National Eucharistic Congress says use of ‘one nation under God’ is about ‘spiritual renewal’

(OSV News) — Amid what it called “a moment of heightened tension” in the U.S. and the world, the National Eucharistic Congress said its use of the phrase “one nation under God” is “not about political statements, but about spiritual renewal.”

The phrase forms the theme of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will take place May 24 through July 5, traveling through most of the nation’s 13 original colonies as the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary.

On April 21, the congress — a nonprofit organization working in partnership with the U.S. bishops to implement the National Eucharistic Revival — issued a statement explaining its understanding of the phrase.

“We join our Holy Father, Pope Leo, in speaking Christ’s words to our world: ‘Peace be with you,'” said the organization. “With our Holy Father we desire to be witnesses to Christ’s love praying for the peace of Christ to descend upon our country and our world.”

In its statement, the NEC explained, “The ‘One Nation Under God’ pilgrimage is a united prayer of petition to God on behalf of our country and for peace in the world. It is not about political statements, but about spiritual renewal.”

The organization did not specifically reference the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, throughout which President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson have openly challenged Pope Leo XIV’s repeated calls for peace, while invoking Christian symbolism and Scripture in support of the administration’s initiation of the conflict.

The NEC observed that the Knights of Columbus had “first lobbied for this phrase to be placed in our pledge of allegiance.”

The pledge, first composed in 1892 by clergyman and editor Francis Bellamy, was modified several times — including in 1954, when “under God” was added following advocacy efforts by the Knights and various religious leaders. The addition served to distinguish the U.S. from the former Soviet Union, officially atheist, as the Cold War was at its height.

The phrase has sparked controversy over the years, with a 2002 court ruling declaring it unconstitutional, a decision the Supreme Court revoked in 2004.

At a March 25 online press conference, NEC president Jason Shanks said the upcoming pilgrimage — which will conclude in Philadelphia, where the nation’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed — marks a moment for “a country still in conversion” and “a country still on pilgrimage.”

In its April 21 statement, the NEC said that “to live ‘under God’ is to live in his truth, to recognize that the dignity of every human life comes from Him, to live our call to true human fraternity, and to remember that unity begins in humility and service of neighbor.”

“The Eucharist forms us in these truths, inviting us to self-emptying service, calling us to communion, and teaching us self-gift,” said the NEC.

The organization said that as the nation nears its 250th anniversary, “we are invited into something deeper than a simple remembrance, we are invited into revival.”

Such revival is a call “to truly bring our hearts and minds “under God” so that we can be witness to our country of the love of Christ,” said the NEC.

The organization added, “We pray this pilgrimage will call all of us beyond the divisive rhetoric of this time to bear witness to a higher truth: that lasting peace, justice, and unity are possible when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ.”

The NEC pointed to Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, saying, “What a privilege that right now we have an American Pope who calls us to these ideals.”

“We stand with the Holy Father in proclaiming the truths of the Gospel which helped form the ideals of our country,” said the NEC.

The organization called on the faithful to “be part of this movement” by joining the NEC “in prayer for unity, peace, and healing, that our country would be renewed in our love for God and neighbor.”

Concluding its statement, the group also encouraged the faithful to “walk along” with the chaplains and the nine perpetual pilgrims who will travel with the Blessed Sacrament on the pilgrimage and to commit to the group’s goal of logging 250,000 Holy Hours as part of the event.

“Together, may we help shape the future and invite all to experience the peace of Christ as ‘One Nation Under God,'” said the NEC in its statement.

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