Joel Alicea
Joel Alicea (photo: The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law)

How Far Do U.S. Constitutional Protections for Religious Freedom Go? with Joel Alicea (Episode 3)

Many battles for religious freedom in the United States are being waged in court. How far-reaching is the First Amendment’s protection for the free exercise of religion in defending religious believers? Responding to that question Joel Alicea, professor of constitutional law at Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, joins Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, and Matthew Bunson, EWTN News’ executive editor in this episode of Religious Freedom Matters.

Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal Pell and Hong Kong (Aug. 24)

This week a panel of Australian appellate judges rejected Cardinal George Pell’s appeal of the sexual abuse conviction that sent him to prison earlier this year. What happens next? We talk to Register Rome Correspondent Edward Pentin, who has the news details and reactions from Australia and the Vatican. Also, what’s the latest from Hong Kong? And why did Planned Parenthood opt out of Title X federal funding? We find out in a news roundup.

U.S. Supreme Court Building

Supreme Court Favors Religious Freedom with Lori Windham (Episode 2)

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 her conversation with the Conscience Project’s Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and the Register’s senior editor, Joan Desmond on this Religious Freedom Matters.

The U.S. flag and the flag of Vatican City fly outside Nationals Park before Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Washington, DC, April 15, 2008.

Religious Freedom and the Common Good with Joe Capizzi (Episode 1)

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!

Miniature from a 13th-century Passio Sancti Georgii (Verona).

St. George: A Saint to Slay Today’s Dragons

COMMENTARY: Even though we don’t know what the historical George was really like, what we are left with nevertheless teaches us that divine grace can make us saints and that heroes are very much not dead or a thing of history.