The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report on Sept. 7 that calls for reining in religious liberty protections in favor of nondiscrimination statutes aimed at protecting L.G.B.T. Americans. “The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance,” the chairman of the commission, Martin R. Castro, wrote in the report. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Religious Liberty, called those comments “shocking” and “reckless.” He warned that the church’s vast social services network could cease to exist if conscience protections are tossed aside. “We do not seek to impose our morality on anyone, but neither can we sacrifice it in our own lives and work,” he said. “The vast majority of those who speak up for religious liberty are merely asking for the freedom to serve others as our faith asks of us.
‘Shocking’ Liberty
Show Comments ()
1
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Richard Booth
8 years 6 months ago
As far as it goes, Chairman Castro's endorsement is not problematic, if what he means is that the phrase "religious liberty" is actually masking an agenda that discriminates against other persons. What we have no way of knowing is whether that phrase is disingenuous. We do know that forms of religious hegemony have had hidden agenda historically. So, in my view, the prelate is unnecessarily upset since some phraseology does, indeed, mask underlying intent. Of course, the editors gave us very little of the context in their brief, so it is difficult to draw conclusions that could be argued heartily. It would be good to link us not to a general website but, rather, to the document that Mr. Castro actually endorsed. That would be more honest referencing, in my opinion.
The latest from america
Pope Francis shared that he is experiencing “healing,” specifically “in my soul and my body,” as he reaches the eighth day of the minimum two-month period of rest and convalescence prescribed by his doctors.
With 38 years of experience in overseeing the process of canonization and beatification of saints, Monsignor Robert Sarno offers a deep dive into the world of Catholic relics, including their history, hierarchy and controversy.
Pope Francis continues to be in stable condition and has registered improvements in both breathing and speech, the Vatican said on March 28.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s deft handling of the mercurial U.S. president has sent her approval rating soaring, reaching 85 percent in the latest survey from the newspaper El Financiero.