Bishop Robert Barron this week was named to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the commission announced on Sept. 16.
Barron, who already serves as a member of the domestically focused Religious Liberty Commission, was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. The Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, bishop was selected for the post alongside former U.S. Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan and former missionary Andrew Brunson.
In a statement to EWTN News on Sept. 16, Barron said he was “honored” to accept Trump’s invitation to serve on the commission.
The bishop noted that the commission itself is “strictly bi-partisan” with its members “chosen by leaders of both major political parties.”
He highlighted the numerous Catholics who have served on the commission over the years, including Princeton Professor Robert George, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon, Jesuit Father Thomas Reese, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and Bishop William Murphy.
“I feel privileged to join their company,” Barron said.
An independent agency in the legislative branch, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom monitors global religious liberty issues and recommends policy to the U.S. government to advance religious liberty around the world.
It regularly publishes briefs on countries it identifies as consistent violators of religious liberty. It also advocates for those suffering from religious persecution, such as this week when it urged Trump to push for the release of religious prisoners in China and for the end of religious persecution by the Chinese government.
The appointments on Sept. 16 came shortly after Trump asked Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famed late Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham, to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.