By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 16, 2025 /
18:03 pm
U.S. President Donald Trump has tapped San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone to serve on an advisory board for the country’s newly established Religious Liberty Commission, according to an announcement from the archdiocese.
Cordileone, who has served as archbishop since 2012, is the third member of the Catholic hierarchy to be given a role in the presidential commission’s work. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York and Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, are members of the commission.
“Religious liberty is a critical issue in our time that needs to be defended and addressed,” Cordileone said in a statement. “I am happy to join my brother bishops in providing a Catholic voice on this important topic at a national level.”
Cordileone told CNA he does not know what the specific tasks on the advisory board will be but that one objective is to get the perspective of religious leaders. “It’s important to have a Catholic [voice]” on the advisory board to ensure the Church’s concerns are heard, he said.
The archbishop noted several state and federal attacks on religious liberty in recent years, such as the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate that was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. He expressed opposition to any possible insurance coverage mandates for in vitro fertilization (IVF), which the Church opposes.
He also raised concerns about a new Washington state law that tries to force priests to violate the seal of confession if they learn about child abuse during the sacrament of reconciliation. In 2019, he noted, lawmakers in California debated a similar bill, which “galvanized Catholics” to oppose its adoption. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating the Washington state law.
Cordileone further emphasized the need to allow religious organizations to continue their services to the poor, the homeless, mothers, migrants, and others “without interference from the government.”
The archbishop said that religious organizations should be “able to serve the community in accordance with our moral values, which we get from our faith,” adding: “We don’t want our government defining for us what our religion is.”
The new commission
Trump established the commission through an executive order on May 1, which coincided with the country’s National Day of Prayer.
The commission is tasked with creating a report on the current threats to religious freedom in the United States and providing strategies to improve legal protections for those rights. The report will also outline the foundations of religious liberty and include guidance on how to increase awareness about the peaceful religious pluralism in the United States.
Some of the key religious liberty subjects the report is tasked with handling include parental rights in education, school choice, conscience protections, free speech for religious bodies, institutional autonomy, and attacks on houses of worship.
The president established the commission because of concerns that some federal and state policies have infringed on those rights.
Other members of the commission include Protestant leaders, such as Pastor Paula White, along with rabbis and imams. Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson, who is Catholic, is also on the commission. Psychologist and television personality Dr. Phil McGraw and renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson are also members.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an evangelical Christian, is the commission’s chairman.
Tyler Arnold is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency, based in EWTN News’ Washington Bureau. He previously worked at The Center Square and has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative, and The Federalist.
