Religious Freedom Matters

Our guests on this episode of Religious Freedom Matters are Ambassador Sam Brownback, a former U.S. senator and Kansas governor who served as the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021, and Rebecca Shah, principal investigator for the Religion and Economic Empowerment Project (REEP) and a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute.

Co-hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, and Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, discuss the increasing violence by Islamist groups against Christians in Nigeria. Their guest is Stephen Rasche, Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom in Conflict Regions at the Religious Freedom Institute and author of The Disappearing People: The Tragic Fate of Christians in the Middle East. Rasche draws on his deep experience with humanitarian aid work in...

Co-hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, and Joan Desmond, Senior Editor at the Register, discuss religious freedom and persecution in South and Southeast Asia with Professor Paul Marshall, the Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious Freedom at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Paul also heads the South and Southeast Asia program at the Religious Freedom Institute and is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, as well as the author...

The world was horrified this week by the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen, the beloved 90-year-old former archbishop of Hong Kong, by the Chinese authorities. How could such a dreadful thing happen? In this latest episode of our Religious Freedom Matters podcast, your hosts, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, and Joan Desmond, Senior Editor at the Register, hear crucial background information from Nina Shea. Nina is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and an...

George Weigel of Ethics and Public Policy Center joins The Conscience Project’s Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and NCRegister’s Joan Desmond as an expert guest to give important background on Russia and Ukraine. Also, Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, an advocacy and aid organization for persecuted Christians, talks about the special need to support Ukrainians displaced by the war.

What’s the connection between religious freedom and school choice? “Your right to educate your child along the lines of what your beliefs are is critical to the human experience,” asserts veteran statesman and former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback. For years, advocacy for the two issues has been pursued on two separate tracks. On this episode, Brownback joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond to connect the dots between the cause of...

Hispanic Catholics are a large part of the Church in America. Why are they such a small part of Catholic schools? “The future of the Catholic Church has a Hispanic face.” Lucia Luzondo, expert in Hispanic ministry, points to the disconnect between the growing presence of Hispanic Catholics in the United States and the low enrollment of Hispanic children in Catholic schools. With hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond, Lucia explores some of the reasons for this and suggests steps to...

Catholic schools aren’t an elite privilege. Historically they provided education to diverse communities and today they can do the same. “We need to do a much better job as a Church.” Shawn Peterson, President of Catholic Education Partners, joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond in this episode to discuss the history of Catholic schools and the vital importance of promoting authentic Catholic education. Parents are becoming empowered to exercise their role as primary educators...

How can Catholic schools and parents tap into school choice initiatives? Enrollment in Catholic schools has surged over the past two years in some regions. Thomas Carroll, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston, tells hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond how he and his team are responding and preparing for the future. Nonetheless, inequities in our current use of public funds for education exist. What can be done to advocate for school choice initiatives so public...

More families are looking beyond government-run schools. Truly Catholic schools make a difference in parents’ choices, says Bishop Thomas Daly. “I think this is a crucial time for school choice,” says Bishop Thomas Daly, Chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Catholic Education on this first episode in the school choice season of Religious Freedom Matters. Bishop Daly joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond to share his perspective as a long-time educator and administrator at Catholic...

The year 2021 may very well known as the “Year of the Parent.” Parents are asserting their rights as primary educators to their children — voicing their concerns at school board meetings and flexing their muscles in the voting booth. On this episode of Religious Freedom Matters we will explore with Nicole Garnett, a noted legal scholar from the Notre Dame Law School, the trend toward greater opportunites for parents to find the right educational fit for their children. Plus, Mike Ortner, a...

What happens when your children go off to college? Who is helping them defend the truth and grow in faith? On this episode of Religious Freedom Matters we talk with a lawyer turned priest, Dominican Father Dominic Legge, Director of the Thomistic Institute, who is doing just that. College students want to understand timeless truths and are drawn to discover the riches of Catholic tradition, and the Dominicans of the Thomistic Institute are helping them. Plus, we tap Professor Joseph Capizzi,...

What is gender ideology? Is it really being promoted to students at school? How can concerned parents, teachers, clergy and other Catholic leaders push back against the creep of gender ideology into the classroom? You find answers to these questions and more on this episode of Religious Freedom Matters. Guest Mary Rice Hasson, Director of the Catholic Women’s Forum and co-founder of the Person and Identity Project, joins hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Frawley Desmond to explain the...

Equal protection under the law is a foundational principle of our Constitution and our civil rights laws. And the Church teaches the inherent dignity of every person. But as a nation, we struggle to live up to these ideals and truths. What is the best way to combat racism and promote principles of equality to the next generation? In this episode, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, speaks with Dr. Denise Donohue of The Cardinal Newman Society about Critical Race...

Season 2 (Ep. 1) — How Parental Rights in Education Matter for a Health Society by Andrea Picciotti-Bayer

The cultural and legal landscape of the United States is rapidly shifting. Where can Catholics go for a practical guide to navigating the public square while protecting themselves from unnecessary battles with the law and media? In this episode, Josh Holdenreid, vice president and executive director of the Napa Legal Institute, joins the Conscience Project’s Andrea Piccioti-Bayer, and the Register’s Joan Desmond, to discuss how Catholics and other religious groups can avoid, legal problems...

Religious freedom is under attack not only in the United States, but around the world. Has the U.S. government been effective in helping vulnerable religious minorities? What has the Church done to protect the persecuted? Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, and Joan Desmond, senior editor at the Register, speak with Tom Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute. Learn in this episode about the plight of religious minorities in places like China and the Middle...

Healthcare affects every American - whether we are ill or healthy, parents or caretakers for aging relatives, or those who work as medical professionals. Many current issues related to healthcare services and medical procedures implicate religious freedom and conscience rights. Roger Severino is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of the Center’s new HHS Accountability Project. He joins Andrea Picciotti-Bayer of the Conscience Project and Matthew Bunson, EWTN...

Season 1 (Ep. 3) — How Far Do Constitutional Protections for Religious Freedom Go? with Joel Alicea by Andrea Picciotti-Bayer

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 the Conscience Project’s Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and the Register’s senior editor, Joan Desmond for this Religious...