During this Religious Freedom Week, we invite you to take action in protecting international religious freedom, which is increasingly under siege around the world with more people harassed, arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed simply because of their faith. That’s why USCCB has been a strong supporter of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan agency, doing vital work to monitor and report on the worst violations of religious freedom globally in countries such as China, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Russia, and Syria.  

The Catholic Church views religious freedom as a basic human right rooted in the dignity of the human person and critical to the health of societies. On September 14, 2022, in an address the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Pope Francis said, “Religious freedom is a basic, primary and inalienable right needed to be protected everywhere.” Thus, USCCB has worked closely with USCIRF’s commissioners (many of whom have been Catholic) and staff to gather information and to provide contacts when they travel abroad to investigate religious freedom conditions.

USCIRF’s reauthorization expires on September 30, 2024. S. 3764 and H.R. 7025 would reauthorize USCIRF and would extend its modest funding until September 30, 2026.  I urge you to support these bills to reauthorize USCIRF so it can continue to protect this basic human right – international religious freedom.  

You can read USCCB’s recent letters to the House and Senate calling for the reauthorization of USCIRF here.