Religious Freedom Matters

Our guests on this episode of Religious Freedom Matters are Ambassador Sam Brownback, a former U.S. senator and Kansas governor who served as the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021, and Rebecca Shah, principal investigator for the Religion and Economic Empowerment Project (REEP) and a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute.

Co-hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, and Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, discuss the increasing violence by Islamist groups against Christians in Nigeria. Their guest is Stephen Rasche, Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom in Conflict Regions at the Religious Freedom Institute and author of The Disappearing People: The Tragic Fate of Christians in the Middle East. Rasche draws on his deep experience with humanitarian aid work in Iraq, to explain Nigeria's current situation and sound a warning about its possible future.

Co-hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, and Joan Desmond, Senior Editor at the Register, discuss religious freedom and persecution in South and Southeast Asia with Professor Paul Marshall, the Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious Freedom at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Paul also heads the South and Southeast Asia program at the Religious Freedom Institute and is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, as well as the author and editor of more than 20 books on religion and politics, including the best-selling survey of religious persecution worldwide, ‘Their Blood Cries Out.'

The world was horrified this week by the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen, the beloved 90-year-old former archbishop of Hong Kong, by the Chinese authorities. How could such a dreadful thing happen? In this latest episode of our Religious Freedom Matters podcast, your hosts, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, and Joan Desmond, Senior Editor at the Register, hear crucial background information from Nina Shea. Nina is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and an international human rights lawyer specializing in the horrifying persecution of religious believers in China.

George Weigel of Ethics and Public Policy Center joins The Conscience Project's Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and NCRegister's Joan Desmond as an expert guest to give important background on Russia and Ukraine. Also, Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, an advocacy and aid organization for persecuted Christians, talks about the special need to support Ukrainians displaced by the war.

What's the connection between religious freedom and school choice? “Your right to educate your child along the lines of what your beliefs are is critical to the human experience,” asserts veteran statesman and former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback. For years, advocacy for the two issues has been pursued on two separate tracks. On this episode, Brownback joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond to connect the dots between the cause of religious freedom and school choice in America.

Hispanic Catholics are a large part of the Church in America. Why are they such a small part of Catholic schools? “The future of the Catholic Church has a Hispanic face.” Lucia Luzondo, expert in Hispanic ministry, points to the disconnect between the growing presence of Hispanic Catholics in the United States and the low enrollment of Hispanic children in Catholic schools. With hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond, Lucia explores some of the reasons for this and suggests steps to improve outreach to Hispanic families. Now is the time to bridge the divide so more Hispanic families can choose Catholic schools for their children.

Catholic schools aren't an elite privilege. Historically they provided education to diverse communities and today they can do the same. “We need to do a much better job as a Church.” Shawn Peterson, President of Catholic Education Partners, joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond in this episode to discuss the history of Catholic schools and the vital importance of promoting authentic Catholic education. Parents are becoming empowered to exercise their role as primary educators to their children. Shawn reminds us as Catholics of the need to dispel the myth that Catholic education is only for the wealthy. He educates people on the real history of Catholic education as a way for the poor and underserved to rise in society, and he charges Catholics to get out of the “Upper Room” and preach the accessibility of Catholic schools, neighborhood by neighborhood on this episode in the school choice season of Religious Freedom Matters.

How can Catholic schools and parents tap into school choice initiatives? Enrollment in Catholic schools has surged over the past two years in some regions. Thomas Carroll, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston, tells hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond how he and his team are responding and preparing for the future. Nonetheless, inequities in our current use of public funds for education exist. What can be done to advocate for school choice initiatives so public funds can follow children to the schools their parents prefer? Leslie Hiner, Vice President of Legal Affairs at the nonpartisan school choice advocacy group EdChoice, wraps up this season of Religious Freedom Matters with tips on how to be successful advocates for school choice.

More families are looking beyond government-run schools. Truly Catholic schools make a difference in parents' choices, says Bishop Thomas Daly. “I think this is a crucial time for school choice,” says Bishop Thomas Daly, Chair of the USCCB's Committee on Catholic Education on this first episode in the school choice season of Religious Freedom Matters. Bishop Daly joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond to share his perspective as a long-time educator and administrator at Catholic schools on the crucial importance that our schools “stay on mission” as more and more families are looking beyond government-run schools.

