Southern Baptists hail ruling on church-state issue

Although its only involvement was filing a friend-of the-court brief, the Southern Baptist Convention’s church-state entity has hailed a ruling by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

The ruling reversed a lower court order requiring the Catholic Church to turn over records of private deliberations on what the church describes as doctrinal and moral issues.

The case arose after a challenge to a 2016 Texas law by the Whole Women’s Health abortion clinic network, doctors, and other abortion providers. The law requires fetal remains from abortions or miscarriages to be buried or cremated rather than discarded in a landfill or by other means.

The plaintiffs sought emails from the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops, seemingly because the bishops have offered free burial for fetal remains in the church’s cemeteries, according to a report in Baptist Press.

“The court’s ruling, which affirms religious liberty, as well as the sanctity of human life, is a victory for all Americans,” Russell Moore—president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—said in a statement. 

“Churches and religious organizations shouldn’t be forced to disclose private information that could hinder their ability to protect human dignity and engage in the public square.”