Unlike the Interfaith Alliance and the old-line Religious Left, much if not most of the Call leadership is theologically orthodox. Most proclaim to be evangelical. Other Catholics are Gerald Brown of the Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Institutes, Margaret Cafferty and Joan Chittister of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Marie Dennis of Maryknoll Justice and Peace, J. Bryan Hehir of the Harvard Center for International Affairs, and Carlotta Ullmer of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross. Catholic conservatives will not be surprised by these endorsers, but media coverage has contrasted high-level Catholic support for the Call to harsh criticism of the Christian Coalition by some Catholic leaders. The Call's debut received widespread national attention, including coverage in the Washington Post , the New York Times , USA Today , and the Los Angeles Times .
Political issues are at the heart of the Christian faith.
A second Call press conference was held nearly a year later, on February 1, 1996. We will not endorse candidates, not endorse parties. We want to affect the quality of the discourse. A two-day seminar for Call activists after the press conference indicated that the Call will be considerably more partisan than Wallis implied. James Forbes of New York's famously liberal Riverside Church lashed out at Republican policies in his opening address before an enthusiastic crowd.