Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York (United States), was appointed Canterbury Medalist 2025 by the Becket Fund, an award that recognizes his lifelong commitment to religious freedom.
The purple, said the president of Becket, Mark Rienzi, In a statement“It has been an outstanding figure in the struggle for religious freedom, not only for Catholics, but for people of all religions.”
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“The leadership of Cardinal Dolan in the public sphere has shaped the national conscience on religious freedom and has strengthened the determination of those who defend it,” he added.
Becket, a non -profit law firm that represents clients who defend their religious freedom in court, delivered the Dolan medal during its annual gala in New York. According to Becket, it is a recognition of people who demonstrate value and commitment in the defense of religious freedom in the United States and worldwide.
Dolan said in his acceptance speech, provided by Becket to CNA – Ewtn News – who feels “grateful” to receive the prize.
“I hardly deserve this high recognition,” added Dolan. “However, I easily admit that they are right in stating that I am intensely dedicated to the protection of our ‘first and more precious freedom’, religious freedom.”
In his speech, Dolan said he is in “good company” defending religious freedom, along with the legal team of Becket and the founders of the United States.
“They and their parents came here precisely because they were frustrated in countries where religion was imposed or prohibited, nations where battles were fought to force religious conviction, where they were persecuted and harassed by their beliefs,” he said.
“No here, they insisted!” Said Dolan. “This was not the path that they, or, more importantly, God, pretended. Nothing is freer than the assent of faith; nothing deserves more protection than religious freedom; nothing deserves greater prominence in our Constitution.”
Dolan said that religious freedom is “part of our own nature that cannot be erased” and that it is necessary for the respect of “the dignity of the human person.”
“Our passion for this primary freedom is not only because we are believers or patriotic citizens, but because we are people endowed with certain innate rights,” he said.
Recently, Dolan was appointed to be part of the Religious Freedom Commission of US President Donald Trump, who will prepare a report on threats to religious freedom and strategies to improve the legal protections that preserve those rights. It will also delineate the foundations of religious freedom in the United States.
Previously, Dolan served as president of the United States Catholic Bishops Conference (USCCB) and has led the USCCB religious committee. According to Becket, the Cardinal has also firmly defended religious freedom through testimonies before Congress and in his interventions with the media.
“Religious freedom is not just about protecting what happens in the Church on Sundays, it is about defending the right of each person to live their faith openly, every day of the week,” said Dolan. “It is a gift from God, not from the government, and must be protected for people of all religions.”
Other members of the Catholic clergy who have received this Becket award include Mons. James Shea, president of the University of Mary, and the emeritus archbishop of Philadelphia, Mons. Charles Chaput.
Among the Previous winners There are also the laureate with the Nobel Peace and survivor of the Holocaust Elie Wiesel; the Orthodox rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, Dr. Meir Soloveichik; And the first counselor of the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of the last days, President Dallin H. Oaks.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter of the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in various media, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative and The Federalist.