Carey: Nuncio to United States speaks out about religious freedom

By Ann Carey

(CNS photo)

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, has served the Church in Iran and Nigeria, both countries where contemporary Christians have been persecuted. Thus, it was no surprise that he was invited to deliver the Nov. 4 keynote for the University of Notre Dame conference "Seed of the Church: Telling the Story of Today's Christian Martyrs."

What was surprising, however, was that the apostolic nuncio focused most of his remarks on what he perceives as threats to religious freedom in the United States. He explained that part of his duty is to monitor efforts to harm the Church and God's people, and he said that martyrdom, persecution and religious freedom are all inter-related.

Political pressure a menace to religious liberty

In recent times, he said, religious persecution may not mean torture or death, but rather it can be an effort to harass and marginalize religious people and prevent them from participating in public life.

Archbishop Viganò noted "legitimate concerns about religious liberty posed by the uncertainties surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," commonly known as Obamacare. "However," he continued, "this is by no means the only source of concern: When Catholic charities and businesses owned by faithful Catholics are pressured to alter their cherished beliefs, the problem is experienced in other venues.

"In short, the menace to religious liberty is concrete on many fronts. Evidence is emerging which demonstrates that the threat to religious freedom is not solely a concern for nondemocratic or totalitarian regimes. Unfortunately, it is surfacing in greater regularity in what many consider the greatest democracy of the world. This is a tragedy for not only the believer but also for democratic society."

Religious liberty is a means to an end

Archbishop Viganò stressed that religious liberty is not an end in itself, but is important for the ultimate dignity of the human person. He went on to cite the "legitimate reservation" of the United States Catholic Bishops triggered by the 2012 Health and Human Services mandate that requires all employers to provide employee insurance that will cover sterilization, contraceptives and abortifacient drugs.

Such threats to the proper exercise of faith in public life are very real, he said, and "pose a grave threat to the vitality of Catholicism in the United States."

The role of the laity: implementing faith in the affairs of the world

Citing the 1988 apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici (On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World), the papal nuncio said that the bishops are the teachers of the faith, but laity should exercise a "major role" in implementing the faith in the affairs of the world.

Thus, he applauded the efforts of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to exhort Catholics to confront these challenges faced by the faith. However, Archbishop Viganò was critical of Catholics who align themselves with forces that oppose the Church on issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and same-sex marriage.

The attack on the Church: divide and conquer

"There is a divisive strategy at work here," he said. "By intentionally dividing the Church through this strategy, the body of the Church is weakened, and thus the Church can be more easily persecuted.