NOTRE DAME LAW SCHOOL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CLINIC RENAMED THE LINDSAY AND MATT MOROUN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CLINIC

Depolarizing Religious Liberty in focus during annual Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, UNITED STATES, July 11, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative hosted its fourth annual Religious Liberty Summit, bringing together the world’s leading defenders of religious liberty for conversation between clergy, scholars, politicians and advocates. The conference, which took place July 9 -11, at the University of Notre Dame announced that its Religious Liberty Clinic will now be known as the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic.

“Without the courage and confidence of Lindsay and Matt Moroun to lead the conversation regarding religious freedom, we could not have come together to begin and continue this important work,” said G. Marcus Cole, Joseph A. Matson Dean of Notre Dame Law School. “The Moroun family’s ability to see the vision of what is possible, with faith as the activating principle, is the cornerstone of all that we have accomplished and we are deeply grateful to them.”

In addition to their commitment to the Law School and Dean Cole’s vision, Lindsay and Matt Moroun serve on the Campaign Cabinet, devoting their time to be of service to the University in furtherance of its strategic framework and University priorities during the For Good Initiative.

"As a Catholic university, Notre Dame has from its founding proven that faith is not only compatible with a free society and the open pursuit of truth, it is necessary to their fulfillment,” said Lindsay and Matt Moroun. “That is why the Notre Dame Law School is the ideal home for an initiative that prepares its students to be fearless defenders of every person’s God-given right to live their lives according to their beliefs. We are thrilled to support this mission, and to ensure that it can continue as long as necessary."

Since its founding in 2020, the Religious Liberty Clinic has represented individuals and organizations from diverse faith traditions, with a mission to protect the constitutional right to believe and practice religion freely.

Under the guidance of law school faculty and staff, students work on a variety of legal matters to promote religious freedom, domestically and globally. For example, over the past three years, the Clinic has filed numerous briefs and argued before a federal appellate court in support of the Apache people in Apache Stronghold v. United States, a case seeking to protect their sacred land and religious traditions.

In other cases, Notre Dame students have represented U.S. immigrants seeking asylum from religious persecution, advocated for religious ministries’ freedom to serve communities in need, and fought to protect religious exercise in prisons.

“The students, faculty, and staff in the Religious Liberty Clinic have made incredible strides for religious freedom in the last four years,” said John Meiser, Director of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic. “I am deeply grateful to the Moroun family, whose generosity has enabled us to give our students unparalleled opportunities to serve people in need and to participate in this critical work to protect our most foundational freedom.”

This is Notre Dame’s second time to host the Summit at its home campus in South Bend, Indiana. The university also welcomed Nazila Ghanea, United Nation Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, to accept the 2024 Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty.

“This Summit provides such a wonderful opportunity for those who cherish freedom of religion or belief for all, for all who seek to advance it both at home and around the world. We can share experiences, consider challenges, regain strength, and seek the opportunities together. By seeking to advance this freedom for others we too are enriched. Our understanding of what others hold dearly as matters of conscience grow, our efforts to appreciate that diversity expands our horizons and our empathy. As we consult those who are impacted and seek to support them, we learn together how to uphold respect for everyone in the process,” said Nazila Ghanea. “It is truly humbling to accept this year’s award for religious liberty and I do so in deep acknowledgment of all who have made advancing this freedom their passion and their calling.”

Conference guests attended a variety of panels addressing the current state of religious liberty and related pressing topics. Keynote panels included Women and Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age, and Muslims and Jews Finding Common Ground After October 7. Speakers for the discussions included prominent leaders in religious freedom such as scholar John Inazu, Muslim feminist and activist Soraya Deen and human rights advocate Lord David Alton, among many others. Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, served as this year's keynote speaker.

About the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Clinic for Religious Liberty.

The Lindsay and Matt Moroun Clinic for Religious Liberty represents individuals and organizations from all faith traditions to promote not only the freedom for people to hold religious beliefs but also their fundamental right to express those beliefs and to live according to them. Students in the Clinic work under the guidance of Notre Dame Law School faculty and staff to provide advice, counsel, and advocacy on a broad array of matters related to religious freedom in the United States and abroad. The Clinic has participated in proceedings at all levels of federal and state courts, in administrative agencies, and before foreign courts and other governmental bodies around the world.

Kate Monaghan Connolly
Honor & Gold
kate@honorandgold.com
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