April 5, 2019
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of the Diocese of Scranton has joined more than 140 religious individuals calling on U.S. leaders to uphold the principles of religious freedom.
The group of varying backgrounds has sent a letter to President Donald Trump, Vice President Pence, and congressional leadership from both political parties, outlining eight principles.
In the coming days, the letter asks the recipients to recognize that “individuals of all faiths and none have equal dignity, worth and rights to religious freedom.”
Following the March 15 attack on two mosques in New Zealand that killed fifty Muslims, another principle outlined in the letter emphasizes that “an attack on one religion should be treated as an attack on every faith.”
Bishop Bambera is currently the chairman of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Two other committee chairmen, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, also signed the letter. They respectively chair the committees for Religious Liberty and International Justice and Peace.
The letter ends by asking recipients to devote specific remarks to the principles of religious liberty in the days ahead, saying “we vow to work with you to ensure that individuals and communities are able to practice their faith without fear.”
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Note: The full letter with all of signatories can be found at: https://www.dioceseofscranton.org/news/religious-liberty-letter-april-4-2019/