2026 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit: Dean G. Marcus Cole’s opening remarks

Good morning, and welcome to the sixth annual Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit. I am Marcus Cole, Dean of Notre Dame Law School, and I want to welcome you to Chicago for what I hope will be a fruitful series of discussions.

The theme of this year’s summit is “We Hold These Truths...” As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation – the first nation in the history of the world to be founded upon the core principle of religious freedom – it is appropriate that we do so here in Chicago, a city in which virtually every faith in the world is represented. It is also a city with a deep connection to the University of Notre Dame. Yes, we have a small campus here just a few blocks away, on Michigan Avenue, across the street from the world-famous Art Institute of Chicago.

But our connection to Chicago is much deeper. Although we were founded in 1842 as a distinctly French University with a French name by a group of French priests, Notre Dame’s continued existence is owed to its evolution into one of the only places in this country where the newly arrived working-class Irish immigrants of Chicago could achieve higher education for their children. And there is one reason why these French priests welcomed the children of Irish immigrants: it was their faith. My faith. They were Catholics, just like me.

Today, we can look back on the influence of the University of Notre Dame on generations of – not just Irish immigrants – but people from all backgrounds and beliefs. African Americans, like me and my wife Angie. Polish immigrants. Italian immigrants. Then later, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and Protestants of every denomination. Notre Dame has become a safe harbor for people of all faiths because it emits a beacon of hope – and an assurance that faith matters. The influence of Notre Dame was made possible by the freedom that this country provides us to express our faith through service.

For the “Notre Dames” of the world to serve the world, religious freedom must flourish. And for religious freedom to flourish, and for humans to flourish as a result, we must re-capture the true meaning of religious liberty. We must reclaim it from those who would use it for political purposes. We must champion religious liberty for all people, of all faiths, and especially for those of no faith at all.

In many ways, it is the people of no faith for whom religious liberty matters most, and who are most threatened by its absence. Let’s not forget that there are thirteen countries around the world where atheism is a crime punishable by death, and there are dozens more where blasphemy laws impose the same penalty.

The fight for religious liberty should not be reduced to “culture wars.” It is too important for that. Yes, religious freedom will have cultural implications, there is no denying that. But we will not be able to advance the cause of religious freedom by simply showing that people of faith have rights in our society that should be respected by our culture.

Instead, we must persuade our fellow citizens that religious freedom is for more than just the protection of people of faith. It is perhaps most important for the protection of people of no faith at all. Unless we make that case, the right to religious freedom will be a numbers game. And yet, think about it – for us to win that numbers game, our neighbors must be free to choose God.

We cannot win souls at the point of a sword.

The purpose of the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit is to explore issues, ideas, and strategies toward the protection and promotion of religious liberty, here in the United States and around the world. As the leading Catholic research university in the world, the University of Notre Dame, and Notre Dame Law School, is proud to host you, and to facilitate these discussions.

It is our mission to work towards a world where everyone is free to worship God, each in his or her own way. It is just as important that every person be free to live their lives according to their beliefs, as a living sacrifice and testimony to the greater glory of God.

Welcome to Chicago. We are just 90 miles from our main campus in Northern Indiana, but when we are – in our religious diversity – gathered in fellowship, and in search of God, we are even closer to heaven.

It is my prayer that you will find this Summit a fruitful and uplifting experience.

Thank you.