The United States is home to about 7 percent of all Catholics in the world. As of 2010, an estimated 23 percent of U.S. adults and 24 percent of the total U.S. population are Catholic. The U.S. Catholic population has lost more members than it has gained from denominational switching.
Definition of civil union. : the legal status that ensures to same-sex couples specified rights and responsibilities of married couples.
One meaning of civil law refers to a legal system prevalent in Europe that is based on written codes. Civil law in this sense is contrasted with the common-law system used in England and most of the United States, which relies on prior case law to resolve disputes rather than written codes.