Catholic college vows to gain 'financial freedom' from 'increasingly hostile' federal mandates

A Roman Catholic college in North Carolina has established a fund with the ultimate goal of obtaining the "financial freedom" to cut ties with what it has described as the "intrusive" mandates attached to federal aid.

"Without the ability to remain financially independent and secure, we place our faith-based practices at risk from a federal government both increasingly intrusive to private institutions and increasingly hostile to faith," Belmont Abbey College wrote on its fundraising website.

The small Catholic college of approximately 1,500 students outside Charlotte launched the campaign in February with the goal of raising $100 million to beef up its endowment and phase out dependence on federal financial aid, according to The College Fix.

"First and foremost, the federal government has historically used the funding to mandate policies inimical to Catholic education," Philip Brach, vice president of college relations at Belmont Abbey, told the outlet. "These policies have often risen to the level of serious moral violations to the freedom of conscience of our community."

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Belmont Abbey College has been at the forefront of some of the clashes between the federal government and religious institutions.

The Charlotte EEOC office ruled in favor of the college after eight faculty members filed a complaint for not covering abortion and oral contraceptives under its healthcare plan in 2009, though the Obama administration reversed the ruling and dragged out the case for years before the school eventually prevailed, the Fix noted.

"[T]he federal government has historically used the funding to mandate policies inimical to Catholic education. These policies have often risen to the level of serious moral violations to the freedom of conscience of our community."

— Philip Brach, vice president of college relations at Belmont Abbey College

Belmont Abbey was the first college to file a lawsuit regarding the Affordable Care Act’s contraception provision, which Brach said would have forced the school "to provide healthcare coverage for abortion and contraception or face bankruptcy as a consequence of punishing fines."

"While the contraceptive mandate exempted houses of worship, other religious institutions such as hospitals, schools and charities, which serve clients outside their own faith tradition, were not considered exempt," Brach said. The school ultimately won a permanent injunction against the mandate.

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The college also was able to obtain an exemption from the mandate that schools use gender identity instead of biological sex to determine student access to athletic competitions and gender-segregated areas such as bathrooms, locker rooms and dorms.

With the Biden administration's efforts to add transgender identity to Title IX protections, Brach said that "anti-religious liberty advocates are pushing multiple administrative, legislative and judicial initiatives."

The college's financial strategy includes growing the endowment, funding alternative private loans and positioning the institution for long-term financial stability, all with the aim of helping students graduate without excessive debt, Brach told the Fix.

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"Any college serious about protecting their freedom of conscience to practice their faith should at least consider such a move," he added.