Religious Freedom Week 2024: Called to the Fullness of Dignity
This year’s theme is Called to the Fullness of Dignity.
Join us, June 22 – June 29, as we pray, reflect, and take action on religious liberty, both here in this country and abroad. –Our First, Most Cherished Liberty
Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all. Beginning June 22nd, the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, the USCCB invite Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.
We pray for:
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June 22- Day 1 Pray Respect for Sacred Spaces
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June 23 – Day 2 Pray Blasphemy and Apostasy Laws
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June 24 – Day 3 Pray Freedom to Speak the Truth.
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June 25 – Day 4 Pray Service to Immigrants
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June 26 – Day 5 Pray India.
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June 27 – Day 6 Pray Faith at Work
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June 28 – Day 7 Pray Civility
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June 29 – Day 8 Pray Catholic Healthcare
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The Equality Act, which is coming up for a vote in the U.S. Senate soon, in many ways does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith.
The Equality Act would:
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punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs;
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force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women;
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risk mandating taxpayers to fund abortions;
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force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition; and
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expand what the government considers a “public” place, forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.
All people desire to know their Creator. All people have a natural impulse to seek the good and to live in accordance with that good. All people can flourish when they pursue the truth about God and respond to the truth.
Religious freedom means that all people have the space to flourish. Religious freedom is both an American value and an important part of Catholic teaching on human dignity. When we promote religious freedom, we promote the common good and thus strengthen the life of our nation and the community of nations.
Freedom Spotlight…
Pope Francis & Religious Freedom, Quotes from Our Holy Father /
en Español
Religious Liberty and the Practice of Charity
John Garvey, J.D., President, Catholic University of America
How To Talk About Religious Liberty
Religious freedom has recently become one of the major focal points in the conversation on how Americans can promote the common good. Our Catholic tradition has much to offer this conversation. In this time of increasing polarization in our culture, we can contribute to a better understanding of this issue in a way that respects all people. We can speak with friends and neighbors about religious freedom and work to clear up misconceptions about it.
Fact Sheets
Learn more about current challenges to religious freedom, both here in the United States and abroad.
Religious Liberty at Home
First Freedom Podcast
Conversations about a variety of issues related to religious liberty, including challenges to our first freedom, Catholic social teaching, and more! Check it out!
Missionary Disciples Who Serve the Good of All (usccb.org)
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The Church, the body of Christ, bears witness to the kingdom of God in many ways. Catholics serve in areas such as adoption and foster care, education, and health care. We contribute to our country’s political culture in a special way by recognizing the dignity of our fellow citizens through civil discourse.
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Religious freedom means that the Church has the space to carry out her mission to serve vulnerable people; it means that all people, of all faiths, are free to worship without fear of being attacked.
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We are also called to be in solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. We are called to bear the burdens of all members of the body of Christ. Therefore, it is imperative that we reflect on the lives of our fellow Christians, such as the Christians who suffer persecution in places like China or the Central African Republic, that we pray for them and for the conversion of their persecutors, and that we seek out ways to be in solidarity with them.