Justice , appearing for the first time in public since penning the opinion that reversed Roe v. Wade, mocked foreign criticism of the decision during a speech he delivered in Rome.
Alito -- sporting a new beard -- gave the talk that was largely dedicated to protecting religious liberty last week, but it was only publicized on Thursday by Notre Dame Law School.
"Religious liberty is under attack in many places because it is dangerous to those who want to hold complete power," Alito said. "It also probably grows out of something dark and deep in the human DNA -- a tendency to distrust and dislike people who are not like ourselves," he added.
His speech comes a month after the end of a blockbuster term where the court's majority not only ended a federal right to abortion, but also ruled in favor of religious conservatives in two cases.
Alito delivered the keynote address for Notre Dame Law School's Religious Liberty Initiative. The bulk of the speech was dedicated to broadly discussing how religious freedom has been challenged throughout history.
Alito did not discuss the leak of the abortion decision the wrote -- Dobbs v. Jackson -- last May, and only indirectly referenced the final version that he referred to as an opinion "whose name may not be spoken."
He did so by expressing his disapproval of foreign leaders who had criticized the opinion.
"I had the honour this term of writing I think the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders," Alito said, noting they felt "perfectly fine commenting on American law."
He noted one of the critics was U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has announced his plan to resign in early July, days after the opinion was issued.
"He paid the price," Alito said to laughter and applause. He also criticized French President Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, for their comments criticizing the opinion.
Dripping with sarcasm, Alito told the audience that what really "wounded" him was when Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, "and seemed to compare 'the decision whose name may not be spoken' with the Russian attack on the Ukraine."
Returning to religious freedom, Alito said that a challenge is to "convince people that religious liberty is worth defending if they don't think that religion is a good thing that deserves protection."
He said that such an effort could entail a focus on how religion promotes "domestic tranquility."
"It provides a way for religiously diverse people to hold together and to flourish," he said and noted that the "American experience illustrates that well."
He also pointed to the enormous charitable work that is done by religious groups and people of faith.
In 2021, the court said that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it froze the contract of a Catholic foster agency that refused to work with same-sex couples as potential foster parents because the agency believes that marriage should be between a man and woman. Alito wrote separately to complain that the court hadn't gone far enough in its opinion and should have made it much more difficult for the government to enforce laws that burden some individuals' religious beliefs.
"The Court has emitted a wisp of a decision that leaves religious liberty in a confused and vulnerable state, "Alito wrote then.
In the term that just ended, however, the court ruled twice in favor of religious conservatives. In one case it sided with a public high school football coach who sought to pray at the 50-yard-line after games. In another it said that Maine cannot exclude religious schools from tuition assistance programs open to public and private schools.
Alito ended his talk in Rome with a reference to scripture. He said that "the champions of religious liberty, who 'go out as wise as serpents and as harmless of doves' can expect to find hearts that are open to their message."
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The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure from within his own caucus to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to returning to politics.
The federal government is slashing immigration targets to levels that will flatten population growth as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits the government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.
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Participants in a federal public inquiry are calling on Ottawa to take bolder action against foreign interference by making effective use of legal tools, closing loopholes and fostering public education.
U.S. authorities earlier this year knew the whereabouts of a former Canadian Olympian who is now on the run for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking ring and orchestrating murders in Ontario, according to Ontario court documents.
The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.
Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is calling off its dangerous persons alert after two people were arrested in the Tobin Lake area Thursday afternoon.
A Los Angeles prosecutor said on Thursday he is asking the court to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez after they have spent 34 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, after new evidence emerged indicating they were sexually abused by their father for years.
An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.
Donald Trump said Thursday that if he wins the White House, he will fire special counsel Jack Smith 'within two seconds' of taking office.
Colorado funeral home owners accused of misspending nearly US$900,000 in pandemic relief funds and living lavishly, all while allegedly storing 190 decaying bodies in a building and sending grieving families fake ashes, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal fraud charges for defrauding customers.
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Quebec's health department says it will be ready to meet the expected demand for advanced applications for medical assistance in dying when it begins accepting those requests next week.
A Colorado man has filed the first lawsuit against McDonald鈥檚 relating to its E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounders that, so far, has led to at least 49 illnesses across 10 states, including one death.
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London Ont. born astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen spoke with thousands of high school students across the country today about the upcoming Artemis II mission.
Diverse firefly species lit up the night during the late Mesozoic period, scientists have confirmed.
European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm capable of interpreting pig sounds, aiming to create a tool that can help farmers improve animal welfare.
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Argentina's police raided the Buenos Aires hotel where ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne stayed before dying last week after falling from a third-floor balcony, a government official said Thursday.
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Rogers Communications Inc. is selling a minority stake in a portion of its wireless network infrastructure for $7 billion amid a 'pivot' in strategy as it seeks to pay down debt.
Shake Shack has announced plans to open two more Toronto locations in the coming months.
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The Saskatchewan RCMP is calling off its dangerous persons alert after two people were arrested in the Tobin Lake area Thursday afternoon.
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The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
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The Chatham-Kent Police Service is investigating an indecent act report it received.
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Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.
At least 1,749 people have died from toxic and unregulated drugs in British Columbia since the start of the year 鈥 a rate of more than six people per day, according to the latest data from the provincial coroner's office.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
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Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
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A three-game road trip across the prairies got off on a sour note Wednesday night as the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Calgary Hitmen 4-2.
A town in southern Alberta will be one of the first to let golf carts be driven on select roads as part of a provincial pilot program.
Police seized drugs, $70,000 and a large gold chain in a drug trafficking bust earlier this month in Thunder Bay.
An annual event held in Sault Ste. Marie is back for the 29th year to ensure local kids get the winter clothing they need as the temperature dips.
The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.
Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland earlier on the weekend.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
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