US Bishops' Fortnight for Freedom continues
(Vatican Radio) The US Catholic Bishops’ Fortnight for Freedom initiative is into
its second week this week. The fourteen days between June 21st and July
4th – Independence Day in the United States – are devoted to prayer, teaching
and action in favor of religious liberty, which the US bishops perceive to be under
threat from several quarters. “Religious liberty,” write the bishops on their website,
“is the first liberty granted to us by God and protected in the First Amendment to
[the US] Constitution.” The bishops go on to say, “[Religious liberty] includes more
than our ability to go to Mass on Sunday or pray the Rosary at home. It also encompasses
our ability to contribute freely to the common good of all Americans.” Challenges to religious liberty therefore affect all citizens – something reflected in the ecumenical and interfaith partners with which the USCCB is working throughout the fortnight. The spokesperson for the USCCB president, Timothy Card. Dolan of New York, Kim Daniels told Vatican Radio, “Believers across the country are realizing that standing by beliefs about marriage, standing by beliefs about the value of human life, is increasingly counter-cultural, and that means that we have to stand together for our rights under the Constitution and for the idea that we are an important voice in the public conversation.” Daniels also told Vatican Radio the bishops are pleased with the response so far. “I think it’s great to see the kind of ground-level, grass roots initiatives that you see in diocese throughout the country.” Listen to Chris Altieri’s extended conversation with Kim Daniels, spokesperson for the president of the USCCB:
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