Catholics and Freedom of Expression

 
Freedom of expression is deemed a basic human right by the Catholic Church. Being able to speak about the revealed truth of God has been the foundation of the Church since the very beginning, as witnessed by the apostles of Jesus who proclaimed the Gospel throughout the world. However, today, as throughout history, the freedom to express one’s beliefs is under attack. As the apostles were martyred and forbidden to express themselves, so are believers throughout the world having their right of free speech curtailed. Echoing the words of Saint Pope John Paul II from his 1991 encyclical Centissimus Annus (no.47), having “...the right to develop one’s intelligence and freedom in seeking and knowing the truth” is very important. Not only is this basic human right proclaimed by the Church, but it is also a fundamental social right. At least, it is supposed to be. 
 
The freedom to express oneself freely, without fear of persecution, is the cornerstone of democracy. This liberty is explicitly stated in the very first amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. This includes both freedom of speech and freedom of religion. However, many governments today are curbing the freedoms of its citizens to further their own ideological agendas. It is therefore essential to continue being a peaceful voice for democracy and for our basic freedoms so that truth and justice can be ever present in the public sphere. 
 
Freedom of expression is supposed to be for everyone, not just for some. This issue often seems one-sided. Some views and ideas are publicly paraded and protected while others are shut down as supposed “hate” crimes. Once a government has decided what constitutes a hate crime, people's basic rights are thus compromised. No one will dare speak up for fear of being designated a "hater" and being subjected to harsh penalties. 
 
One country where curbing free speech seems to be the path moving forward is Canada. While the first amendment in America guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of religion, it is a different story for their northern neighbor, where the rights and freedoms stated in their Charter are not absolute and can be limited due to safeguarding against hate propaganda and child pornography for example. This beggars the question of who decides what constitutes “hate” propaganda; how does the government discern what is “hate”? For example, mainstream news media in Canada use the word “hate” on a regular basis regarding anyone who disagrees with transgender or homosexual issues; a devout Catholic is branded as a “hater” for not agreeing with gay marriage or teaching sodomy in schools or stating that God created only two sexes: male and female. In other words, Canadian citizens are not free to express their religious and moral beliefs. This has now been mandated through Bill C-9 which has become the law of the land since June 17th, 2026. Possible repercussions include losing one's job, being arrested, being tried in court, and even facing a prison sentence.  
 
Finland is another country where affirming one’s belief in God, and upholding His commandments, are being curtailed. One instance in particular which stands out for freedom of speech is the case of Päivi Räsänen. This woman is a medical doctor, a Member of Parliament, a mother of five and grandmother of eleven. She was accused of hate speech for giving her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a church booklet, for airing her views in a radio debate and for a tweet she directed at the leadership of her Lutheran church. 
 
This case has made it all the way to Finland’s Supreme Court. Dr. Räsänen demonstrated courage and fortitude in the face of the opposition to her freedom of speech. Her fight is our fight. She is facing hostility and censorship for believing and stating that marriage is between one man and one woman (one biological man and one biological woman, just to be very clear). The year 2026 was her seventh year of having to defend herself in court. Her opponents would not let go. The Supreme court of Finland found her guilty under the statute of war crimes. Dr. Räsänen faced antagonism and suppression for having quoted the Bible and has now been found guilty of a so-called crime against humanity. This means that the Bible was on trial and could possibly be legally eradicated going forward so as not to offend certain ideologues. This could happen anywhere in the world now that Finland has ruled that quoting the Bible constitutes hate speech. It has effectively set a precedent. Päivi Räsänen is not giving up: on May 7, 2026, she and her lawyers have decided to bring her case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) where she hopes that “the Court will affirm everyone’s right to express their views without fear of state censorship.” 
 
Oftentimes, the push against freedom of expression goes so far as compelling speech. For example, it is not enough to remain fearfully quiet; one is compelled to affirm publicly something one does not believe. This is reminiscent of totalitarianism: everyone lies by not speaking up for the truth. Lying to oneself, as well as to others, is the way of being led into a totalitarian way of living. It comes down to letting oneself be constrained to go along with a lie. 
 
By complying with the edicts of society, freedom of expression becomes null and void, and people therefore participate in a collective lie. It becomes easier to simply go along with doing something that goes against one’s conscience then to defy the perpetrators of the relativistic lie, through fear of retaliatory consequences. 
 
Finally, most people pretty much live an uneventful routine of daily living and are not confronted with attacks on their freedom of expression/freedom of speech. It is all to the good if they are not compelled to go against their beliefs and repeat or affirm a narrative which they do not believe. This being said, they must still engage in preserving this basic human right for everyone. No one can predict the future; no one knows for sure where they will be in one year from now, or in ten years, or tomorrow for that matter. Being able to rely on basic human rights is essential for the harmonious co-existence of mankind, and freedom of speech is at the top of the list of basic human rights. We must preserve our freedom to express our belief in God and in the teachings of the Church, boldly and without fear, in imitation of the martyrs, such as St. Stephen and St. Thomas More, who paved the way for us.                                                             (1108 words) 
 
* Author’s note: This is the much abridged and updated version of the original Feb 24, 2026 essay “Freedom of speech: keeping our voice in the public square” which is posted on author’s personal Blog.