Support FADA

Richard A. Sokerka

Our basic religious rights, embodied in the First Amendment, are under attack on many fronts in our increasingly secularized society. That’s why it was important last week that a House of Representatives committee moved to place legislation known as the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) — which has the full support of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) — before the full House of Representatives.

In a joint statement, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chair of the USCCB’s committee on the promotion and defense of marriage, and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chair of the USCCB committee on religious liberty, voiced support for FADA and urged Congress to pass the legislation.

The legislation “is a modest but important step in ensuring conscience protection to faith-based organizations and people of all faiths and of no faith who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” they said.

FADA was introduced by Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in response to the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision last year that validated marriage licenses between same-sex couples. It has since been a major concern for individuals, small businesses and faith-based organizations that fear they could lose their tax-exempt status or licenses for upholding their beliefs on traditional marriage.

“The increasing intolerance toward religious belief and belief in the conjugal meaning of marriage makes these protections essential for continuing faith-based charitable work, which supports the common good of our society,” the USCCB statement said.

The statement by the USCCB in support of FADA points out once again that the Catholic Church in our nation will continue to be a beacon of moral conviction and stand behind the right to exercise religious beliefs without fear.