Atlanta, Ga., Mar 30, 2016 / 10:35 am
Following the Georgia governor's recent veto of a religious liberty bill, the state's Catholic bishops are calling for further debate and dialogue on the issue.
"We fervently support religious liberty guaranteed by the United States and Georgia constitutions and we respect those who seek to enhance those freedoms through legislation," said Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta and Bishop Gregory Hartmayer of Savannah.
The governor's veto means that debate will continue, the bishops said in a March 29 statement. They encouraged respect for the "worthy motivations" of people on both sides of the debate.
The state's Catholic bishops did not take an explicit stand for or against the legislation. Instead they commented more broadly, "While we and the other Catholic bishops in the United States support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), we do not support any implementation of RFRA in a way that will discriminate against any individual."