A Review of Religion, Politics Culture - July 13, 2012 - Commonweal

Oct 13, 2026

A July 13, 2012 issue of Commonweal presents editorial and magazine sections addressing religion in public life, including religious freedom and the relationship between church and state. It features letters, a broadly stated discussion by a lay consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the symposium "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," and clarifies the statement’s purpose and long-range focus. The issue also lists poems, film/screen, stage/media/television, columnists, subscriptions, and publication information.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Letters

The bishops & religious freedom, the common cup

Broadly Speaking

The Bishops & Religious Liberty - discussion and context

Poetry

Poetry contributions

Screen

Screen/media/television contributions

Stage/Media/Television

Stage/media/television contributions

Columnists

Columnists section

Fiction

Tunneling

Commonweal Online

Moonrise Kingdom

Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith

A Review of Religion,Iolitics Culture Ommo WeaJULY 13,2012 Conmonweal·July 13,2012 Commonweal Editor Paul Baumann Associate EditorsGrant Gallicho,Matthew Boudway,Mollie Wilson O'Reilly Magazine &Website ProductionTiina Aleman Digital Editor Dominic Preziosi Copy Editor Susanne Washburn Editorial Assistant Christine Neulieb Business Manager James Hannan Development Christa A.Kerber Intern Erin O'Luanaigh Poetry Rosemary Deen ScreenRichard Alleva,Rand Richards Cooper Stage/Media/Television Celia Wren Columnists Lawrence S.Cunningham,E.J.Dionne Jr.,John Garvey,Cathleen Kaveny,Jo McGowan,Charles R.Morris,William Pfaff,Margaret O'Brien Steinfels Subscriptions &Marketing KeriLee Horan 212-662-4200 Advertising ManagerRegan Pickettcommonwealads@gmail.com540-349-5736 Publisher Thomas Baker Commonweal,[155N 0010-3330]A Review ofPublic Affairs,Religion,Literature,and theArts,is published biweekly except Christmas/New Year;and monthly July and August,byCommonweal Foundation,475 Riverside Drive,Rm.405,New York,NY 10115.Telephone:(212)662-4200.E-mail:editors@commonwealmagazine.org.Toll-free:888-495-6755.Fax:(212)662-4183.Advertising correspondence should be sent toRegan Pickett.POSTMASTER:send address changesto Commonweal,P.O.Box 3000,Denville,NJ07834-9982. Commonweal is indexed in Reader's Guide toPeriodical Literature,Catholic Periodical Index,BookReview Digest,and Book Review Index.Microfilmfrom Vol.1,1924,to current issues available throughUniversity Microfilm,300N.Zeeb Road,Ann Arbor,MI 48106 and on Microfiche from Bell &Howell,Wooster,OH 44691.Commonwea/articles are alsoavailable at many libraries and research facilities onCD-ROM and in electronic databases.5erials Dataprogram No.:155N 0010-3330.Periodicals postage paidat New York,NY,and at additional offices.Copyright◎2012 Commonweal Foundation.5ingle Copy,$3.95.Yearly subscriptions,U.5.,559;Canada,564;foreign,$65.5pecial two-year rate:U.5.$94;Canada,599;foreign,$109.Annual rates for air-mail delivery outsideU.5:Western Hemisphere,$86;Europe,$91;otherpartsof the world,$101.Ali Canadian and foreignsubscriptions must be paid in U.S.dollars by Inter-national Money Order or by check on a U.5.bank. Cover design:Cecilia Guerrero Rezes www.commonwealmagazine.org LETTERS The bishops &religious freedom,the common cup on those broader issues was well underway. BROADLY SPEAKING As one of the lay consultants to the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad HocCommittee on Religious Liberty,I foundparticularly interesting and thought-pro-voking your recent symposium discussingthe statement"Our First,Most CherishedLiberty,"issued by the USCCB in April("The Bishops &Religious Liberty,"June Several of the authors in the sympo-sium criticized the bishops'statement forfailing to provide more background aboutsome of the cited examples of problem-atic government demands or prohibitions.Others suggested that the statement didnot make subtle or nuanced distinctions.The charge was leveled that some of thepositions staked out were mere assertionsand were not supported with argumentsand analysis. 15).There seems to be a common mis-conception,however,that the bishopswere specifically reacting to the HHSmandate requiring religious organizations(and others)to pay for contraceptive ser-vices and devices,including sterilizationand potentially abortion-inducing drugs(such as the"morning-after pill").ButCardinal Timothy Dolan,as president ofthe USCCB,created this committee lastyear to address long-range and broadconcerns that the voices of religious com-munities—of all faiths—are being mar-ginalized in many debates about soundpublic policy. Those observations are,to some de-gree,accurate,but they misapprehendthe nature and purpose of the statement.It was not intended to be a comprehen-sive commentary on the philosophical un-derpinnings of the relationship betweenchurch and state.Nor was it intendedto rival a law review article or t

FAQs

What theme does the issue emphasize regarding religion and public life?

It emphasizes religious freedom and the privileged place of the First Amendment’s "free exercise of religion" clause in public policy debates.

Why does the discussion clarify the symposium on "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty"?

It clarifies that the statement was meant as a summary overview of the bishops’ views on religious-liberty challenges and the role of religious liberty in American history and national identity.

How does the issue characterize the committee’s long-term focus?

It focuses on the pervasive, often subtle notion that public policies may proceed without adjusting for the protections of the First Amendment’s free exercise clause.

Oct 13, 2026

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