Jesuit appointed head of US religious freedom commission

Crux ^ | June 24, 2016 | Catholic News Agency

[madprof98]

Jesuit Father Thomas Reese was appointed chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, becoming the first priest to hold this position. He replaces Princeton law professor Dr. Robert George.

Jesuit priest Father Thomas Reese was first appointed to a two-year term as a member of the commission by President Barack Obama in 2014, and re-appointed in 2016.

Now he will take over as the chair of the organization, an independent, bipartisan commission that monitors and reviews religious freedom violations around the world, and makes policy recommendations to the Secretary of State, Congress and the president.

“I am honored to serve as USCIRF’s Chair and work with my fellow Commissioners in support of freedom of religion or belief,” Reese said in a statement.

*** Previously, he served as editor-in-chief at America Magazine - a publication of the Jesuit order - from 1998-2005 after being its associate editor from 1978-1985. Reese also was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 1985-1998, and again from 2008-2013. In his time at America, the Vatican raised issues with several articles published at the magazine, including some on abortion and homosexuality. Fr. Reese resigned from the publication in May 2015.

[madprof98]

Reese is Obama's kind of Catholic priest, pro-gay and pro-abortion. The only threats to religious freedom he will identify are the ones coming from conservative Christians. He will no doubt support sending them off to the gulag.

[Cicero]

Robert George is a good man. I’m surprised Obama didn’t figure out some way to remove him earlier.

[BlessedBeGod]

Yep. He’s a heretic — just the kind of person Obama would appoint.

[NTHockey]

Oh boy, we’re in trouble now. Appointing him is like putting Iran and Saudi Arabia on the UN’s Human Rights Commission.