U.S. bishops issue document on religious liberty

    You are a member of the Administrative Committee of the U.S. bishops, which last week approved a new statement on religious liberty that calls on Catholics to resist “unjust” laws as a duty of citizenship. Can you share how this document came about?
    The Administrative Committee includes more than 30 bishops from around the country. We met in Washington, D.C., last month to talk about the threats to religious liberty in the United States, and we discussed the details of a document called “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty.” The important thing about the document is that it talks about religious liberty in general. We have said all along – and I’m not sure that we have been heard correctly by many people – that the issue about religious liberty in the United States is much broader than the debate over the HHS mandate. It is much broader than the specific issues the media has focused on – artificial contraception, sterilization and reproductive services. As we have said all along, those are just the examples that flow from the overarching issue of the threat to religious liberty. The question comes down to this: Does the government have the right to tell us what to believe in and what actions to perform, even if they are against our conscience? We do not want to simply have the right to profess and carry out our faith at home and in church. We should be able to do that in the workplace.
    What are some of the specific threats to religious freedom that the U.S. bishops have identified?
    There are immigration laws in Alabama and other states that go against church teaching. In some of those states, if I pick up an illegal immigrant and bring her or him to church, I’ve committed a crime. Another example was the attempt by the Connecticut Legislature to restructure Catholic parishes. There has been discrimination against Christian students on college campuses. In fact, I just spoke to someone this morning – without naming the university – who told me Catholic students are told they cannot meet on campus, and if they meet on campus the university will decide the structure of the student organization. There have been government actions in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and in Illinois that have forced local Catholic Charities to stop providing adoption or foster care services because they would not place children with unmarried people or with same-sex couples.
    Is that a possibility in Louisiana?
    We don’t think so. We hope and pray that the Louisiana Legislature is friendlier to us and believes more in the conscience clause.
    Any other examples?
    New York City passed a rule prohibiting small church congregations from renting public schools on weekends for worship services. The federal government also has bypassed Catholic Charities for future contracts in fighting human trafficking because the government now requires Catholic agencies to provide abortion services, which is a violation of Catholic teaching. The USCCB document makes reference to a 1963 quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, who said that an unjust law was one “that is out of harmony with the moral law.” We say an unjust law cannot be obeyed.
    What are you asking Catholics to do?
    We are asking that they study the issue, pray about it and speak strongly to their legislators about it. Again, this is not just about HHS mandate. Of course, we are waiting to see what happens when the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the new federal health care law, but the issue of religious liberty is a much deeper question and has more profound ramifications. As it stands now, the HHS will be telling Catholic universities and Catholic hospitals what they can and cannot do. They will be telling us what medications have to be made available on Catholic campuses.
    Are there any other actions planned?
    We’re also asking for prayer during “a fortnight for freedom” – from June 21, which is the vigil of the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, through July 4, which is Independence Day. Those two saints were people who fought for and lived religious liberty. We want to follow their example. We also have asked priests to preach on religious liberty on Nov. 25, which is the Feast of Christ the King.
    Archbishop Aymond can be reached at [email protected].