Graduation ceremony of Julian C. Ohizu

The graduation ceremony of Julian C. Ohizu, in which he will defend his dissertation Religious Freedom and Covid-19 Restrictions: The United States of America Catholic Church, will take place on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM (UTC/GMT+2). This will be a meeting online.

Do you want to attend the online ceremony? Leave your email address below.

A brief overview of my research and the inspiration behind it:

My dissertation, Religious Freedom and COVID-19 Restrictions: The United States of America Catholic Church, examines how COVID-19 restrictions affected the religious freedom and sacramental life of American Catholics. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with clergy and laypeople from dioceses across the United States, the study explores how Catholics experienced restrictions on worship, access to the sacraments, and communal religious life during the pandemic. The research contributes to discussions on religious freedom, Church–State relations, and public policy and proposes a new framework, Contextual Ecclesial Constraint Theory (CECT), for understanding religious freedom during times of crisis.

I chose this topic because, as a Catholic theologian, educator, and pastoral minister, I witnessed firsthand the unprecedented spiritual isolation and challenges many people faced when churches were closed, and access to the sacraments was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. I observed significant inconsistencies, where houses of worship often faced stricter lockdowns than secular establishments like bars or retail stores. This raised profound theological, ethical, and constitutional questions for me about how democratic societies can protect public health during a crisis without compromising fundamental religious freedom rights. I hope to help religious leaders, policymakers, and faith communities navigate future emergencies with greater wisdom, dialogue, and mutual respect.