Archbishop Chaput defends ‘culture warrior’ Christians

July 10, 2019

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia defended the civic involvement of faithful Christians in a powerful July 9 address to the Alliance Defending Freedom summit.

“We can never accept a separation of our religious faith and moral convictions from our public ministries or our political engagement,” Archbishop Chaput insisted.

The archbishop urged Christians to demand authentic freedom of religion, “and not the half-starved copy of the real thing called ‘freedom of worship.’” He spoke out against “the kind of moral sloth that masquerades as tolerance,” and argued that “tolerance” is often invoked “as an alibi for inaction in the face of evil.”

“The right to pursue happiness, which is so central to the American experience, does not include a right to excuse or ignore evil in ourselves or anyone else,” the archbishop said.

During his talk Archbishop Chaput observed that he will soon celebrate his 75th birthday and, in accordance with canon law, submit his resignation. Evidently convinced that his resignation will be promptly accepted, he said “this talk will probably be the last one I gave as Archbishop of Philadelphia.”

 

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Further information:

• Building A Culture of Religious Freedom (Public Discourse)