As the August 1st deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate looms, Archbishop William Lori, Chairman of the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, recently announced, for the second year in a row, “The Catholic bishops of the United States have called for a Fortnight for Freedom in the days leading up to the Fourth of July.”
His Excellency described the fourteen day observance as “a time when we as Catholics—people who believe in the Constitution and the freedoms guaranteed by it—can come together to pray, study, and prayerfully act in support of those freedoms, most especially the freedom of religion.”
With this in mind, please join me in respectfully proposing an alternative course of action constructed upon the solid foundation of Catholic tradition and the following unshakeable convictions:
• Our FAITH is placed not in the Constitution, but in Jesus Christ, Sovereign and Lord.
• Our HOPE for freedom is expressed not by reciting Constitutional precepts, but in teaching both individuals and States to observe all things whatsoever that Our Blessed Lord commanded.
• Our LOVE for God and country is made manifest not through acts of patriotic sentimentalism, but by proclaiming the Sovereign Rights of Christ the King to all, including those in civil authority, that they may come to heel under His sweet and saving yoke.
Please add your name, email address and diocese (none of which will be published) to the prayer pledge below. On the 5th of July, we will forward the results to the USCCB – as a spiritual crown for Christ the King – making known our heartfelt desire for the sacred hierarchy to courageously call our civic leaders to account, not simply for their obligation to uphold the Constitution, but for the duty to honor and serve the Lord Jesus Christ to Whom all authority in heaven and on earth belongs.
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Additional Resources
Traditio Faith Formation Series: Quas Primas The Encyclical of Pope Pius XI is reprinted herein (© Libreria Editrice Vaticana) in its entirety, along with insightful commentary, followed by three lessons with Scriptural references that aid participants in coming to a firm understanding of the immutable doctrine concerning the Kingship of Jesus Christ. Suggested responses are included. Suitable for both faith formation groups and individuals alike. $14.50 CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE INTRODUCTION: Traditio Quas Primas Intro
Gut check for freedom An article from Catholic News Agency by Louie Verrecchio
– Whatever opposes Christ the King is not a service to the common good. The Lord’s reign – not the U.S. Constitution – has traditionally been, and must be again, the standard to which the Catholic Church holds those who govern.
Patron Saints of the Constitution? An article from Renew America by Louie Verrecchio
– Saints Thomas More and John Fisher are often invoked as models in the battle to protect an ecumenically sensitive version of religious liberty in the United States, but make no mistake about it; both of these martyrs died very specifically in defense of the sovereign rights of Christ the King and His Holy Catholic Church.
Religious Liberty Under Attack: In Defense of Christ the King
Presentation delivered June 2012
Religious Liberty: In Defense of Christ the King from Louie Verrecchio on Vimeo.