Reflecting on safety during Religious Freedom Week
“Even if you are a person of no faith, you should recognize that people should be able to worship without being afraid of being attacked in some way.”
Aaron Weldon, USCCB
All people should be free to gather for prayer and worship without fear of being attacked. And all people of faith can stand in solidarity with another about this basic right.
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) makes funding available to nonprofits, including religious schools and houses of worship, to improve security. In 2020, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) prepared resources for Religious Freedom Week, we decided to highlight security for houses of worship and to advocate for increased funding for the NSGP.
We chose this issue, not because of concern for Catholic churches, but out of solidarity with other people of faith, especially Jewish communities, who often face violent attacks at their houses of worship.
That very same year, we noticed a rise in incidents of vandalism and arson at Catholic churches. While these incidents have not yet risen to the level of violence that other faith communities have suffered, they did merit a response. But the response was simply to advocate for what we had always advocated for, namely, for funding for the NSGP and for all people of good will to defend the rights of everyone to worship in peace.
The Catholic Church teaches that religious freedom—which certainly includes freedom from attacks on houses of worship—is a fundamental right. In raising awareness about church vandalism and attacks on houses of worship, our record shows that we aren’t just protecting ourselves. We are working to promote the common good for all people.
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USCCB will observe Religious Freedom Week June 22-29 by encouraging Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.
This year, the bishops are focusing on promoting a culture of life, with the theme “Life and Dignity for All.”
The USCCB website dedicates each day of Religious Freedom Week to a specific cause. Those issues include: Walking with Moms in Need (a project run by the USCCB to help pregnant and parenting women in difficult situations); adoption and foster care; taxpayer funding for abortion; religious freedom in China; pregnancy resource centers; health care workers, and free speech.
In order to take action, the USCCB asks Twitter users to tweet a photo of their favorite church or devotional art to @USCCBFreedom with #ReligiousFreedomWeek.
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