US bishops mark Religious Freedom Week with call for peace, healing

Ahead of Religious Freedom Week, which begins June 22, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is inviting Catholics to pray, reflect, and take action in support of religious liberty, warning of a “growing rancor” of political polarization in the nation.

The USCCB said on its Religious Freedom Week webpage that Catholics should pray for peace and healing in the nation and for an end to what it described as political and anti-religious violence.

“The polarization,” the announcement read, “that has long been the subject of commentary by religious leaders appears to be devolving into a cycle of attack and retribution.”

Increasing pressure to cultivate political identities, the USCCB said, has undermined efforts to reduce polarization, which it said is increasingly fueled by a hatred for others.

Concerned about the current political climate and what it described as a cultural “celebration of nihilism,” the USCCB is encouraging Catholics to respond through prayer, personal reflection, an examination of conscience, and the sacrament of Reconciliation.

The week begins on the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. According to the USCCB, the two English martyrs were executed after refusing to recognize King Henry VIII as head of the Church in England and continue to serve as examples of religious liberty and freedom of conscience.

The bishops also urged Catholics to examine how they engage with others in political life, reflecting on whether partisan divisions have affected their commitment to truth and Christian charity.