Christifideles Laici award

Richard A. Sokerka

In our nation, there is “a new orthodoxy that is actively hostile to religion,” warned U.S. Attorney General William Barr when he spoke through a pre-recorded video at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) on Sept. 23 during which he accepted its Christifideles Laici Award. Named for Pope St. John Paul II’s 1988 exhortation on the lay vocation, the award honors lay Catholics who promote the New Evangelization and the Church’s mission in their life and work.

NCPB Board Member Leonard Leo praised Barr’s “integrity,” “honesty,” “humility,” and “sincere and wise counsel,” before presenting the award virtually.

“Militant secularists have long seized on the slogan — separation of Church and state — to try to move religion out of the public square and out of conversations on the common good,” Barr said, adding “they are replacing religion with this new orthodoxy and the results are urban violence, drug abuse and broken families.”

“Separation of church and state does not mean — and never did mean — separation of religion and civics,” said Barr, as he insisted Catholics should be more involved in public life through advocating for religious freedom. “It is never too late to work in God’s vineyard,” he said.

In his virtual message, President Trump announced that he was signing a “Born-Alive” executive order to ensure that babies surviving abortions get needed medical care. Legislation on a “Born Alive” Act did not have enough votes to be passed by Congress.

“Our nation is strong because of Catholics and all people of faith,” the President said, adding that “every child, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of God.”

Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles delivered the keynote address virtually, warning against the tendency to “privatize religion,” saying “a privatized religion is bad for religion, it is bad for democracy.” He called on Catholics to “follow the promptings of the Second Vatican Council” and bring their faith into the public arena.

All these speakers addressed the com­mon theme of life and liberty. Now more than ever, Catholics need to be seen and heard in the public arena to prevent those national and local governmental officials from treading upon our religious liberties that we are guaranteed in the First Amend­ment to the Constitution.