “Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings: Abortion, Immigration and Other Catholic Concerns.” Jesuit Review. September 24, 2018. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/09/07/kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings-abortion-immigration-and-other-catholic.
5. “Over 150 Rights Organizations Urge Congress to Prohibit Expanded Immigration Detention Funding.” Human Rights Watch. September 10, 2018. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/09/05/over-150-rights-organizations-urge-congress-prohibit-expanded-immigration-detention.
6. Singer, Paul. “Thousands of Nuns Urge Senators to Vote against Obamacare Repeal.” USA Today. July 23, 2017. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/23/thousands-nuns-urge-senators-vote-against-obamacare-repeal/502885001/.
7. Geevarghese, Joseph. “Called to Defend the Rights of Workers.” NETWORK Lobby. July 02, 2018. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://networklobby.org/catholicsocialjusticereflection5/.
8. “Trump Administration Executive Order and Action Tracker.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. May 12, 2025. https://networklobby.org/trump-administration-executive-action-tracker/.
9. Campbell, Sister Simone. “NETWORK National Catholic Social Justice Lobby Celebrates 40 Years of Working for Social Change.” The Washington Post. April 18, 2012. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/network-national-catholic-social-justice-lobby-celebrates-40-years-of-working-for-social-change/2012/04/18/gIQAO1mMRT_story.html?utm_term=.19f14b527313.
10. “History.” NETWORK Lobby. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://networklobby.org/about/history/.
11. Culler, Tegan A. “The Bishops’ Big Break: With Bush in the White House, the US Bishops See Clear Sailing on Their Conservative Agenda.” Catholics for Choice. Summer 2001. Accessed June 24, 2019. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/issues_publications/the-bishops-big-break-with-bush-in-the-white-house-the-us-bishops-see-clear-sailing-on-their-conservative-agenda/.
12. Filteau, Jerry. “Pro-life, Social-justice Catholics Gain Traction on Hill.” National Catholic Reporter. April 16, 2010. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/pro-life-social-justice-catholics-gain-traction-hill.
13. Jenkins, Jack. “This Catholic Nun Pushed Obamacare through Congress. Now She’s Fighting to Save it.” ThinkProgress. June 30, 2017. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://thinkprogress.org/simone-campbell-health-care-663083582f55/.
14. “Nuns on the Bus 2018.” NETWORK Lobby. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://networklobby.org/bus2018.
15. “NETWORK Lobby Releases Annual Catholic Social Justice Scorecard for Congress.” NETWORK Lobby. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://networklobby.org/news/votingrecord2018//.
16. Sullivan, Liz. “The Valley Catholic.” The Valley Catholic News. October 26, 2016. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://tvc.dsj.org/2016/10/26/sister-simone-campbell-sss-leads-discussion-on-poverty-advocacy/.
17. “Partners.” No Kings. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://www.nokings.org/partners.
18. Nomani, Asra. “Asra Nomani: The Familiar Hidden Hand behind Today’s #nokings Protests.” Fox News, June 14, 2025.https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/asra-nomani-familiar-hidden-hand-behind-todays-nokings-protests.
19. Briggs, Kenneth A. “WOMEN AND THE CHURCH.” The New York Times. November 06, 1983. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/06/magazine/women-and-the-church.html?searchResultPosition=27.
20. Goodstein, Laurie. “Vatican Reprimands a Group of U.S. Nuns and Plans Changes.” The New York Times. April 18, 2012. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/us/vatican-reprimands-us-nuns-group.html.
21. Quoted in McCormack, John. “Catholic Nun & DNC Speaker Simone Campbell on Abortion: ‘That’s Beyond My Pay Grade’.” The Weekly Standard. September 05, 2012. Accessed July 02, 2019. https://www.weeklystandard.com/john-mccormack/catholic-nun-dnc-speaker-simone-campbell-on-abortion-thats-beyond-my-pay-grade-651775.
22. “An Economy for All Agenda.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://networklobby.org/economy-for-all-agenda/.
23. ^[1] “White Supremacy and American Christianity Series.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://networklobby.org/blog/actions-to-take-to-after-watching-white-supremacy-in-christianity/.
24. “White Supremacy and American Christianity Series.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://networklobby.org/blog/actions-to-take-to-after-watching-white-supremacy-in-christianity/.
25. “Racial Wealth and Income Gap.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://www.networkadvocates.org/rwig/.
26. Watson Coleman, Bonnie. “It’s Time for an Income Floor: Recent Crises Prove That We Can End Poverty in the U.S.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. November 29, 2023. https://networklobby.org/blog/14622lgbtqequalpayday/.
27. Kelly, Gina. “NETWORK Marks LGBTQ+ Equal Pay Day.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. June 14, 2022. https://networklobby.org/blog/14622lgbtqequalpayday/.
28. “12 Key Federal Policies that Have Contributed to the U.S. Racial Wealth and Income Gap.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. May 2025. https://networklobby.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/RWIG-Policy-Handout-Update-2020.pdf.
29. “Staff.” NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://networklobby.org/about/staff/.
30. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). The NETWORK. 2024. Part I, Lines 12-18.
31. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). The NETWORK. 2024. Schedule R. Part 2.