Catholic Church Stands Strong: Victory for Religious Freedom in Connecticut

The courageous action of the Bishops of Connecticut and the faithful, propelled by the prayer of thousands, has prevailed.

HARTFORD (Catholic Online) - We have closely followed the courageous leadership of Bishop William Lori, his brother Bishops and the faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport as they faced the hostile efforts at censorship by the State Government of Connecticut. Many Constitutional Lawyers, this writer among them, expressed their outrage that the legislation which sought to force the Church to register as a lobbyist simply because the faithful rallied and exercised their First Amendment Rights, violated the Establishment Clause, the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

However, the voices which moved the response of the faithful were the voices of the Bishops of Connecticut. Their courage elicited a response from faithful Catholics and other Christians throughout the nation. I called the egregious State action and the response it elicited the "Battle of Bridgeport" in one of my reports. I expressed hope that it would become the beginning of a Catholic offensive against the growing efforts to silence the Church as she speaks with her Moral and Prophetic Voice to our age. It is a growing pattern; secular authorities brand a moral position or action of the Church to be "political" and then seek to silence the Church. It is a threat not only to the rights of the Church but to the rights of all citizens.

On Friday, May 29, 2009, the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was forced to 'take on Caesar' by exercising their legal rights in much the same manner as the Apostle Paul relied on his Roman citizenship. The Diocese asked a Federal Judge to intervene and prevent the State Attorney General and the Office of State Ethics from compelling it to register as a lobbyist or face sanctions. They went to Court! This issue is vital for the Church in America, given the growing hostility toward the positions of the Catholic Church as our culture continues its descent into secularism and relativism. Even the ACLU saw this one properly! In a rare show of First Amendment integrity they actually intervened on behalf of the Church last week.

Now, there is Good News! The courageous action of the Bishops of Connecticut and the faithful, propelled by the prayer of thousands, has prevailed. The Attorney General has asked the Office of State Ethics to abandon its "lobbying enforcement" action against the Diocese. The action taken by the Bishops and the faithful in Connecticut showed faith, courage and good citizenship. It is a model for the Church throughout the Nation. We present the news release from the Diocese of Bridgeport:

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Diocese of Bridgeport applauds the decision of State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, calling on the Office of State Ethics to abandon its lobbying enforcement action against the Diocese

The Diocese of Bridgeport today applauded the legal opinion issued by State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, calling on the Office of State Ethics (OSE) to abandon its lobbying enforcement action against the Diocese, related to the Diocese's organization of a rally at the State Capitol and its website communications aimed at opposing Raised Bills 1098 and 899 in the Connecticut General Assembly.

In his opinion, the Attorney General stated that "[t]here is no denying the profound and serious constitutional concerns in enforcing the lobbyist registration laws against the Church under these circumstances."

An Unambiguous View

"Today's opinion from the Attorney General is a truly significant announcement that stands not just with our State's Catholics but with all citizens of the State whose fundamental civil liberties were placed in jeopardy by the application by the OSE of the State's lobbying registration requirements," says the Most Reverend William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport. "It is essential that citizens have the right to organize and communicate their views to their government without being required to register as lobbyists. The Attorney General is unambiguous in his view as the State's chief legal officer that the 'risk of chilling constitutionally protected political expression by the Church and its members' is 'intolerable.'

The Bishop continued, "We were also pleased that the Attorney General's opinion recognizes that this action merited particular care in light of the fact that the actions of the Diocese that were challenged by the OSE came in direct response to raised Bill 1098, a clearly unconstitutional proposal to interfere with the internal organization and governance of the Catholic Church. In his opinion, the Attorney General stated that the '[t]he constitutional concerns raised in the [Diocese's] lawsuit have special significance' because they involved 'a religious organization's efforts to protest perceived government entanglement and intrusion in its affairs.'

Our Church's Mission

Bishop Lori added, "We are hopeful that the opinion from the Attorney General will allow us to concentrate even more of our energies in meeting the increased demand for social services in our State. As a Church our mission is to preach the Gospel, teach our Faith, and celebrate the Sacraments. Our religious faith and mission compels us to affirm and defend persistently the dignity of the human person by word and deed. We put our faith into action through our social and educational services."

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Bishop Lori concluded, "As the largest non-governmental provider of educational and human services, we believe the Catholic Church is a critical part of the solution to our State's economic and social challenges."

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