Washington D.C., May 3, 2017 / 14:35 pm
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday sent out a text message alert urging Catholics to sign a petition calling on President Donald Trump to issue an executive order protecting religious freedom.
The petition, hosted by Human Life Action, encourages the president to sign such an executive order, which is rumored to be in the works for Thursday.
Religious freedom advocates have warned that, due to various mandates and rules issued during the Obama administration, religious institutions that uphold traditional marriage or do not cooperate with abortions and contraceptive use could soon face federal action if no executive order is issued to protect them.
A draft of such an executive order was leaked earlier this year, but was reportedly scuttled due to the efforts of Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.