RFI President David Trimble and Andrew Kubick, Deputy Director of RFI’s National Center for Religious Freedom Education, spoke at the 14th Annual Summer Conference of the Napa Institute. The event brings together Catholic leaders seeking to transform culture and live out the Gospel in the public square and includes keynote and breakout sessions on current topics, as well as opportunities for fellowship and networking.

Trimble gave keynote remarks addressing the current crisis in American higher education in which many colleges and universities are immersing students in anti-faith, anti-reality ideologies – with dangerous cultural consequences, especially for Jews, Christians, and others who practice a traditional faith. He illustrated how RFI seeks to restore higher education by promoting the pursuit of truth, rooted in a commitment to human dignity. 

Trimble also announced the launch of a new student initiative: RFI’s Campus Faith Alliance. The Alliance will bring together diverse student faith groups based on their shared commitment to religious freedom and human dignity to provide: 1) a platform for them to debate and discuss the issues of our time; and 2) a space for them to stand together in the face of threats to their free exercise of religion. (Stay tuned for more information on the launch of the Campus Faith Alliance, coming soon!)

Kubick, who also serves as an RFI Research Fellow in Bioethics and Medical Conscience, led a breakout session titled, “Religious Freedom in Healthcare: Indispensable for the Common Good.” He emphasized the fundamental right to express one’s religious convictions – both privately and publicly – within one’s profession, and encouraged attendees to defend the freedom of religious medical professionals to practice according to their convictions and conscience. Kubick also spoke about RFI’s Medical Conscience Rights Initiative, which aims to educate and equip state leaders to protect religious freedom in healthcare.