The Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission reviewed testimony from seven prior sessions at its capstone hearing on 13 April, pointing toward possible policy recommendations for the president.
The panel’s work comes amid controversy surrounding Donald Trump, who launched into tirades against Pope Leo XIV on social media and verbally and briefly shared an AI-generated image portraying himself as Jesus that prompted a backlash from Christians who found it blasphemous over 12-13 April.
Commissioners did not address those incidents during the hearing. Speaking to the panel, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, warned that attacks on houses of worship, religious symbols and believers themselves pose a direct threat to religious liberty.
Witnesses at the final hearing included Sister Mary Elizabeth of the Sisters of Life, who testified about their 2022 lawsuit against New York state’s effort to probe pro-life pregnancy centers that would have required them to share internal documents.
A court order later blocked New York’s effort in relation to the Sisters of Life. Established last May, the commission is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious freedom in the US, highlighting peaceful pluralism, identifying current threats and recommending ways to strengthen protections.
Across its hearings, the commission gathered testimony on conscience protections for health care workers, access to chaplains, religious accommodations in military grooming standards, protection of Native sacred sites and safeguarding the Catholic seal of confession. Its report is expected later this spring.
