Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 23, 2025 / 18:13 pm (CNA).
Bishop Robert Barron responded to backlash against his participation in the President Donald Trump-initiated Religious Liberty Commission, which held its first hearing in Washington, D.C., last week.
In a social media post on June 22, Barron responded to claims made in a recent article by Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Karen Tolkkinen that he “advocates erasing the boundaries between church and state.”
Barron called the piece “a rather silly article” and “a gross mischaracterization of my position.”
A rather silly article appeared in the Sunday edition of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune concerning my participation in the President’s Religious Liberty Commission. The author, Karen Tolkkinen, claimed that I “advocate erasing the boundaries between church and state.” This is a…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) June 23, 2025
During the Religion Liberty Commission hearing in Washington, D.C., last week, Barron echoed Pope Benedict XVI’s warning against the “dictatorship of relativism” encroaching on American society and encouraged religious people to become more involved in the public square.
Barron encouraged people of faith to enter the public sphere, telling those gathered at the hearing: “Congress will make no laws preventing it, so let’s invade that space.”
Tolkkinen took issue with this, describing Barron’s encouragement as “unnecessarily militant” and religion’s “comeback in American civic life” as “difficult to understand” at a time “where Americans increasingly don’t practice religion.”
“If the bishop gets his way and religion once again permeates civic life in America, let’s hope that everyone’s rights are robustly protected,” she wrote.
In his response to Tolkkinen, Barron pointed out that while the First Amendment to the Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national religion — a position Barron agrees with — the second clause in the amendment bars Congress from interfering with the free exercise of religion.
“The First Amendment to the Constitution does indeed say that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, and I completely support this,” the bishop said. “Though there can never be an official American religion, there can indeed be expressions of religion in the public space and in civic life.”
Barron concluded his post by saying: “What [Tolkkinen] and her colleagues fear the most are confident and assertive religious people who refuse to stay sequestered in private. So I say: Fight hard against any formal establishment of religion, but fight just as hard for the right to exercise religion in the public space.”
West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore responded to Barron’s post on X, writing: “Bishop Barron is spot on. Forcing faith out of the public square has been disastrous for the West.” A practicing Catholic, Moore had invited Barron to attend Trump’s State of the Union Address in March.
Bishop Barron is spot on. Forcing faith out of the public square has been disastrous for the West.
Christianity is first and foremost an encounter with Jesus, but it also has moral, ethical, cultural, and – yes – political implications that built Western Civilization. https://t.co/oGJWKzCfmT
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) June 23, 2025
“Christianity is first and foremost an encounter with Jesus, but it also has moral, ethical, cultural, and — yes — political implications that built Western civilization,” the House member added.
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Kudos to Bishop Barron!
Amen!🙏
It would be nice if the Bishop could be a little less of a cheerleader for Trump? Balance anyone?
Who would you rather he be a cheerleader for? President Kamala Harris?! Not likely, or for any other Democrat because almost all of the Democrats involved in politics or who currently serve in office are PRO-CHOICE, even to the point of allowing abortion through all nine months! (One exception is Dan Lipinski in Illinois, who served as Representative to Congress from 2005-2021, when radical Democrats who hated his pro-life stand and other conservative-leaning stands forced him out of office, no doubt with the votes of many dead Illinoisians. I know there are a still a few pro-life politicians in the Democratic Party–but only a few. Those dead Illinoisians vote for their extremely-liberal Democrat friends! (Actually I hope those dead Illinoisians are HAUNTING the Gov. Pritzker and his pals!)
First Lady Trump has been a Catholic all her life, and IMO, she is responsible for Donald Trump’s departure from his past “pagan” ways (which were often publicized in the tabloids–and were true!) and his entry into U.S. politics, including running for President. He could have spent all his time playing golf and attending rich people parties, but he chose to give all that up and serve his country.
