Religious Freedom

Background

Religious freedom allows the space for people of faith to serve others in God's love in ministries like education, adoption and foster care, health care, and migration and refugee services.

The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met -- to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

We are Americans. We are grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens.

To be Catholic and American should mean that our allegiances, while distinct, should be complementary.

The teaching of our Catholic faith obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together.

This constitutional guarantee includes the fundamental right to those things required for human decency (including) the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion …

… and the right to manifest one's religion either individually or in community, in public or in private.

Listen on KBVM! Mary Johnson (St. Juan Diego Parish) tells the story of her father's escape from Communist Yugoslavia to secure freedoms for his family.

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