Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

Liberty - Photo by Loci B. Lenar

As we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th in the United States, let us remember that as citizens of this nation we have a right to defend our religious liberty.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has composed the following prayer:

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,
from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

What the Arab Spring can learn from the history of the Catholic Church and democracy

What the Arab Spring can learn from the history of the Catholic Church and democracy

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

In the long history of the Church, its embrace of democracy is still relatively new. David Forte is a historian and a professor of law, he says the Church's support of democracy helped to create many of Europe's modern political parties.

David Forte
Professor of Law, Cleveland State University (USA)

“One of the things that I've been researching is how Catholicism moved from an initial position against liberal democracy in the 19th century because of persecutions by Napoleon and the French Revolution to as not only embracing it but becoming one of it's great sponsors in Christian Democracy.”

Professor Forte met with members of Rome's Acton Institute, a conservative think tank that promotes individual freedoms with religious principles.

They say the Church's support of democracy can serve as an example to countries that are transitioning from autocratic regimes to a representative government. In Egypt, where elections have boosted the Muslim Brotherhood, observers say this could tension relations with neighboring Israel.

David Forte
Professor of Law, Cleveland State University (USA)

“So far as I know, all the presidential candidates have been supporters of Hamas, against Israel in the past. So the continuation of peace with Israel looks very iffy with the development of the Muslim Brotherhood's strength.”

Egypt is also home to a large population of Coptic Christians, that make up around 9% of Egypt's 80 million people. The protection of religious freedom and maintaining good relations with neighbors are two prescriptions that Professor Forte and other observers hope to see carried out in these emerging democracies.

St. Thomas More - Patron of Religious Freedom

St. Thomas More

 

Prayer to St. Thomas More

O God our Creator,
from your provident hand we have received
our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us
the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,
and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be “one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.


Copyright © 2012, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Cover image, istockphoto.com