The Supreme Court appeared likely to side with a Wisconsin-based Catholic Charities group in its fight with the government over a state ruling it says "distorts" and "undermines" its mission of caring for the sick and poor. (Ricky Carioti /The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Catholic Charities, however, argues that helping the disabled, elderly and those living in poverty — regardless of their faith — is a core tenet of their religious practice.
The group’s attorney, Eric Rassbach, with the religious liberty law firm Becket, argued during the hearing that Catholic teaching forbids Catholics from conditioning assistance on acceptance of the church’s teachings.
"The Wisconsin Supreme Court got it wrong when it interpreted a state-law religious exemption to favor what it called 'typical' religious activity and when it held that helping the poor can't be religious, because secular people help the poor too," he said.
The group is seeking to be exempt from the state's unemployment compensation program so it can join the Wisconsin Catholic Church’s private program, which they say would save them more money than paying into the state program.
Even some of the court’s liberal justices seemed to have concerns with Wisconsin’s ruling. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Even some of the court’s liberal justices seemed to have concerns with Wisconsin’s ruling.
"There are lots of hard questions in this area," said Justice Elena Kagan. "But I thought it was pretty fundamental that we don’t treat some religions better than other religions and we certainly don’t do it based on the contents of the religious doctrine that those religions preach."
"The reason why we're so worried about entanglement is because it gets us enmeshed in the content of religious doctrine," she said.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett commented during the hearing that "the problem here is how to figure out what the line is."
Alan Rock, executive director of the Catholic Charities Bureau, told Fox News Digital that following the hearing, he is "confident the Supreme Court will ensure our freedom to serve all those in need according to our Catholic faith."
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United States Supreme Court (Fox News Digital)
"The state of Wisconsin said that our work isn’t religious. The state denied that our care for those in need is driven by our faith, simply because we serve everyone and do not try to convert those we serve. That view distorts the heart of our mission and undermines our ability to care for the most vulnerable," he said, adding, "We look forward to the Court’s ruling."
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Speaking with Fox News Digital after the hearing, Bishop James Powers, head of the Catholic Diocese of Superior, said that Wisconsin is "punishing Catholic Charities for following this example of Christian love."
"We do not help the needy because they are Catholic — we help them because we are Catholic," he said. "The Good Samaritan did not ask about the wounded man’s faith: He simply saw a neighbor in need and responded with mercy. That is the model Catholic Charities has embraced since its founding."
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-appears-likely-side-catholic-church-trump-key-religious-exemption-case