As the first Catholic President of the United States, Kennedy overcame strong anti-Catholic discrimination and accusations that his loyalty to the Vatican might outweigh his fidelity to the nation. He silenced these charges when he said, in a speech to the Houston Ministerial Alliance, “I do not speak for my church on public matters; and the church does not speak for me. Whatever issue may come before me as President—if I should be elected, on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject, I will make my decision in accordance with these views—in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise.”