More Catholics In Congress

The number of Catholics in Congress continues to rise, according to a post-Xmas tally by CatholicCourier.com, with the numbers of Catholic Dems growing fastest.

Why should we care? Catholics are a key swing group, with growing clout in the South and West. And, after decades of under-representation (check out the '47 total) , they are now slightly over-represented, making up more than a quarter of all members -- despite a 22 percent share of the population.

Totals, House and Senate:

80th Congress (1947-49) - 78 Catholics (67 reps, 11 sens)

109th (2005-06) - 153  (129 reps, 24 sens)

110th (2007-08) - 155 (130 reps, 25 sens)

111th (2009-11) - 162 (136 reps, 26 sens)