Founding fathers "find" religion: the exhibit "Religious Liberty and the Founding of America" coincides with the visits of Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama.

• Position: Religion

Timed to coincide with the World Meeting of Families and the visits of Pope Francis (Sept. 25-27) and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Oct. 26 to receive Liberty Medal) to Philadelphia, Pa., the National Constitution Center is presenting the exhibit, "Religious Liberty and the Founding of America." On view through Jan. 3, 2016, it features 20 key documents from early U.S. history that illuminate the role religion played in public life in the founding era and shows how freedom of religion became a right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The exhibition "explores the role of religion during the time of America's founding as well as the debate surrounding religious liberty today," says Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. "The exhibit will inspire and educate visitors ... interested in a deeper understanding of how the Constitution protects our unalienable rights of religious liberty."

The exhibit has three sections: Religious Liberty in Colonial America; Religious Liberty in the Constitution; and The Legacy of Religious Liberty.

Visitors can view a copy of Pres. George Washington's First Thanksgiving Proclamation (1789) where he states "it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God." There also are letters Washington wrote in 1790 to Roman Catholic and Jewish religious groups, where he accepts their congratulations after he takes office (as president) and a letter from Thomas Jefferson to Baptists in Connecticut...