A freedom prayer rally for religious liberty, led by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, will be held at noon Wednesday, July 3, at the Lincoln statue on the east side of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. The 30-minute rally will be part of the 2013 Fortnight for Freedom, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"The purpose of this effort is to issue a nationwide call to defend religious liberty and to urge the laity to work to protect the first freedom of the Bill of Rights," said Bishop Paprocki.
Approximately 80 percent of U.S. Catholic dioceses, including the Springfield diocese, participated in the first Fortnight for Freedom in 2012, holding rallies, special Masses, conferences and public events to highlight various threats to religious liberty. Of particular concern was the mandate by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would require many Catholic-run institutions to provide insurance coverage for artificial contraception, which is contrary to Catholic teaching.
The Fortnight for Freedom will again take place between June 21, vigil of the feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, and July 4, Independence Day. According to the USCCB, issues of concern this year include:
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The Supreme Court's rulings on same-sex "marriage" which could have grave implications for religious freedom, will almost certainly issue around the same dates as the Fortnight.
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The effective date of the HHS mandate, Aug. 1, and the administration's decision on the shape of a final rule is a matter of concern. After study and analysis of the government's latest proposal, Catholic institutions are apparently still far from receiving relief through the regulatory process.
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The success of a second Fortnight for Freedom is essential to perpetuating a new movement for religious freedom, highlighting the full range of ongoing religious freedom issues, both here and abroad, in areas of law such as immigration, adoption and disaster relief.
To learn more about the Fortnight for Freedom, go to usccb.org and click "Fortnight for Freedom." To stay up to date on religious freedom issues, sign up for text messages from the USCCB by testing the word "FREEDOM" to 377377. Fortnight for Freedom 2013 is also on Facebook.