US Bishops: Defend religious liberty

The U.S. bishops have issued a call to action to defend religious liberty and urged laity to work to protect the First Freedom of the Bill of Rights. They outlined their position in a new document entitled “Our First, Most Cherished Freedom.”

“The Bishops have put forth a document on religious liberty which aims to both inform and inspire so that lay men and women can understand the Church’s teaching on religious liberty, and take their rightful role in defending the first of our liberties as both believers and citizens,” said Archbishop-designate William Lori, the chairman of the Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, which prepared the document.

Archbishop Lori spoke about what the Church is fighting for: “We certainly have a right to raise our voice in the public square, to bring convictions born of faith and reason to bear on the national debate. Secondly, to be able to form our own members of our Church as citizens and believers who themselves can make their contribution to the common good. And thirdly, to be able to address services which are born of the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments, to deliver services in the area of education and health care according to the faith that inspired these works in the first place.”

He said the Bishops are not playing election year politics: “We think that this is not a partisan fight; we think that this is something that is of great concern to all Americans. And we think it is of great concern to all people of religion. So that would be my reply to those who would accuse us of trying to play election year politics. We’re not doing it! We’re simply trying to make sure that we do not, in the heat of a political year, surrender our liberties, which do not come from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.”

You can listen to the complete interview of Archbishop-designate William Lori with Christopher Wells here: