Bishop Barron: 250 years of the United States, children of God with equal dignity

- Kate Scanlon, Washington, OSV News

“As we reflect on our history, from the founding of the country, through the tribulations of the Civil War, to the struggle for civil rights, we can see a constant thread. The conviction that human dignity, equality, rights, freedom, liberty and the rule of law are rooted in God,” said Bishop Robert E. Barron, speaking at a prayer rally on the National Mall in advance of America's 250th birthday.

Organizers of the event, “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,” stated its goal. To commemorate the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary “with biblical passages, testimonies, prayer and reaffirmation of our country's dedication as one nation to God.” The event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership with the White House to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

The event was attended mainly by Protestant religious leaders. Other speakers included Bishop Barron, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York, via videoconference, and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, in person. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who identifies as a Hindu, also addressed via video message.

All people are equally children of God

Alluding to Abraham Lincoln's use of the expression «under God» in the Gettysburg Address, Bishop Barron argued that he did so because he knew “that God is essential to any coherent explanation of democracy, freedom and equality.”.

He noted that this sense of freedom also dates back to the founding of the country, citing the phrase from the Declaration of Independence: “Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“What the founders knew because of their Christian formation is that all people, despite their vast inequalities, are equally children of God and therefore equal in dignity,” Bishop Barron said.

Intervention of politicians of the administration

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both Catholics, as well as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard, were among the Administration officials who spoke at the event via video messages. 

“We have always been, and continue to be, a nation of prayer, and we thank God for that,” Vance said in a video message. Rubio stated in another video that the nation was “shaped by this Christian idea.”.

He pointed to the Apollo 8 astronauts-Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders-reading the book of Genesis during their historic 1968 mission to orbit the moon.

“That's the way we are,” Rubio said. “That's the way we've always been. America is still a young nation, if we compare it to its history, and since its inception we have believed that our country represents something new in the world. But the soul of our nation has always been rooted in an ancestral faith.”. 

Organizers played a video message Trump had previously recorded in April for an event called “America Reads the Bible,” in which he read 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. He used Whitaker House Publishers“ King James Easy Read Bible, a Protestant translation. ”I hope everyone at the 250th re-inauguration is having a good time," Trump posted on his social media website, Truth Social. 

Critics: separating church and state

Critics of the event argued that the Trump administration's level of involvement unduly conflated church and state.

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, stated, “If President Trump and his allies truly cared about America's legacy of religious freedom, they would be celebrating the separation of church and state as the uniquely American invention that has allowed religious diversity to flourish in our country.”.

Rooted in our identity as the people of God

Cardinal Dolan stated in his video message that “in every chapter of American history, our faith in God has been the foundation of our greatness, the source of our success.”.

“Since the time of the Revolutionary War, our way of life has been defined in part by a few key principles. Prayer, trust, worship, Sabbath, loyalty to family, religious freedom, the power and strength of democracy, the principle of subsidiarity and devotion to the common good,” said Cardinal Dolan. 

“In other words, our deepest values as a country have always been rooted in our identity as God's people. And they are anchored in the reality that not only are we American citizens - of course we are, and we are thankful for that - but that someday we will be citizens of heaven.”.

Cardinal Dolan noted that the U.S. Catholic bishops plan to dedicate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11.

“Religiously vibrant, politically sound.”

In addition to Bishop Barron and Cardinal Dolan, other members of Trump's Religious Liberty Commission who spoke at the event included Ben Carson, Reverend Paula White-Cain, Reverend Franklin Graham, Eric Metaxas and Rabbi Soloveichik. 

During a prayer at the event, Bishop Barron said, “A religiously vibrant America is a politically healthy America.”.

“That is also why we value religious freedom so highly, a conviction that has made us a haven for people fleeing religious persecution around the world,” he said.

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- Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.