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Every year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) observes Religious Freedom Week. Beginning on the feast day of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher (June 22), it includes the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (June 24), and ends with the feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29).
This year’s theme is Solidarity in Freedom. Pope Francis writes: “Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community” –On Fraternity and Social Friendship (Fratelli Tutti), 116. Religious freedom is so important because it allows the Church, all religious communities, and faithful individuals to live out their faith in public and to promote the common good.
Each day of this weeklong observance focuses on different religious liberty concerns of the bishops—from adoption and foster care to conscience rights for healthcare workers, from church vandalism to Catholics in Nicaragua and Christians in Iraq, and more. The bishops wish to help us understand religious liberty from a Catholic perspective, pray about specific issues, and act on what we learn by advocating for policies that promote religious freedom. Find resources for daily prayer, reflections, and action related to these concerns here.
Image credit: USCCB.org