Donald Trump has been a supporter with large financial donations to various charities and “good causes” for decades. E.g., years ago, a figure skating coach started a club in Harlem (NYC) for African American, Hispanic, and other girls who lived in Harlem. She spent her own money, and if you know anything about figure skating, it’s one of the most expensive sports–a pair of good figure skates will cost several hundred dollars, even a few thousand dollars, and a good coach will earn a salary of around $40-$80/lesson or more. The coach used all her savings and much of her income to try to keep the club afloat, and eventually, started appealing to various wealthy people in NYC. Pres. Trump (who for some reason has an interest in figure skating that he doesn’t publicize), stepped in and paid the bills for this organization for several months, and eventually other celebrities (possibly because of his involvement) got involved–and now the Board that helps govern and fundraise for FSH consists of other wealthy people, movie stars, and even Al Roker–who also attends the FSH ice shows and occasionally the competitions. FSC in Harlem has seen 99% of their skaters graduate from high school and avoid run-ins with the law or with drugs, and a sizeable percentage of these skaters (mainly girls) go on to earn college degrees and even advanced degrees–and then start giving back to the organization that gave them hope and helped THEM become high achievers. I think this act of charity, never publicized, makes it obvious that Donald Trump is worth “cheering” for, and I can’t help but wonder what other organizations he has stepped in and personally “Saved” with donations and encouragement. Oh, I know, he’s far from a moral paragon, but…he has been willing to step up and give up a retirement of golf and relaxation to spend many hours every day and even risk his life serving his country.
Also, please remember that none of Pres. Trump’s 5 children have been involved in any type of scandal or questionable behavior, and during his first term, when various media moguls started questioning Barron’s mental state (there was even conjecture among liberals and Democrats that the quiet young boy might be mentally-ill or worse), First Lady Trump moved herself and Barron OUT of the White House into their private apartment at the top of Trump Towers and had the boy schooled there–and obviously, Barron has turned out to be a fine young man. I remember at a funeral of one of family’s relatives died, Barron took his father’s arm and helped him up onto a curb at one point during or perhaps after the funeral–just a little gesture of kindness and respect, but what a difference between Barron Trump and Pres. Biden’s wayward son! Barron apparently ran the campaign to young voters during the 2024 campaign, and he was very successful.
You may not feel up to “cheering” for Pres. Trump, but recognize, please, the good things that he accomplished in his first term, and all the good things he HOPES to accomplish in his second term–barring constant interference and scandal-mongering from the Democrats “serving” (themselves?) in public office.
Trump is a disaster. A pseudo Fascist trying to institute a dictatorship. Barron is a Bishop thus should not be va cheerleader for either party.
Bishop Barron has an authentically Catholic intellectual and spiritual center from which he operates and so he will be a voice of reason and moderation on the Commission which might otherwise drift toward theocratic overreach and/or be dominated by an idolatrous form of Christian nationalism that needs to be checked. If he were any less Trump-friendly, he would not even have a seat at the table. Bishop Barron will make a sound, rational, principledcase for religious liberty and freedom of conscience, which is what we need–not a brash MAGA triumphalism that energizes secularists.
When Cupich and Tobin were cheerleaders for Biden were you as concerned? And serving on a commission is hardly cheerleading. Barron didn’t give TV interviews during the campaign like those two cardinals did.
“‘What [Tolkkinen] and her colleagues fear the most are confident and assertive religious people who refuse to stay sequestered in private'”.
Example: Bishop Barron.
May his tribe increase.
But, but, sputter, sputter! We DO have an “established” national religion!
The subterfuge has been that Congress didn’t establish it. Rather, under the other two Executive and the Judicial Branches of government, Secular Humanism is now established. Note previous Executive Orders, decisions of the United States Supreme Court, e.g., Obergefell v. Hodges and, formerly, Roe v. Wade; and the more recent DEI agenda under the Department of Education and school bureaucracies at the State level.
The First Amendment restrains only Congress from establishing a national religion, but the Founding Fathers never guessed at the need to restrain the other two branches of the federal government, or the States.
The Religious Liberty Commission is not setting the clock back; it’s setting the clock right.
I have to agree with Mr. Beaulieu above that Secular Humanism is the de facto state religion, and not just in the U.S.
I would love to see Bishop Barron elevated to the Cardinalate. Loads of respect for him.