Baltimore Archbishop Blasts “Reckless” Language in Govt. Religious Liberty Report

Responding to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ (USCCR) recent report “Peaceful Coexistence,” Archbishop William E. Lori rebuked the notion that claims for religious liberty were “code words” to allow for discrimination. In a statement released yesterday, Lori, who is archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore, reminded the USCCR’s chairman, Martin Castro, that “[m]en and women of faith were many in number during the most powerful marches of the civil rights era,” referring to the contributions of prominent religious leaders such as Rev. Martin Luther King. Lori also called Castro to account for his “reckless” statements which the

New Government Civil Rights Report Shows Little Respect for Religious Freedom

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” US Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendment I, first line. There was a time when most Americans could agree that protecting the free exercise of religion was of the utmost importance. Now, the US Commission on Civil Rights is trying to make sure that religious liberty is limited “as narrowly as applicable law requires.” The Commission, chaired by Martin Castro (an appointee of President Obama), found that “[r]eligious exemptions to the protections of civil rights based upon classifications such as race, color, national origin, sex,