Pray 

Pray for an end to the political and anti-religious violence in our country and that our nation’s leaders may promote peace and healing. 

Reflect 

In recent years, the USCCB has expressed concern about politically motivated violence. The polarization that has long been the subject of commentary by religious leaders appears to be devolving into a cycle of attack and retribution. Efforts to address the growing rancor in American political culture have failed to match the forces influencing people to cultivate political and tribal identities defined, in part, by their hatred for others. Some of the recent acts of violence have manifested this sort of hatred. Others seem to point toward a kind of nihilism that is celebrated in some online spaces. 

Trends in political discourse can shift from one year to the next. However, the culture and structures fostering today’s discourse remain in place. Therefore, in 2026, the Committee for Religious Liberty continues to be concerned about politically and religiously motivated violence. 

Act 

Catholics can take a step towards de-polarizing our nation’s politics by honestly undertaking an examination of conscience and availing themselves of the sacrament of Confession. Catholics, upon reflection may ask themselves, “Have I spoken untruthfully in order to defeat a political opponent in an argument? Have I failed to treat others with genuine charity?” When we come before the Lord in Confession, God’s grace heals us as individuals and as members of the body of Christ. 

Pray 

Pray that migrants can access the sacraments of the Church and safely worship in their communities. 

Reflect 

President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to carry out mass deportations of immigrants, and in his first year and a half in office, his administration has made immigration enforcement a priority. The actions of the administration in this area have affected people of faith in two key ways: fear of participating in worship due to the administration’s change in policy for enforcement at so-called sensitive locations (otherwise known as “protected areas”), and access to religious services in detention centers. Some dioceses have taken the extraordinary step of dispensing the faithful from their Sunday obligation if they feel that going to Mass exposes them to risk of detention. Detainees have, at times, found their access to the sacraments and pastoral care unnecessarily inhibited. As new immigration operations begin, and new detention centers are erected, these kinds of threats will persist. While Catholics may disagree among themselves over how best to manage immigration, we should all agree that fundamental rights, including for noncitizens, warrant respect.   

Act 

The USCCB’s You Are Not Alone initiative offers hope, accompaniment, and practical support to immigrants and their families facing fear and instability due to immigration enforcement in the United States. The initiative focuses on actions like emergency and family support, accompaniment and pastoral care, solidarity through public prayer and witness, and education about Church teaching and immigrants’ rights. Get involved by using the initiative’s resources in your parishes and communities, organizing or participating in prayer and witness events, offering direct support to immigrant families, signing the Cabrini Pledge, and connecting with local Catholic Charities or legal service affiliates. 

Pray 

Pray for our brothers and sisters in many parts of Africa who suffer violent religious persecution. 

Reflect 

Extremist violence continues to spread in a number of countries on the African continent. Christians, Muslims, and other people of faith are frequently targeted by campaigns of mass killings, abductions, and forced displacement. In 2025, hundreds of Christians were massacred in targeted attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. In northern regions of the country, thousands of Christian and Muslim civilians were kidnapped or killed by religious extremist entities, including Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa (ISWAP), as well as other armed groups. In the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), also referred to as Islamic State-Democratic Republic of Congo (ISIS-DRC), has exploited ongoing insecurity and conflict to attack churches, including murdering worshipers at prayer. The growth of terrorist violence by religious extremist groups in many countries in the Sahel - including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger - has taken many thousands of lives, displaced millions, and continues to inflict widespread trauma on vulnerable young people. In northern Mozambique, there has been a resurgence in violent attacks by an ISIS affiliate organization, targeting churches, religious leaders, and civilians. Pope Leo XIV has prayed: “that all violence may cease and that believers may work together for the common good.” 

Act 
Build solidarity with fellow Christians, and other people of faith, in Africa by learning about the persecution they face and praying for an end to violence. Reflect on “Brothers and Sisters in Hope, a joint statement on International Assistance and Mutual Solidarity between the Bishops and Faithful of the United States and Africa” and the homily at the recent Mass for Solidarity, given by Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of the Diocese of Yola, Nigeria. 

Pray 

Pray that Catholics and elected leaders work to combat gender ideology in our society. 

Reflect 

As the Committee for Religious Liberty’s 2025 Annual Report stated, “gender ideology has corroded religious liberty in recent years.” However, more recently, gender ideology has suffered significant setbacks, such as the decision in the Skrmetti case and the result of the 2024 presidential election. In 2026, the Supreme Court will decide three cases that could indicate further defeat for gender ideology. The consolidated cases of Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. present to the Court the question of whether states can continue to reserve women’s sports to women. A judgment in favor of the states would help to arrest the progress of the movement to insinuate gender ideology in law and thus reduce the likelihood of scenarios in which religious organizations must defend their recognition of sexual difference. It may also answer whether Title IX can continue to be used to impose gender ideology on religious organizations. The case of Chiles v. Salazar will decide whether counselors have a First Amendment right to engage in speech with their minor clients that respects Church teaching in the area of human sexuality.   

Act 

While legal actions might be helpful in pushing back gender ideology, it is crucial that Christians evangelize the culture. The USCCB’s “Love Means More” initiative provides resources for talking through difficult issues related to sexuality. Love Means More aims to help anyone, Catholics and non-Catholics, think more clearly about the complex web of issues surrounding what it means to love. 

