Bishops urge passage of federal First Amendment Defense Act
USCCB committee chairman submit letter to Senate
Two committee chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gave their strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah):
“We are pleased to support the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), and we urge Congress to pass this important legislation,’ stated Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.
“The USCCB has been vocal in support of the legislation since its inception,” the bishops noted. “FADA is a modest and important measure that protects the rights of faith-based organizations and people of all faiths and of no faith who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
“For example,” the bishops continued, “in a pluralistic society, faith-based charitable agencies, and schools should not be excluded from participation in public life by loss of licenses, accreditation, or tax-exempt status because they hold reasonable views on marriage that differ from the federal government’s view.
“The leadership of the Catholic Church will continue to promote and protect the natural truth of marriage as foundational to the common good,” they stated. “The Church will also continue to stand for the ability of all to exercise their religious beliefs and moral convictions in public life without fear of government discrimination.”
