HA. I'm a patriot. And, yes, I grew up with flags on the altar. And I was so glad to see them go, even as a patriotic child. Why? Because they didn't belong there. 


Patriotism has the potential to be a great secular/civic virtue, and, yes, Catholicism got very wrapped up in it for awhile, but the "Christian" part is pretty thin. It is a derived Christian virtue at best, but a person doesn't need to be Catholic to be patriotic at all. But then justice doesn't belong the Catholic Church either. 


Secular/civic virtue, with the strength of derivation.