ABSTRACT
In 1963 sociologists Nathan Glazer and Daniel Moynihan wrote that the metaphor of the melting pot was deceptive. If at all, US-American society was a triple melting pot: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish (Glazer and Moynihan 1963). Whereas US scholars were very interested in the relationship between religion and integration, European intellectuals have largely neglected the issue. An exception is the — mostly negative — fascination with Muslim immigrants, especially since 9/11. Scholars in the field of integration have, however, overlooked the importance of the activities of the Catholic Church for immigrants and their social consequences. This is the case despite the fact that the Catholic Church and its welfare organization Caritas played a crucial role in the German postwar integration regime.
