The Real Talk About a Bishop’s Year on a Faith‑Freedom Panel

A Catholic bishop accepted an invitation from the White House to sit on a new commission focused on religious liberty. He was surprised by how quickly his name appeared and how the invitation made sense, given his church’s long history of championing faith rights. Over the course of a year, the group investigated how government policies in health care, schools and the military sometimes clash with people’s right to practice their religion. They also studied how the founding fathers thought about faith in government and highlighted current antisemitism as a separate issue that needed attention. A key point the bishop raised was that many modern laws use an old idea—often called a “wall” between church and state—to justify limiting religious expression. He argued that the First Amendment actually protects both no official religion and the free exercise of any faith, so the wall metaphor is misleading. He shared stories from witnesses who said they were prevented from singing Christian songs at school events or wearing religious messages on masks during a pandemic. These examples illustrate how the wall idea can be turned into real restrictions on faith.The bishop also warned that a growing cultural trend, which he calls “self‑invention, ” erodes objective moral values and pushes religion out of public life. According to him, leaders who favor this trend may try to keep faith from influencing education and health care because they see traditional religion as a challenge. Despite criticism that his participation tied him to the president’s agenda, he insisted that serving on a commission is different from endorsing every policy of that administration. He cited a former university president who served on many presidential panels across party lines, showing that faith leaders can influence policy without agreeing with all political actions. He concluded that the commission’s work was valuable and that accusations against him were largely driven by misunderstanding or envy. He remains proud of the recommendations they produced and believes that faith voices should be heard in government discussions.