National News

USCCB to Celebrate Religious Freedom Week

June 3, 2021
A family member of victims cries while praying during the reopening ceremony of St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 12, 2019, months after it was closed because of an Easter bombing. A new poll shows that although more than half of U.S. Catholics are “very concerned” about the persecution of Christians around the world, the level of concern has declined in the past two years. (Photo: CNS/Dinuka Liyanawatte, Reuters)

Religious Freedom Week runs from June 22 – 29 

WASHINGTON – Religious Freedom Week will be observed this year from June 22 to June 29 and the theme chosen is Solidarity in Freedom.

“Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community” (Fratelli tutti, 116). Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has prepared resources to “Pray – Reflect – Act” which may be found at: www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek. Each day focuses on different religious liberty topics of concern for the bishops.

These materials were prepared to help people understand religious liberty from a Catholic perspective, pray about particular issues, and act on what they learn by advocating for policies that promote religious freedom.

The USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty collaborated with the Office of International Justice and Peace to raise awareness and show solidarity with people throughout the world who suffer for their faith, from the persecution of Christians in Nicaragua to highlighting Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq this year. Domestically, a major area of concern continues to be freedom for Catholic institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and child welfare service providers, to carry out their missions with integrity.

Through prayer, education, and public action during Religious Freedom Week, the USCCB hopes to promote the essential right of religious freedom for Catholics and for those of all faiths.