Rome, Italy, Nov 10, 2011 / 13:01 pm
Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport says that the U.S. bishops’ new Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty will officially meet for the first time this Sunday, Nov. 13.
He also revealed that the committee, which is “just getting organized,” will likely consist of “about 10 bishops” as well as “a number of very qualified lay consultors.”
“What is our goal? It is first of all to lift up the whole area of religious freedom, beginning with the teaching of the Church in ‘Dignitatis Humanae’--the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on religious freedom,” said Bishop Lori told CNA on Nov. 8.
He also sees the committee’s task as “recouping, if you will, the vision of our Founding Fathers of the United States.”
The new religious liberty committee was created to address “growing concerns over the erosion of freedom of religion in America.”
The bishops on the committee will be supported by a lawyer who specializes in the area of religious freedom and a lobbyist who will handle both religious liberty and marriage issues.