U.S. Church faces these areas of ‘critical concern’ on religious liberty, says bishops’ report

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Areas of critical concern for religious liberty in the U.S. include political and anti-religious violence, “unjust terms and conditions on federal grants, and unreliability of government,” access to sacraments for people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and immigration enforcement operations at houses of worship, according to a new report by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty issued Feb. 17 its “Annual Report on the State of Religious Liberty,” which highlights the legislative actions, executive actions, and U.S. Supreme Court cases the U.S. bishops are closely watching.

“While there were positive developments for religious liberty in the past year, there have been worrying developments as well,” Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, chair of the Committee for Religious Liberty, said in his introduction of the report.

The other areas of critical concern the report identified were school choice and the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, the repeal of provisions that prevent religious organizations from participating in government programs, and “further repudiation of gender ideology.”

Of the areas the report identifies, Archbishop Sample said, “Perhaps most concerning is the ongoing rise in political violence. The polarization the bishops have long lamented seems to be breaking out into serious attacks. Antisemitic sentiment and rhetoric in mainstream institutions appears to be increasing.”

Antisemitic incidents have seen a sharp uptick in recent years, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic attacks. That group said in a 2025 report that it recorded 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the U.S. the previous year, which marked a 344% increase over the group’s findings from the previous five years.

The report said that Catholic churches also saw instances of violence and vandalism — most notably the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis during a school Mass. The report noted that an investigation “discerned no coherent motive” from the shooter, who expressed “a mix of antisemitic, anti-Trump, racist, and anti-Catholic ideas, along with a strong desire to kill children.”

It also pointed to the Oct. 5 arrest of a man armed with explosive devices from the front steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, shortly before the church’s annual Red Mass, which marks the opening of the Supreme Court’s term.

Examples of political violence included the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and a firebombing attack on the home of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Joshua Shapiro during Passover that authorities called an attempted murder.

“Too much of our national life is marked by enmity and strife,” Archbishop Sample said.

The report also noted areas of tension between the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and religious liberty, such as loosened restrictions on ICE agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals, as well as ensuring those in ICE custody have access to the sacraments.

“Furthermore, the administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has led to fears about going to church, driving down Mass attendance and leading some bishops to dispense the faithful from their Sunday obligation,” Archbishop Sample said.

The report said that five bishops “have taken the extraordinary step of dispensing Catholics from their Sunday obligation if they fear that going to Mass puts them at risk of being detained.”

However, Archbishop Sample said, “there were positive developments for religious liberty too,” citing the Religious Liberty Commission created by President Donald Trump “which several of my brother bishops serve as either members or advisors.”

The report also praised steps taken by the Trump administration “to combat gender ideology, which has corroded religious liberty in recent years,” and Trump’s directive to “repeal regulatory provisions that are unlawful in light of recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court, including Carson v. Makin.”

Archbishop Sample noted, “all of these developments are taking place as Americans prepare to celebrate two hundred fifty years as an independent nation.”

“It is a fitting time to reflect on the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and how those ideals have shaped the unique culture that has grown over the past two-and-a-half centuries,” he said. “For Catholics, it is an opportunity to reflect on how the Church has enriched American life.”

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