Paul Michael Weyrich (October 7, 1942 – December 18, 2008) was an American religious conservative political activist and commentator, most notable as a figurehead of the New Right. He co-founded the conservative think tanks The Heritage Foundation, the Free Congress Foundation, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). He coined the term "moral majority," the name of the political action group Moral Majority that he co-founded in 1979 with Jerry Falwell. After Vatican II[6] he switched from the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church to that of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and was ordained protodeacon.
