The following essay was selected as the third-place winner of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2025 religious liberty essay contest on the theme “Witnesses to Freedom.” The essay contest was co-sponsored by the OSV Institute for Catholic Innovation. For her essay, Katherine Lizcano was awarded a $500 scholarship.

The moment the Pilgrims and Puritans embarked on their ships and set sail to the Americas, they had one thing in common that would transcend through time: the desire for religious freedom. Centuries later, the immigrants passing through Ellis Island carried the same dream in a few distinct forms. This dream, implanted in the hearts of all Americans, remained in the hearts of America’s Founding Fathers as they ratified the 1st Amendment of their Constitution, ensuring the freedom of religion alongside other freedoms (“The Bill of Rights”). Freedom of religion, although rooted in American history, had been a reason for persecution. Puritans themselves expelled dissenters of their beliefs such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams while in the same century, anti-Quaker laws were passed by the Virginia Assembly in 1659 (“Religion and the Founding”). Catholics were discriminated against solely for their religion in Maryland once Protestants controlled the state and eradicated them from the legislature. This prompted the House of Delegates to pass the Maryland Act of Toleration, one of the acts that would lead to the First Amendment (ushistory.org). However, other minorities such as indigenous groups were stripped of their native religions and forced to unlearn their cultures in boarding schools such as the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School, one of the first schools outside of reservations that took the children from their families and did not allow them to return (“Carlisle Federal Indian”). 

As the United States progressed and evolved into a dominant superpower, the world faced many instances where freedom of religion was deprived such as the Jewish community in Germany. The interference of the U.S. in World War II against antisemitism seemed to silently promise to never revoke the fundamental right in the United States. Yet, this was not the case when the city of San Antonio eliminated 69 out of 83 trees in the river bend in Breckenridge Park where indigenous leaders held their sacred place. In this site, the Indigenous group believed that their prayers were taken to heaven (O’Donnell); thus, the government’s actions obstructed their ceremony gatherings and their sacred ecology and limited their freedom of religion. In 2018 a shooter murdered 11 people in the Tree of Life synagogue, spreading fear among believers and restricting their freedom of religion (Smith). As for Catholics, the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate required the Little Sisters of the Poor to distribute contraceptives, including drugs to induce abortion or pay an unaffordable fine. Their remarkable journey to the Supreme Court and their case Little Sisters of the Poor v. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted them the liberty to continue their charity without violating their beliefs (Colby), once again calling onto the necessity of religious freedom. 

Pope Francis once articulated that peace cannot exist without religious freedom. On January 9, in his annual speech, Pope Francis brought to light that one out of seven Christians face persecution and that one-third of people around the globe are persecuted because of professing their beliefs. Being a clear model of promoting religious freedom for Muslims, Jews, Christians, and all other religions alike, Pope Francis conveyed that the government must protect religious freedom (Barranco). He emphasizes the role of the church in upholding religious freedom: encourage tolerance among all religions to those in power and promote respect. As human beings made in the image of God, we have the free will to make choices such as what we believe. Archbishop Thomas Wenski related in the annual Religious Freedom Week that “religious freedom is the human right that guarantees all other rights—peace and creative living together will only be possible if freedom of religion is fully accepted” (Vatican News). As the acting chair of the U.S. bishop’s Committee for Religious Liberty, he promoted humanity to stand together as one, equals, not fractions. The key theme among these two religious leaders is that religious freedom equates to peace. Thus, we must not obstruct this free will. Instead, Christians must take the responsibility of promoting religious freedom in the same manner that Sister Rose Thering did. The advocate against antisemitism Sister Rose Thering targeted the negative portrayal of Judaism in Catholic teachings and made it her mission to shift the narrative. Thering participated in interreligious forums, led groups to Israel, and taught children about the Jewish faith to promote a Catholic-Jewish understanding (“Sister Rose Thering”). She broke the barrier of prejudice against Jews, promoting respect between the two religions, unity, and the freedom of religion. She is an example of how individual members of the Church must utilize their talents for the good of religious liberty. Sister Rose Thering utilized her skills in teaching and leadership to shift the narrative, while the Little Sisters of the Poor honed their undeniable strength in their faith and charity to grant themselves their rights.

The Bible is another indicator of how Christians should respond to the disrespect of religious freedom. In the second part of the Great Commandment, Jesus emphasizes, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (New American Bible, Matthew 22:39). As Christians, we are encouraged to uphold the human dignity of all and love one another. If we expect our values and principles to be respected, we must respect the beliefs of others. Additionally, as the Bible relates the unity of the parts of the body, it is articulated, “If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all parts share its joy” (New American Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:26). As a part of humanity, Christians must honor all and must take the violation of religious freedom as their own. The removal of one’s group's right of religion equates to the expulsion of other religions’ rights. Humanity should not divide itself by type of belief, but unite itself. Therefore, religious tolerance is unity, as Thomas Wenski expressed. Christians should self-examine their biases on religion and offer empathy and compassion to those who do not experience the same liberty they do as Jesus once did to the Samaritan woman 5 in the Book of John chapter 4. Jesus treats the Samaritan woman as a human with respect and understanding, unlike many Jews that were prejudiced towards the different religions. Ultimately, religious freedom is peace and unity, two principles that are scarce in today’s society as Americans and the world become divided based on religious and political beliefs. Love, the driving proponent of peace, should be the foundation of society, and when this becomes true, a new heaven and new earth will be formed.

References

Barranco, Ana. “Pope Francis Talks About Religious Freedom.” ACN International, 10 Jan. 2023: acninternational.org/no-peace-without-religious-freedom-says-pope/. 

“Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 9 Dec. 2024: www.nps.gov/cibs/learn/historyculture/index.htm. 

Colby, Ryan. “Supreme Court to Little Sisters: You Are Free to Serve Elderly Poor without Violating Faith.” Becket, 8 July 2020: becketfund.org/media/supreme-court-little-sisters-free-serve-elderly-poor-without-violating-faith/. 

O’Donnell, Paul. “Indigenous Leaders Bring First Case Under Texas’ Covid-19-Era Religious Liberty Measure.” Religion News Service, 11 Dec. 2024: religionnews.com /2024/12/10/indigenous-leaders-bring-first-case-under-texas-covid-19-era-religious-libert y-measure/. 

“Religion and the Founding of the American Republic America as a Religious Refuge: The Seventeenth Century, Part 2.” Library of Congress, 4 June 1998: www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01-2.html. 

“Sister Rose Thering (1920–2006).” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: www.ushmm.org/information/press/in-memoriam/sister-rose-thering-1920-2006.

Smith, Peter. “Mass Shooter Found Guilty of Murdering 11 People at Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 16 June 2023: www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/mass-shooter-found-guilty-of-murdering-11-people-at-tree-of-life-synagogue-in-2018. 

“The Bill of Rights: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 4 Apr. 2025: www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript#:~:text=Bill%20of%20Rights.%22-,Amendment%20I,for% 20a%20redress%20of%20grievances. 

Ushistory.org. “Maryland - the Catholic Experiment.” Independence Hall Association: www.ushistory.org/us/5a.asp#google_vignette. 

Vatican News. “US Bishops: Religious Freedom Under Stress Around the World.” Vatican News, 23 June 2020: www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-06/us-bishops-religious-freedom-under-stress-around-the-world.html.