SW News: The Church’s mission in political life is to bear witness to the truth, particularly the truth about human nature and the dignity of all persons, said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York in a statement ahead of Religious Freedom Day on January 16.

The chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty said in the statement that “Fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom and the possibility of integral human development.” He added that it is for this reason that the Church perennially searches for truth and preaches it and recognizes it where it manifests itself. The top prelate reiterated that the mission of truth can never be renounced by the Church.

Cardinal Dolan said, “Prioritizing reason and truth in politics is a challenge.” He cited the observation of Pope Francis that what is taking place across the world is a barren way of thinking and reducing ethics and politics to mere physics. “As a result of the displacement of moral reasoning, the law is no longer seen as reflecting a fundamental notion of justice but as mirroring notions currently in vogue,” he said quoting the pontiff.

He said that everything boils down to a superficial bartered consensus and in the end, the law of the strongest prevails.

“We do well to remember the priority of truth and the right exercise of reason in political life when we celebrate religious freedom. The purpose of religious freedom is to allow individuals and communities space to seek the truth and to bear witness to the truth,” said the cardinal, adding that when we champion the cause of religious freedom, that mission must never be compromised.

The prelate said that truths about human nature, marriage, the right to life and the dignity of human beings can be gauged by reason even without the assistance of faith. However, when these truths are attacked, then religious freedom is not an escape hatch, said the Cardinal.

“Indeed, if we abandon the priority of truth, natural law, human nature, and the common good, then we abandon freedom itself.”