General
Letter to Congress on the Right to Worship Act (August 26, 2026)
The Honorable Ted Cruz
United States Senate
Washington, 20510
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Brad Knott
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Thomas Suozzi
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
August 26, 2026
Dear Senator Cruz, Senator Slotkin, Representative Knott, and Representative Suozzi:
On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, I write to thank you for introducing the Right to Worship Act (S. 5289, H.R.10052), and to support this important legislation.
Religious liberty is “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,”[1] and people of faith should be able to attend religious services without fear of intimidation or harassment. The Right to Worship Act will establish a zone of protection around houses of worship during religious services to prevent deliberate disruption of scheduled services.
In writing about the importance of protecting religious liberty in the United States, my brother bishops wrote to elected leaders:
It is your noble task to govern for the common good. It does not serve the common good to treat the good works of religious believers as a threat to our common life; to the contrary, they are essential to its proper functioning. It is also your task to protect and defend those fundamental liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. This ought not to be a partisan issue. The Constitution is not for Democrats or Republicans or Independents. It is for all of us, and a great nonpartisan effort should be led by our elected representatives to ensure that it remains so.[2]
I am grateful for your bipartisan leadership on the Right to Worship Act, and I encourage all members to support and pass this legislation. We stand ready to help you in this important work.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample
Archbishop of Portland
Chairman, USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty
[1] Our First, Most Cherished Liberty, A Statement on Religious Liberty by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, available at https://www.usccb.org/committees/religious-liberty/our-first-most-cherished-liberty.
[2] Ibid.