Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

In its 1962 landmark Engel v. Vitale case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that prayer in public schools was unconstitutional. The court judged it a violation of the First Amendment clause forbidding the establishment of a government religion. In subsequent decisions, prayer was also banned at school graduations and sports events.

On Jan. 16, National Religious Freedom Day, President Trump issued an executive order backing the rights of students to prayer when at school. According to the executive order, “private religious speech, far from being a First Amendment orphan, is as fully protected under the Free Speech Clause as secular private expression … Nothing in the Constitution … prohibits any public school student from voluntarily praying at any time before, during, or after the school day.”

Students have the right to discuss political issues with each other. They also have the same right to discuss religious topics in their conversations and to pray with other students. When they step on school grounds, they do not lose constitutional rights to freedom of speech.

This new executive order may not seem so dramatic. But it is a step in the right direction away from marginalizing religion in America. Commenting on the executive order, President Trump said, “In public schools around the country, authorities are stopping students and teachers from praying, sharing their faith or following their religious beliefs. It is totally unacceptable. Tragically, there is a growing totalitarian impulse on the far left that seeks to punish, restrict and even prohibit religious expression.”

The media did not give the signing of this executive order much coverage. The rancor of some politicians continually arguing and belittling one another attracted more of the media’s attention. But, the order was significant. It represents the view of the vast majority of Americans who still maintain that religion is important. Michael Farris, general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, called the new school prayer guidance a “welcome step to remedy … attacks on people of faith.”

This new executive order becomes even more significant when seen in the context of the persecution of religious people around the world. From Afghanistan to Pakistan, from Saudi Arabia to Sudan, in Russia, Nigeria, North Korea, China, Cuba and in at least 40 other countries, Christians suffer discrimination at work, sexual violence, arrest, torture and death. In the world today, one out of every seven Christians faces some form of persecution for their faith. And every day at least 11 Christians are martyred.

Recently, the Pew Research Center reported that there are already more Christians in Africa than any other continent. Yet, as the Christian faith spreads, so does the persecution of Christians in Africa. Today, Christians are the world’s “most widely targeted faith group, slightly ahead of Islam” (Ewelina U. Ochab, “Recognizing The Phenomenon Of The Persecution Of Christians Globally,” Forbes, Nov. 30, 2019).

Hatred of Christianity knows no natural boundaries. The attacks on Christians, such as the 2019 Easter suicide bomber attacks on three churches in Sri Lanka, are not isolated incidents. They are part of a staggering global persecution. Hatred for the Christian faith is fueling this merciless killing of innocent people. Doesn’t it seem somewhat incongruous that the media in the West, so vocal on the rights of people regardless of race, choices of gender or sexual preference, remains largely silent about the global persecution of Chris­tians? Bigotry, intolerance and hatred of any religious group corrodes the hearts of those who persecute others and ultimately leads to tyranny and the lack of freedom. Silence no more!