US Bishops: Religious freedom
under stress around the world
 |
| St Thomas More and St John Fisher |
As the US Bishops observe “Religious Freedom Week,” the
acting president of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty warns against
“discrimination against religion in general and Catholic Christianity in
particular."
By Vatican News
“The right to religious freedom has its foundation in the
very dignity of the human person,” says Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, the
acting president of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty. “Religious
freedom is the human right that guarantees all other rights — peace and
creative living together will only be possible if freedom of religion is fully
respected.”
"For the Good of All"
Archbishop Wenski’s statement comes at the beginning of the
annual Religious Freedom Week, which runs from the Feast of Sts
Thomas More and John Fisher, 22 June through 29 June, the Solemnity of Sts
Peter and Paul. During this week, Catholics are encouraged to pray and uphold
religious liberty at home and abroad. The theme for this year’s Religious
Freedom Week is “For the Good of All.”
Growing discrimination
“Religious freedom is under stress throughout the world,”
Archbishop Wenski declares in his statement. “Even in our Western liberal
democracies,” he stresses, “discrimination against religion in general and
Catholic Christianity in particular, is growing — albeit in perhaps more
sophisticated and less violent ways.”
While acknowledging that “Political analysts and human
rights advocates do include religion on their agenda,” he notes that, “most
emphasize ‘tolerance’ as if religion were only a source of conflict. Or, they
speak about religion in terms of ‘individual choices,’ as if religion were
merely the concern of an individual’s conviction and were devoid of any social
consequences.”
Protecting individuals and institutions
On the contrary, he explains, “just as freedom of speech
depends not only on one’s right to say what’s on one’s mind but also on the
existence of institutions like newspapers, universities, libraries, political
parties and other associations that make up what we call ‘civil society,’ so
too freedom of religion ‘for the good of all’ must also encompass protecting
those institutions that nourish the individual’s free exercise of religion.”
Defending religious liberty
The U.S. Bishops’ Religious Freedom Week – originally the
“Fortnight for Freedom” – was conceived in 2012 as a defence of religious
liberty against threats “both at home and abroad.” Each day of the week is
dedicated to a different issue having to do with religious liberty; this year’s
topics include freedom to serve in health care, respect for houses of worship,
and Catholic schools.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét