On June 25, the CatholicTV Network hosted a special event with Cardinal Seán O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, during the Fortnight for Freedom. President John Garvey was one of the panelists on the program.

President Discusses Religious Liberty on CatholicTV

From: CatholicTV Date: June 25, 2012 Author: F. Scott Fitgerald WATERTOWN, MA (June 26, 2012) - The US Bishops have called for "Fortnight for Freedom," a 14-day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom, from June 21-July 4, 2012.

In support of this call to action the CatholicTV Network, along with the Archdiocese of Boston focused "the energies of the Catholic community" to heighten people's awareness of the most cherished liberty: Religious Freedom, by hosting a special "Fortnight for Freedom" event.

The event, an hour-long discussion on the challenges to our religious liberty was broadcast live on CatholicTV, WQOM in Boston, MA and on Relevant Radio nationwide.

"Religious freedom is not a right granted by our government; it's a right that precedes our government," said Cardinal Seán. "We gather here for this 'Fortnight for Freedom' to emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty."

The event's discussion panel was comprised of prestigious members of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Seán invited the following panelists to join him for the town hall meeting:

John Garvey is the 15th president of the Catholic University of America and is an expert in constitutional law, religious liberty, and the First Amendment. Prior to CUA, Garvey served as dean of Boston College Law School for 11 years, and as a professor at Notre Dame Law School, University of Michigan Law School, and University of Kentucky College of Law. He was assistant to the solicitor general in the U.S. Department of Justice from 1981 to 1984. Garvey earned his J.D. in 1974 at Harvard Law School, where he served as treasurer of the Harvard Law Review. Garvey received a personal invitation to attend the event from Cardinal Seán O'Malley after he gave a presentation for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Kim Daniels is coordinator for Catholic Voices USA and an attorney whose practice has focused on religious-liberty issues, particularly rights of conscience in health care. Kim has also worked as a policy consultant and as a Catholic high school teacher. Kim and her husband David have 6 children, and are active members of St. Jane de Chantal parish in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School. Angela Franks is the Director of Theology Programs for the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization (TINE) at Saint John's Seminary. Angela has written and taught extensively on fertility and contraception and also recently served along with her husband as the coordinator for the Massachusetts Marriage Initiative, The Future Depends on Love. She holds a doctorate in Systematic Theology from Boston College (2006), a M.A. in Philosophy from Catholic University of America (1997), and her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Dallas (1995). She and her husband David raise five young children in suburban Boston and are parishioners at St. Columbkille parish in Brighton.

Carl A. Anderson is the Supreme Knight and chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization with more than 1.6 million members. He has served on various pontifical councils and commissions. Prior to his service at the Knights of Columbus, Mr. Anderson served as Special Assistant to the President and acting Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, as a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, as a visiting professor of family law at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He and his wife, Dorian, are the parents of five children.

The event will be rebroadcast on CatholicTV and www.CatholicTV.com during the following times:

Tuesday, June 26, at noon and 8PM; Thursday, June 28, at 3:30AM and 2PM; Friday, June 29, at 5:30PM;Saturday, June 30, at 2:30AM, 2PM and 8PM;Wednesday, July 4, at 1:30Pm and 8PM

On Wednesday, July 4, 2012, CatholicTV will provide closing Mass Coverage beginning at noon from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with celebrant Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington and homilist Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, OFM Cap.

Learn more about Fortnight for Freedom at: www.Fortnight4Freedom.org .

About the CatholicTV® Network:

Founded in 1955, CatholicTV Network is a national broadcast television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com. Heeding Pope Benedict XVI's call to greater utilize the power of television and new media, the CatholicTV Network features its cable TV station, Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget. Celebrate Mass online; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church on America's Catholic Television Network. Contact: CatholicTV www.CatholicTV.com