HOMEPAGE for this issue: December 14, 2011 // Download PDF Version // Click to install/update Adobe Reader on your computer

Religious freedom a top issue for U.S. bishops

By Julie Filby

According to Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M Cap., educating the faithful on dangers to religious freedom was the most pressing issue discussed at the fall assembly of 300 U.S. bishops, held Nov. 14-16 in Baltimore.

“The so-called doctrine of the separation of church and state was established to protect the church from the state,” said Denver’s former archbishop in an interview with the National Catholic Register Nov. 15, “And now it’s being employed for the opposite purpose.”

Archbishop Chaput was recently selected to serve on the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty established in September by USCCB president, Archbishop Timothy Dolan. 

Archbishop Dolan contends that the framers of the Constitution understood the First Amendment to be based on norms inherent in natural law, namely, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

“This basic right, in its many and varied applications for Christians and people of faith, is now increasingly and in unprecedented ways under assault in America,” he wrote in a Sept. 29 letter to brother bishops announcing the committee. “This is most particularly so in an increasing number of federal government programs or policies that would infringe upon the right of conscience of people of faith or otherwise harm the foundational principle of religious liberty.”

The Committee on Religious Liberty consists of 10 bishops and nine lay and religious consultants including attorneys and law professors; it is chaired by Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn.

What does this initiative mean for the flock in Colorado? Jennifer Kraska, executive director of public policy for the state’s Catholics, the Denver-based Colorado Catholic Conference, explained.

“The bishops locally have decided to focus specific efforts on the area of religious liberty,” she said, “meaning they want to teach and help shape policy in this area.

“(They) will focus special attention on educating the faithful on what the threats to religious freedom are and how we defend ourselves against them.”

According to Kraska, the most prominent threats to religious freedom—which are relevant to the Church in Colorado—were outlined by Archbishop Dolan in his Sept. 29 letter:

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations that would mandate coverage of contraception and sterilization in private health insurance plans. New rules do not protect insurers or individuals with religious or moral objections.

• HHS requirement that USCCB Migration and Refugee Services provide reproductive services including abortion and contraception to trafficking victims and unaccompanied minors. The position mirrors that of the American Civil Liberties Union in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of MRS’s contracts as a violation of religious liberty.

• Catholic Relief Services’ concern that U.S. Agency for International Development is increasingly requiring condom distribution in HIV-prevention programs. It also requires contraception within international relief and development programs.

• Justice Department attacks on the Defense of Marriage Act presenting support for traditional marriage as bigotry. In July, the department filed briefs attacking DOMA’s constitutionality, claiming supporters could only have been motivated by bias and prejudice.

• Justice Department attacks on the ministerial exception: a constitutional doctrine accepted by every court of appeals in the U.S. that leaves to churches, not government, the power to make employment decisions concerning persons working in a ministerial capacity.

• New York State’s law redefining marriage with only a narrow religious exemption. County clerks have faced legal action for refusing to participate in same-sex unions.

Locally the most prominent issue at this time is the HHS mandate.

“It impacts so many of our institutions,” said Kraska. “It will affect any entity that offers health insurance to its employees.”

Bishop Lori addressed the bishops, on behalf of the committee, at the November meeting.

“We see these and other threats no longer from afar but immediately on the horizon,” he said. “(The committee) has begun its work in helping us in our dioceses to defend and promote religious liberty with and among our dioceses.”

He emphasized their duty as pastors to teach.

“We recognize that we have a critical role to play in leading our people … so that they will cherish their God-given freedoms and work to shape a society marked by respect for the transcendent dignity and freedom of each human being.”

The bishops will continue to speak out against threats to religious liberty and engage public officials.

“But this we cannot do alone,” said Bishop Lori.

He called on the lay faithful to put their gifts “on the line in defense of religious liberty” whether experts or “Catholics who simply want to raise their families and hand on their Catholic faith in a land that is free” and just.

“Together, we will do our best to awaken in ourselves, in our fellow Catholics, and in the culture at large a new appreciation for religious liberty and a renewed determination to defend it.”

Kraska echoed that Colorado Catholics can help defend and promote religious liberty in their dioceses through education. 

“People need to read and learn about these issues,” she said. “The USCCB website (www.usccb.org) is a great resource. When issues arise, elected officials need to be engaged and contacted.

“Get involved in the public square,” she stressed.

To stay informed and get involved, Kraska encouraged Catholics to sign up for CCC’s legislative network or visit their Facebook page. For more information, visit www.cocatholiconference.org.