Opinion

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: My year with DOJ's Religious Liberty Commission: Why I said yes

If church leaders absent themselves from advising government officials, then the church's voice does not resonate in the halls of power

By Bishop Robert Barron Fox News

Published April 28, 2026 5:00am EDT

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As my time with the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty comes to a close, I would like to reflect on the experience, but also on the frankly bizarre reaction that some people had to my participation.

Just about a year ago, I received a call from the White House inviting me to serve on a newly formed commission dedicated to fostering religious liberty in our country. I had, and still have, no idea who recommended me or how my name was surfaced. But upon receiving the invitation, I thought, "Well, the president of the United States is inviting a Catholic bishop to be a voice around the table as the crucially important issue of religious freedom is being discussed."

Why would I say no, especially since the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had made religious liberty a central concern?

And the commission did indeed do exceptionally important work. In the course of the year, we brought to light violations of religious liberty in the arenas of health care, education and the military. We explored the sources of religious freedom in the work of the Founding Fathers, and we drew special attention to the antisemitism that is currently bedeviling our country. One of the most significant contributions we made was to bring into sharper relief the issue of church-state relations.

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