Express our religious freedom

Canada Day is the national day for our country of Canada. Historically, it marks the anniversary of Confederation with the British North American Act that established the dominion of Canada in the British Empire. In 1982 the Canadian Constitution was then patriated by the Canada Act which outlines the rights and obligations that each Canadian enjoys today.
 
On this day there were many ceremonies held in communities throughout the country to recognize those immigrants who took the swearing of the oath of Canadian citizenship, now making Canada their home. At the same time, it was reported that 21% more Canadians are less proud of the country they live and in being Canadians than they did 5 years ago. The democratic society of Canada in which we live needs to be strengthened through the involvement of those individuals of religious belief, and those who profess to be Catholics.
 
In the week leading up to Canada Day, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) issued a Pastoral Letter Living as Catholics in the Public Square: Freedom of Religion and Conscience in Canada. It highlights that such freedom is essential for the functioning of our Canadian democratic society, and although they are found in section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there has in recent years been growing societal trends that are threatening freedom of religion and conscience in Canada.

Charles Taylor, a noted Canadian Catholic philosopher, identified our society and the public square as becoming more secular. Not an “open” secularism where the State is neutral in allowing for the public and peaceful expression of religious belief and conscience but a “closed” secularism that will not accommodate different beliefs and their public manifestation. It is when these religious beliefs and the expression of a person’s conscience go against the prevailing secular and relativistic societal moral norms that they are slowly being marginalized or silenced. The public square in a pluralist democratic society must be marked by a coming together, of engaging in genuine dialogue or debate, in respecting different perspectives while upholding the common and inherent dignity of the human person which respects such fundamental religious freedom.     ​

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As Canadians we exercise the fundamental freedom of religion and conscience not because they have been granted by an external authority such as the State but because they are inherent to our human dignity as persons and our shared personhood in society. “Indeed, the flourishing of communities, and especially democracies, requires the ability of their members to live out the fundamental human need for religious expression publicly without hinderance. Recognizing this freedom amounts to recognizing the deep inherent dignity of every human person.” (CCCB Commission for Justice and Peace – Living as Catholics in the Public Square no. 6) The role and obligation of the State is to uphold and protect such fundamental freedoms for the common good of all, to foster a common life of solidarity, human flourishing, and the dignity and sanctity of every human life. 

This freedom of religion and conscience in our society enables Catholics, people of good will, and those of other religious faith to contribute their voice to the public debates in our country with the ultimate purpose of promoting the common good of society which serves to uphold the inherent dignity of every human person. In recent years public debate in Canada has reflected more political divisiveness, ideological agendas and the undervalued and unwanted contribution of those who hold religious and conscientious convictions. As Pope Francis stated “The Church, while respecting the autonomy of the political life, does not restrict her mission to the private sphere. On the contrary, “she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines” in the building of a better world, or fail to “reawaken the spiritual energy” that contributes to the betterment of society. The Church “has a public role over and above her charitable and educational activities.” (Fratelli Tutti no. 276.)
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During the last provincial election, the Catholic Bishops of Alberta encouraged all members of the Church to engage in this democratic process in order to contribute to the betterment of our society. We offered the Catholic faithful the important principles of the social teaching of the Church based on the Gospel’s vision for the right ordering of society.

• Solidarity. We are one human family. The Word of God calls us to see the other as our neighbor and pursue initiatives that promote justice among peoples.
• Seeking together the common good. To ensure that the government, through elected representatives create a human environment that enables citizens to exercise their rights and fulfill their corresponding duties.
• Freedom of conscience and religion. Conscience recognizes the obligation of every individual to seek the truth and live-in accordance with it. Freedom of religion embraces not only the act of worship but also public witness to the truth as expressed in the tenets of faith.
• The dignity and sanctity of every human life. To ensure that our society recognizes and respects human dignity by defending and promoting this inalienable right. First among these, and foundational to all others, is the right to life from conception to natural death.
• Concern for poor and vulnerable persons. The test for our society’s moral health is the attention and care we give to the needy among us. To the priority of homelessness, to welcoming immigrants and refugees, to offer care and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges or living with terminal and/or debilitating illnesses.​

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As Catholics, we have a moral obligation to be involved in the public square, in the democratic process to promote the good of the human community. When we celebrate Canada Day in the future, let us acknowledge the privilege of being both Catholic and Canadian in a country that truly respects freedom of religion and conscience.  ​

Most Rev. William T. McGrattan
Bishop of  Calgary

​July 2, 2023