The year 2021 may very well known as the “Year of the Parent.” Parents are asserting their rights as primary educators to their children — voicing their concerns at school board meetings and flexing their muscles in the voting booth. On this episode of Religious Freedom Matters we will explore with Nicole Garnett, a noted legal scholar from the Notre Dame Law School, the trend toward greater opportunites for parents to find the right educational fit for their children. Plus, Mike Ortner, a Catholic father with a passion for renewing Catholic education, shares tips from the Catholic School Playbook for strengthening our Catholic schools' authentically Catholic identity.

What happens when your children go off to college? Who is helping them defend the truth and grow in faith? On this episode of Religious Freedom Matters we talk with a lawyer turned priest, Dominican Father Dominic Legge, Director of the Thomistic Institute, who is doing just that. College students want to understand timeless truths and are drawn to discover the riches of Catholic tradition, and the Dominicans of the Thomistic Institute are helping them. Plus, we tap Professor Joseph Capizzi, who heads up the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America, to give his experience of sharing the truths of the faith with college students and within institutions of higher education as well as some helpful advice for parents.

What is gender ideology? Is it really being promoted to students at school? How can concerned parents, teachers, clergy and other Catholic leaders push back against the creep of gender ideology into the classroom? You find answers to these questions and more on this episode of Religious Freedom Matters. Guest Mary Rice Hasson, Director of the Catholic Women's Forum and co-founder of the Person and Identity Project, joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Frawley Desmond to explain the false anthropology of gender ideology and its invidious influence on school culture to the detriment of students. Parent activist Aileen Blachowski also shares her experience pushing back against California's expansive sex education curriculum and some tips for concerned parents.

Equal protection under the law is a foundational principle of our Constitution and our civil rights laws. And the Church teaches the inherent dignity of every person. But as a nation, we struggle to live up to these ideals and truths. What is the best way to combat racism and promote principles of equality to the next generation? In this episode, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, speaks with Dr. Denise Donohue of The Cardinal Newman Society about Critical Race Theory in the classroom — what is good, and what is gravely wrong. Then Andrea and Register Senior Editor Joan Desmond discuss a speech recently given on the rise of ideologies and new social justice movements by Los Angeles' Archbishop José Gomez.

Season 2 (Ep. 1) — How Parental Rights in Education Matter for a Health Society by Andrea Picciotti-Bayer

The cultural and legal landscape of the United States is rapidly shifting. Where can Catholics go for a practical guide to navigating the public square while protecting themselves from unnecessary battles with the law and media? In this episode, Josh Holdenreid, vice president and executive director of the Napa Legal Institute, joins the Conscience Project's Andrea Piccioti-Bayer, and the Register's Joan Desmond, to discuss how Catholics and other religious groups can avoid, legal problems while staying true to their mission of service.

Religious freedom is under attack not only in the United States, but around the world. Has the U.S. government been effective in helping vulnerable religious minorities? What has the Church done to protect the persecuted? Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, and Joan Desmond, senior editor at the Register, speak with Tom Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute. Learn in this episode about the plight of religious minorities in places like China and the Middle East and what actions must be taken by our government, the Church, and each of us to support our brothers and sisters.

Healthcare affects every American - whether we are ill or healthy, parents or caretakers for aging relatives, or those who work as medical professionals. Many current issues related to healthcare services and medical procedures implicate religious freedom and conscience rights. Roger Severino is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of the Center's new HHS Accountability Project. He joins Andrea Picciotti-Bayer of the Conscience Project and Matthew Bunson, EWTN News' executive editor, to discuss the threats to this important civil right and the protections under the law for conscience in healthcare

Season 1 (Ep. 3) — How Far Do Constitutional Protections for Religious Freedom Go? with Joel Alicea by Andrea Picciotti-Bayer

Did you know that over the past 15 years, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of religious freedom 81% of the time? When people of faith bring cases to the court, religious liberty tends to win. Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket Law, discusses recent wins in the Supreme Court and what challenges are likely to continue to be presented to our nation's highest court. Join the Conscience Project's Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and the Register's senior editor, Joan Desmond for this Religious Freedom Matters episode.

Religious freedom will only survive if we know how to defend it. That means knowing the arguments, knowing history, and most importantly, knowing what the Church teaches about the free practice of our faith. Does religious freedom advance the common good? Does it diminish Catholics' belief in the truth taught by the Church? Professor Joseph Capizzi, director of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America, joins Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, and Matthew Bunson, EWTN News' executive editor, to discuss these issues and more!