Archbishop William Lori Archives

Fears of anti-Catholic bias rise on both left and right
- Church in the US
- September 13, 2017
In a judicial nominee hearing last week, Senator Diane Feinstein questioned whether the nominee’s adherence to Catholic teaching should prevent her from a federal appointment. Less than twenty-four hours later, former White House strategist Steve Bannon lambasted the Catholic bishops for their support for DACA. Some have wondered if the two incidents indicate an uptick in anti-Catholic bias in the United States.
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Archbishop Lori: Senators’ questions for Catholic nominee “contrary to Constitution”
- Catholic News Service, Church in the US
- September 11, 2017
Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, said the Senate hearing for Amy Coney Barrett, nominee for a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, was “deeply disappointing” since a number of senators failed to “simply consider the professional achievements of a nominee for the federal judiciary” and instead “challenged her fitness to serve due to her Catholic faith.”
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Lori: After ‘Trinity Lutheran,’ all anti-Catholic ‘Blaine amendments’ should fall
- Interviews
- July 6, 2017
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who heads a Committee on Religious Liberty the U.S. bishops recently voted to make permanent rather than ad-hoc, applauds the recent “Trinity Lutheran” decision of the Supreme Court allowing a religious school to receive government aid to resurface a playground, and says it should trigger a push to eliminate all “Blaine amendments” from state constitutions.
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Bishops’ point man on religious freedom gives mixed verdict on Trump order

Archbishop William Lori, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, told Crux that while he welcomes the recent executive order on religious freedom issued by President Donald Trump, “the devil is in the details”. He also said that repeal of the Johnson Amendment barring churches from endorsing candidates isn’t a focus, because “that’s really not our job.”

Panel: When community tensions erupt, faith can help diffuse violence

“What faith communities do to serve our communities, not just their own, is indispensable,” Archbishop William E. Lori said. “One of the reasons I’m in the religious liberty fight is not just because I’m looking for privileges for my faith community or folks like me … but I’m looking for the freedom to serve to make sure we can make our contribution.”

Trump’s move to protect LGBT workers unsettles religious conservatives

Trump may arguably be the most ‘pro-gay’ Republican president in U.S. history. Trump has in fact kept Obama’s executive order that protects gay and transgender employees from discrimination while working for federal contractors, a decision that some prominent Catholics have described as “troubling and disappointing.”