WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of
Louisville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln,
chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, gave
their strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which was recently
introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in the U.S. Senate:

“We welcome and applaud the recent reintroduction of the First
Amendment Defense Act (FADA). The USCCB has been vocal in support of the
legislation since its inception. FADA is a modest and important measure that
protects the rights of 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.
For example, in a pluralistic society, faith-based charitable agencies and
schools should not be excluded from participation in public life by loss of
licenses, accreditation, or tax-exempt status because they hold reasonable
views on marriage that differ from the federal government’s view.

The leadership of the Catholic Church will
continue to promote and protect the natural truth of marriage as foundational
to the common good. The Church will also continue to stand for the ability of all to
exercise their religious beliefs and moral convictions in public life without
fear of government discrimination.

We are pleased to support the First Amendment
Defense Act, and we urge Congress to pass this important legislation.”

The letter of support for the First Amendment
Defense Act is available at https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/promotion-and-defense-of-marriage/upload/Ltr-to-Sen-Lee-FADA-2018.pdf.

—
Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Joseph E. Kurtz,
Committee for Religious Liberty, Bishop James D. Conley, Subcommittee for the
Promotion and Defense of Marriage, First Amendment Defense Act, House, FADA,
federal government, U.S. Congress, Oversight and Government Reform Committee,
religious freedom, marriage, man, woman, discrimination, conscience protection,
religious belief, faith-based agencies, schools, human person, common good.

###

Media Contact:
Judy
Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops