Bishops Chart Religious Liberty Stakes for 2026

The Committee for Religious Liberty of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published its annual report on October 21, 2026. The document reviews federal actions, legislation, and Supreme Court cases from 2025 that affect religious freedom in the United States, and it sets the bishops’ priorities for the year now under way.

In his foreword, Archbishop Alexander Sample, chairman of the committee, urges Catholics to engage in public life and to respond to the concrete challenges and openings it identifies.

Gains Recorded, Threats Unresolved

The bishops highlight positive steps under the Trump administration. Among them is the Religious Liberty Commission, on which several bishops serve as members or advisors. Executive orders that repealed rules hindering religious organizations are also cited as advances for the Church’s freedom to operate according to its mission.

Serious concerns remain. The report flags political violence and anti-religious hostility, immigration enforcement near houses of worship, and obstacles to sacramental access for detainees. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a Federal Scholarship Tax Credit for school choice—an opening the bishops note—yet without additional religious liberty protections.

Six Critical Areas for 2026

Looking ahead, the committee names six critical areas: political and anti-religious violence; unjust grant conditions; the impact of immigration enforcement; the expansion of school choice; the repeal of restrictive provisions; and further repudiation of gender ideology.

Taken together, the priorities form a clear agenda for the defense of the Church’s freedom to teach, worship, and serve. By rooting that freedom in the dignity of the human person, Archbishop Sample and the committee call the faithful not to retreat from public life but to meet these questions with conviction and charity in law, culture, and daily witness.