Pray 

Pray that government officials respect and include faith-based organizations in public programs. 

Reflect 

Religious liberty ensures that people of faith can fully participate in the life of the political community. When a government creates programs that aim to serve the common good in some way, religious organizations ought to have the opportunity to participate in those programs. Unfortunately, many governments have included legislative provisions that bar religious organizations from participating in public programs, or bar the use of public funds for religious activities. In recent decisions, the Supreme Court has indicated that governments cannot discriminate against religious organizations simply because they are religious. Moreover, early in his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring agencies to ensure that all rules are in compliance with Carson v. Makin. In the coming year, religious freedom would receive a significant boost if legislation were passed that repealed the discriminatory provisions that remain in federal statutes. 

Act 

Learn more about federal and state laws that discriminate against religious conduct in government programs. This coalition of religious liberty advocates developed this tool to help researchers, advocates, and policymakers identify laws that still violate the bedrock rule that discrimination against religious institutions violates the First Amendment. It documents laws that deny religious believers or religious organizations the right to participate in public programs, and which may be unconstitutional as a result.   

Pray 

Pray that all parents have the ability to direct the education of their children. 

Reflect 

The Annual Report for 2024 identified parental choice in education as a critical opportunity for religious freedom. This issue has long been a priority for the Catholic Church, which teaches that parents have the right to educate their children in accordance with their faith, and that the government ought to ensure that parents can make an authentically free choice. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), which allows donors to receive tax credits for gifts to scholarship granting organizations (SGO). The FSTC promotes parental choice by encouraging donations to SGOs, which in turn grant scholarships that families can use to choose the school that is best for them. Unfortunately, the FSTC passed without religious freedom protections. Such protections would have helped prevent states from discriminating against SGOs that give scholarships that can be used in religious schools. The regulatory framework implementing the FSTC will be developed by the Department of Treasury. The regulations are expected to be issued in 2026. Treasury Regulations that protect the use of scholarships for religious education and the integrity of faith-based SGOs would prove to be a significant moment in the history of parental and school choice advocacy. 

Act 

The USCCB actively engages in the rulemaking process, and the voice of advocates can make a difference. USCCB advocates have submitted significant numbers of comments in previous campaigns, and they helped. As the administration considers how to implement the FSTC, the USCCB will advocate to ensure that the rules protect the use of scholarships for religious schools. Sign up to receive alerts and make your voice heard. 

Pray 

Pray that religious organizations may receive just and reliable federal grants that assist all people of good will in responding to the needs of our neighbors.  

Reflect 

The Trump administration has shown signs of a desire to work with religious groups to promote the common good. At the same time, some of the administration’s priorities have put religious organizations in a difficult position. The administration made an unexplained decision to suspend funding for federal refugee assistance programs, which led the USCCB to file a lawsuit against the government and ultimately to end its refugee resettlement program. The Department of Homeland Security issued new terms and conditions for their grants, which states that grant recipients must cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, cannot serve undocumented immigrants, and cannot operate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. These terms and conditions could mean that a church that operates a food pantry would not be eligible for disaster relief grants from FEMA if some of the needy people who received food from the ministry were undocumented.  

Of particular concern is how these terms and conditions apply to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides funding for houses of worship and religious schools to increase the security on their physical plants. When a church, school, or faith-based program seeks to work with the government, it is depending on a certain level of reliability and transparency. The changes that have been made with some grant programs thus far have been poorly communicated and seemingly ad hoc, with little explanation offered for the rationale behind the changes. If this problem persists, it will prove to be a threat to the ability of the faith-based organizations to partner with the government to promote the common good. 

Act 

Religious charities and social service providers have had their capacity to serve vulnerable communities severely reduced by the loss of government funds. Even if new funding opportunities arise, there is a strong possibility that faith-based organizations will be reluctant to partner with the federal government because of the unreliability of these funds. Learn more about the work of Catholic Relief Services or your local Catholic Charities, and consider how you might support these institutions with gifts of time and treasure. 

Pray 

Pray for Christians in Nicaragua, where the Catholic Church faces brutal government persecution. 

Reflect 

The Church in Nicaragua—the one remaining independent civil society institution in the country since the abolition of all political opposition parties and organizations in the country in 2021—continues to suffer persecution from the regime of Daniel Ortega and his wife and Co-President, Rosario Murillo. Since 2018, when the Nicaraguan bishops declared their support for the Nicaraguan people’s right to protest against unpopular governmental fiscal policies, the Church in Nicaragua has suffered a systematic and politically charged campaign of aggression, including bloody assaults against parishes and chapels, kidnappings, politically calculated desecrations of the Blessed Sacrament, the expulsion of the Apostolic Nuncio, the exile of half of the country’s bishops, and many priests and religious. This year, the regime has extensively limited the Church’s freedom to conduct its traditional Holy Week processions, and sermons are conspicuously monitored and recorded during Mass. Despite these tremendous challenges, the Nicaraguan people remain steadfast in their faith, and have, courageously, opted for the exercise of peaceful opposition to the unjust and against policies against the Church in Nicaragua. 

Act 

Build solidarity with the Catholic Church around the world by continuing to pray and learn about the struggles of our brothers and sisters. Stay informed by signing up for the USCCB’s religious liberty newsletter, First Freedom News.