The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty praised new opportunities under President Donald Trump’s administration to expand school choice and faith-based partnerships with the federal government, while warning of rising political violence, immigration enforcement fears, and ongoing conflicts over gender ideology.
The warnings and assessments are presented in their annual report “The State of Religious Liberty in the United States: Annual Report of the Committee for Religious Liberty,” released Feb. 17.
The 62-page report reviews federal legislative, executive, and Supreme Court developments in 2025 and outlines six “areas of critical concern — threats and opportunities — for religious liberty in 2026.”
Those include “political and anti-religious violence,” “unjust terms and conditions on federal grants, and unreliability of government,” and “access to sacraments for ICE detainees and immigration enforcement at houses of worship,” as well as “school choice and the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit,” “repeal of provisions that prevent religious organizations from participating in government programs,” and “further repudiation of gender ideology.”
Political and anti-religious violence
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, described the rise in political violence as the most troubling development identified in the report.
“Perhaps most concerning is the ongoing rise in political violence,” Archbishop Sample wrote in the foreword. “The polarization the bishops have long lamented seems to be breaking out into serious attacks.”
He added that “too much of our national life is marked by enmity and strife,” warning that the country appears to be entering what he called “a cycle of attack and retribution.”
The report links the political climate to increasing hostility directed at religious communities. It states that “Catholic services were attacked by media figures and political leaders” and that “antisemitic sentiment and rhetoric in mainstream institutions appears to be increasing.”
The report also cites increasing antisemitic rhetoric and incidents, as well as prosecutions under the federal FACE Act involving violence outside houses of worship.
The bishops describe a broader environment in which religious communities across traditions feel vulnerable. The report warns that political violence and anti-religious hostility threaten the conditions necessary for religious liberty, arguing that religious freedom depends not only on constitutional protections but also on social stability and respect.
Religious liberty, the report explains, is one of the “necessary conditions” for the common good, and when intimidation, vandalism, or threats target houses of worship, “the moral qualities of justice and peace” that flow from religious life are weakened.
While the report acknowledges that the Trump administration has taken steps to combat antisemitism and prosecute violence against religious institutions, it frames the overall trend as alarming and persistent, cautioning that polarization has moved beyond rhetoric in some instances.
Federal grants and government reliability
The committee also warned about “unjust terms and conditions on federal grants, and unreliability of government,” pointing to policy shifts affecting nonprofits, including faith-based organizations serving immigrants.
The report highlights concerns that changes to Department of Homeland Security grant conditions and new interpretations of “federal public benefit” could burden religious organizations or pressure them to cooperate in immigration enforcement in ways contrary to their mission.
Immigration enforcement and access to sacraments
The rescission of long-standing guidance limiting immigration enforcement near “protected areas,” such as churches, schools, and hospitals, drew particular concern.
Although the report states there were no known instances of enforcement inside Catholic churches in 2025, it cites anecdotal reports of declining Mass attendance in some dioceses due to fear of detention.
Five bishops, it notes, took the “extraordinary step” of dispensing Catholics from their Sunday obligation if they feared being detained while attending Mass.
The report also says inconsistent policies at immigration detention facilities have limited detainees’ access to pastoral care and the sacraments.
School choice and the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
Among the report’s opportunities, the bishops point to the passage of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit as part of a major budget bill signed July 4.
The provision “dramatically improves parental choice in education,” the report states, though it notes that religious liberty protections originally sought by the bishops were not included in the final version.
USCCB staff members are working with advocacy partners to ensure Treasury regulations are “as favorable as possible for religious liberty protections within the program.”
Participation in government programs
The report also highlights executive actions directing federal agencies to repeal regulations that exclude religious organizations from government programs.
Citing the Supreme Court’s decision in Carson v. Makin, the report reiterates that governments may not deny public benefits to religious entities solely because of their religious character.
The bishops describe the administration’s creation of a White House Faith Office and a Religious Liberty Commission as further signs of openness to faith-based collaboration.
Further repudiation of gender ideology
The committee’s report said “gender ideology has corroded religious liberty in recent years,” arguing that religious individuals and institutions have faced pressure to accept policies related to gender identity that conflict with Church teaching.
The report highlights a series of executive orders issued early in Trump’s second term, including directives rescinding Biden-era policies on gender identity and requiring federal agencies to interpret sex distinctions according to “the biological reality of sex.”
Bishop Robert Barron, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, praised the administration’s approach, saying, “Helping young people accept their bodies and their vocation as women and men is the true path of freedom and happiness.”
The report also notes Supreme Court activity, including the justices’ decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti declining to recognize people identifying as transgender as a protected class under the Equal Protection Clause — a result the bishops said would otherwise have had “disastrous consequences for religious exercise.”
Consecration and a national moment
Looking ahead to the nation’s 250th anniversary, the bishops announced they plan to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at their June plenary assembly.
“When we consecrate our nation to the Sacred Heart and enthrone the Sacred Heart in our homes,” Archbishop Sample wrote, “we recognize the kingship of Christ and offer our own lives in service to God and our neighbors.”
The anniversary, he added, offers Catholics “an opportunity to reflect on how the Church has enriched American life” — even as religious liberty debates continue to unfold in courts, Congress, and the culture.