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Canadian Bishop: When does state neutrality threaten one’s religious freedom?
Following new instructions barring military chaplains from referencing God in certain contexts, Bishop Scott McCaig speaks to Vatican News about the dangerous precedence this policy can set, the road that led to these instructions, an inter-faith committee dedicated to confronting this policy, and the hope that Canadian Catholics have.
By Kielce Gussie
On July 29, 2026, the Government of Canada issued this statement as part of the text, “Canadian Armed Forces Military Personnel Training 03/26 – Spiritual Reflections in Military Contexts”—new instructions regarding spirituality in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
No one—from chaplains of any faith, volunteers, students, casual workers, contractors, and any employees of the Department of National Defence (DND)—is allowed to use any language that references God in any event connected to official government business.
The justification?
The instructions argue they are founded on the idea of “respect for freedom of conscience and religious expression, while upholding the dignity and value of diverse spiritual traditions.”
However, for many people, these beliefs and values are directly linked to their faith in God. In defence of the chaplain’s rights, the Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Canada Scott McCaig issued a statement opposing this new policy.
What is true secularity?
Bishop McCaig stressed that the issue with these new instructions is not simply restricting military chaplains. Rather, “the context is much, much bigger. It’s the struggle of what true secularity means, what an open secularity means in a modern liberal democracy.”
This is something different “nations are struggling with it in different ways, and this is sort of the Canadian version of that struggle.”
After the publication of the new instructions, the Canadian Department of National Defence issued a statement describing the policy as a way to “better respond to the moral and spiritual needs of all the members” of CAF.
While giving spiritual reflections is only a small part of a chaplain’s job, the ban reaches beyond this. It threatens to set a precedent. “It sets the sort of policy for moving forward as a country and as a military, trying to struggle with what secularity means and the place of religion in the public sphere,” Bishop McCaig argued.
Therein lies the fundamental problem.
As the bishop stressed—both in his response on August 18 to the instructions and in his interview with Vatican News—someone can be spiritual without being religious. Yet, this new policy goes beyond that. It says that chaplains and others who give spiritual reflections “must” refrain from spiritual references in their reflections.
But this is easier said than done.
Bishop McCaig highlighted how many people cannot separate meaning, purpose, and spiritual well-being from God. However, the instructions push this. This “is contrary to sincerely held beliefs and conviction of conscience. So, for that reason, it’s a very concerning instruction,” he said.
More than just a Catholic issue
However, these new instructions do not only affect Catholics. Bishop McCaig is part of a group called the Interfaith Committee for Canadian Military Chaplaincy.
While the committee has concerns regarding the instructions, the bishop stressed they want to take their time, be fair, and “be good partners with the government.” There is an absolute requirement for the “state to allow an open secularity, that there be freedom of conscience with military personnel, and that still needs to be achieved.”
FILE PHOTO: Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal (AFP or licensors)
The goal is to resolve this in a way that serves the women and men in uniform and offer them support in an inclusive and healthy way.
Not something new
These new instructions are not the first step on this process of restricting public expression of religions.
In 2015, the Canadian Supreme Court decision Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay ruled that “the state must not interfere in religion and beliefs. The state must instead remain neutral in this regard, which means that it must neither favour nor hinder any particular belief, and the same holds true for non-belief.”
However, with this 2026 policy, the question has become how is the “Saguenay decision” meant to be interpreted?
“For some, it means freedom from religion, and for others of us, we believe that decision is all about freedom for religion, or non-religion, but that it’s protecting freedoms and expression,” Bishop McCaig explained.
The “true” interpretation is now what is being worked out in the courts of Quebec and in the Canadian Supreme Court.
A fallen Christendom
But how exactly did we get to this point? How did society arrive at the moment where these two rulings were even on the table?
Bishop McCaig’s answer is that from a Catholic perspective, Christendom is gone. “The idea that society is governed according to Christian values, Christian morality, a Christian vision, understanding, and worldview—that collapsed a very short time ago.”
The Church has entered an entirely new chapter and context where the world—at least in the West—is no longer Christian. This reality has become evident as states are not looking to Christianity for guidance in making laws. There is a completely new worldview.
“We’re in a new context. It’s a secular context. Christendom is gone. We are in the midst of redefining the place of religion in public life,” the bishop explained.
A better way to serve our soldiers
Yet, in the midst of this grey context, Bishop McCaig cites different reasons to hope.
Quoting G.K. Chesterton, he noted that the Church has died many times, but thankfully she has a founder who knows his way out of the grave (Part II, Chapter 6, “On the Five Deaths of the Faith”).
Moreover, the bishop stressed that now the Canadian Church is seeing a rise in interest in God and in practicing the Christian faith among those in military service. “The Enlightenment made promises. It said, get rid of God and you’ll have more freedom. You’ll have more joy. You’ll have more fulfilment. And the opposite has happened,” he argued.
Moreover, Bishop McCaig stressed he is not ready to give up. “There are still a lot of men and women in good faith that are serving in the government that I think are willing to listen, that are willing to have a good dialogue, to have a second look at this because of our concerns.”
At some point in the future, the bishop expressed hope that the Interfaith Committee and the state will be able to dialogue and find “something that is truly inclusive, that is life-giving, and serves our soldiers in a better way.”
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