“Liberal” is the old late 20th century euphemism for Progressives (which dates from the beginning of the 20th century). Progressives are Humanists. He’s a Progressive Leader, but not a pastor.
I hear you: historically, as Hayek has pointed out, liberals were people who favored free markets.
But nowadays, I actually think of “progressive” as a euphemism for “liberal” as most people understand the term today.