Freedom of religion was the focus of the annual fall conference of Roman Catholic bishops taking place this week in Baltimore.
"There is no religious liberty if we are not free to express our faith in the public square and if we are not free to act on that faith through works of education, health care and charity," said Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., chairman of the new Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The call came amid a growing national acceptance of gay marriage and more and more government support for keeping faith out of public life, according to NPR.
In particular, the bishops want broader exemptions from the U.S. Health and Human Services in the wake of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The plan requires private insurers to pay for contraception. The cabinet department also decided not to renew a contract with Catholic Relief Services to help human trafficking victims.
"We should not be obliged to provide services or other initiatives that are contrary to our conscience," said Lori. "We should not be at a disadvantage competing for contracts because we bring certain convictions to the table."
Lori told the National Catholic Review that the new religious liberty committee intends to defend all aspects of religious liberty and promote interfaith collaboration with Muslims and other religious minorities.
