Australian Red Mass a Call to Protect Religious Freedom in Age of 'Militant Secularism'

Sydney's Archbishop, Most Rev. Anthony Fisher OP, called on Australia's legal professionals to protect and defend religious freedom in an age of "militant secularism" during Monday's Red Mass.

A Red Mass is a Mass celebrated by the Catholic Church each year specifically for judges, lawyers, law professors, government officials, and law students. The Mass asks the Holy Spirit to guide legal professionals in their pursuit of justice.

This year Archbishop Fisher spoke about the rise of secularism and attempts to undercut religious values.

"The pressure is on to eradicate Judeo-Christian ideas such as the sanctity of life and love from our laws and customs, to inoculate people to faith or make them embarrassed or secretive about it, and to enforce a kind of practical agnosticism on the whole community," Fisher said, according to Public Now. 

'The militant secularism in the air at the moment, like colonialism, sectarianism, racism and sexism in the air at other times, threatens to unravel Australian respectfulness in religious matters and historic balances between Church and state,' he added.

According to Australia's most recent census data, those who identify as having no religious affiliation has grown exponentially.

"The growing percentage of Australia's population reporting no religion has been a trend for decades, and is accelerating. Those reporting no religion increased noticeably from 19 per cent in 2006 to 30 per cent in 2016," the census report says.