Diocesan Resources
Statement by Archbishop William E. Lori at the Religious Liberty Press Conference (2013)
Religious Liberty Press Conference National Press Club, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, July 2, 2013 2:00 p.m.
Statement of Archbishop William E. Lori
We are grateful to see so many leaders of other denominations and faiths, including the Southern Baptists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and Orthodox Christian and Jewish leaders, as well as leaders of faith-based and civil rights organizations, come together to sign a statement supporting religious freedom.
The letter itself states that “Many of the signatories on this letter do not hold doctrinal objections to the use of contraception. Yet we stand united in protest to this mandate, recognizing the encroachment on the conscience of our fellow citizens.”
As the Catholic bishops have said from the very beginning, the underlying issue with the HHS Mandate is not about any specific teaching. In fact, other signatories on the letter do not share our view on contraception and probably disagree with us in many other ways, but they understand the core religious freedom issue at stake here.
It is fitting that this statement has been released during the “Fortnight for Freedom,” which has been embraced by Catholics and people of many faiths as a great show of witness for religious freedom in the two-week period leading up to this Thursday, Independence Day.