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Religious liberty scholars from the Notre Dame Law School, Seton Hall University, and the University of St. Thomas School of Law also filed a brief backing the Native Americans. Numerous other religious groups also filed amicus briefs. The Catholic bishops are backing a suit by Apache Stronghold, a coalition of Native Americans and their supporters, in its lawsuit against the federal government. The lawsuit argues that the coalition’s freedom of religion was violated when the federal government announced its intention to sell formerly protected land in Arizona to a mining company. Daniel Payne/CNA News October 17, 2024 The U.S. bishops, the Knights of Columbus, and Catholic scholars are among the numerous advocates backing a Native American bid to save a centuries-old sacred site from commercial development. The federal government has for decades protected the site of Oak Flat in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. The nearly seven-square-mile parcel has been viewed as a sacred site by Apaches and other Native American groups for hundreds of years and has been used extensively for religious rituals. Despite having protected the land from development for years, the federal government several years ago moved to transfer Oak Flat to the mining company Resolution Copper. […]