PHOENIX (CNS) — Arizona’s Catholic bishops praised the state Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 decision upholding the refusal by two Christian artists to create custom wedding invitations for same-sex couples based on their religious belief in marriage as being between one man and one woman. “We are grateful that the importance of religious liberty was recognized today by the Arizona Supreme Court in the case of Brush & Nib Studio v. City of Phoenix,” the bishops said in a statement. Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, who started their studio in 2015, “only want to create art that is consistent with their artistic and religious beliefs,” the bishops said. “Today’s ruling striking down a Phoenix law that had threatened their ability to do so by potential government coercion is, therefore, a positive development for religious liberty,” they said. “After all, the freedom to practice one’s religion is fundamental to our way of living and should never be reduced to a ‘freedom of worship’ that limits these rights to the confines of church property.” The statement, released in Phoenix by the Arizona Catholic Conference, was signed by Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Tucson, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. […]
