Dolan and Barron named to White House religious liberty group

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was also added to the White House's Commission on Religious Liberty, the White House announced on May 1.

Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron, along with Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, are the Catholic representatives on the 12-person commission.

Barron was present at the White House during the announcement. Dolan, who is currently in Rome ahead of the May 7 opening of the conclave, was not. Cardinal Dolan has not publicly commented on his appointment to the commission.

President Donald Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission via an executive order on May 1. The goal of the commission, said the order, is "to safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom."

Others on the commission are from "diverse religious and professional backgrounds, including clergy, legal experts, academics, and public advocates."

"The Commission is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations," said the executive order.

Among the key focuses of the report, said the order, include "parental rights in religious education, school choice, conscience protections, attacks on houses of worship, free speech for religious entities, and institutional autonomy."

The new commission is part of the White House Faith Office, which was established in February by an executive order.

The members of the commission include people from a variety of Christian denominations as well as Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.

Soloveichik is the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel, in New York City. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.

Also on the commission is Pastor Paula White, head of the White House Faith Office; Dr. Ben Carson, Rev. Franklin Graham, and Eric Metaxas.