Cardinal Dolan receives award from Becket for religious liberty leadership
In his speech, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said he is in “good company” in defending religious freedom, along with the legal team at Becket and the founders of the United States. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Becket
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 24, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York was named the Becket Fund’s 2025 Canterbury Medalist, an award that honors his career-long commitment to religious liberty.
“His Eminence has been a towering figure in the fight for religious liberty, not just for Catholics, but for people of all faiths,” Becket President Mark Rienzi said in a statement. “Cardinal Dolan’s leadership in the public square has shaped the national conscience on religious freedom and strengthened the resolve of those who defend it.”
Becket, a nonprofit law firm that represents clients who are defending their religious liberty in court, awarded Dolan the medal during its annual gala in New York. According to Becket, the honor recognizes individuals who demonstrate courage and commitment to defending religious liberty in the United States and globally.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s leadership in the public square has shaped the national conscience on religious freedom and strengthened the resolve of those who defend it," Becket President Mark Rienzi said. Credit: Photo courtesy of Becket
Dolan said in an acceptance speech, which was provided to CNA by Becket, that he is “grateful” to receive the award.
“I hardly deserve this high award,” Dolan added. “Yet, I readily admit that you are absolutely [spot on] to claim I am intensely devoted to the protection of our ‘first and most cherished liberty,’ religious freedom.”
In his speech, Dolan said he is in “good company” in defending religious freedom, along with the legal team at Becket and the founders of the United States.
“They and their parents had come here precisely because they were frustrated in countries where religion was imposed or proscribed, nations where battles were waged to coerce religious conviction, where they were hounded and harassed for their beliefs,” he said.
“Not here, they insisted!” Dolan said. “This was not the way they, or, most importantly, God intended it. Nothing is more free than creedal assent; nothing merited more protection than religious freedom; nothing deserved more top billing in our Constitution.”
Dolan said religious liberty is “part of our very nature that cannot be erased” and necessary for the respect of “the dignity of the human person.”
“Our passion for this primary liberty is not just because we happen to be a believer or a patriotic citizen, but because we are a person endowed with certain ingrained rights,” he said.
Dolan was recently appointed to serve on President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, which will create a report on threats to religious freedom and strategies to enhance legal protections to preserve those rights. It will also outline the foundations of religious liberty in the United States.
Previously, Dolan has served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and has led the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty. According to Becket, the cardinal has also staunchly defended religious freedom through testimony before Congress and when engaging with the media.
“Religious freedom isn’t just about protecting what happens in church on Sundays — it’s about defending the right of every person to live their faith openly, every day of the week,” Dolan said. “It’s a gift from God — not from government — and it must be protected for people of all faiths.”
Other members of the Catholic clergy who have won this award from Becket include University of Mary President Monsignor James Shea and former Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput.
Past medalists also include Nobel Peace Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel; Orthodox rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in the U.S. Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik; and First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Dallin H. Oaks.