US bishops welcome Supreme Court decision on tuition aid and religious schools
June 22, 2022
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CWN Editor's Note: The chairmen of the US bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty and Committee on Catholic Education welcomed Carson v. Makin, the Supreme Court decision that struck down a Maine education law that provided for tuition reimbursement for non-sectarian private schools—but not religious schools (CWN coverage).
“The Court has again affirmed that states cannot exclude religious schools from generally-available public benefits based on their religious affiliation or exercise,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane. “In our pluralistic society, it is vital that all people of faith be able to participate in publicly available programs and so to contribute to the common good.”
“It is fitting that this decision concerns a program in Maine, the state that James G. Blaine served as Senator in 1875 when he worked for the passage of the Blaine Amendment – a cynically anti-Catholic measure to amend the U.S. Constitution to ensure that no public aid be provided to ‘sectarian’ schools,” they added. “While his effort was narrowly defeated, Blaine Amendments were ultimately adopted in some form by 37 states.”
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