The U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB) on Thursday vowed to oppose “unjust” laws.
In its Statement of Religious Liberty,
the bishops are calling for Catholics to participate in a “great
national campaign” to defend religious liberty. The “A Fortnight
for Freedom” calls for “all the energies the Catholic community
can muster” to resist “totalitarian incursions against religious
liberty” from June 21 to July 4.
Religious liberty, the
bishops said, is “under attack, both at home and abroad.”
“To be Catholic and American should
mean not having to choose one over the other,” the statement reads
in part.
Among the seven examples of what they
say are violations of religion freedom is not being allowed to refuse
placement of children with foster or adoptive gay couples.
“Boston, San Francisco, the District
of Columbia, and the state of Illinois have driven local Catholic
Charities out of the business of providing adoption or foster care
services – by revoking their licenses, by ending their government
contracts, or both – because those Charities refused to place
children with same-sex couples or unmarried opposite-sex couples who
cohabit,” the bishops wrote.
The USCCB is headed by Cardinal Timothy
Dolan, a
vocal opponent of New York's gay marriage law, and last
year launched a campaign opposed to marriage equality.