Catholic Diocese Of Joliet

Religious liberty derives from us being children of God, who are invited to an encounter with God, a search for God. We must be free to engage in that search, both individually and socially. Religious communities are requirements for man, even though we are invited by God, individually. It’s still one God. If we are all moving toward the same person, we are going to have a common experience, and we are going to want to express that and come together. Public order comes into play when that occurs. Any religious group has to abide by basic laws of society. We should be able to worship, to educate and to establish institutions to organize our lives according to our religious principles. We have an obligation to express our faith to engage people in their quest for the truth. This innate freedom is a gift from God.