Sean Nelson

Senior Counsel | Global Religious Freedom @ADFIntl | Former atheist, now Catholic | Bluegrass enthusiast | Tweeting in a personal capacity | RT ≠ endorsement

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

There is hardly a corner of the world where Christians do not experience persecution, discrimination, or ridicule today. Sadly, there is no shortage of persecuted Christians to pray for, nor a shortage of Christian martyrs to mourn for. @ADFLegal @ADFIntl #IDOP

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

Grateful 🇺🇸

[Alliance Defending Freedom @ADFLegal]

Your speech is more vulnerable than you think.

[Cissie Graham Lynch @CissieGLynch]

It was an honor to appear before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee today as the nominee to serve as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. This is the opening statement that I shared, and I'm grateful for my husband, Corey, who was with me, as well as all who have supported me. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me and my family during this process. Time is short and the needs are immense, but if I am confirmed, I will do all that I can to be a fierce advocate and defender for all who are persecuted for their faith.

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

@megbasham @TGC @CTmagazine I don’t usually sit with my wife in church because we have our four little kids sitting between us.

[Decision Magazine @DecisionNews]

.@CissieGLynch, daughter of @Franklin_Graham and granddaughter of @BillyGraham, sat before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee today as lawmakers considered her nomination to serve as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
https://t.co/rmip5bMuj7

[ADF International @ADFIntl]

📢A proposal to make "hate speech" a crime under EU law has been WITHDRAWN by the European Commission, in an important win for freedom of speech.

@WNGdotorg 👇

https://t.co/XnsOgBjjxf

[Alliance Defending Freedom @ADFLegal]

Over 1.5 million Washington voters said yes to keeping male athletes out of girls’ sports. The ACLU wants a judge to throw out their vote. Not on our watch.

[Paul Coleman @Paul_B_Coleman]

Huge win! Congratulations @ADFIntl! So much work behind the scenes (years!) to secure this victory.

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

Fellow North Carolinian @SenTedBuddNC introduced @CissieGLynch for her @SenateForeign nom to the Intl Religious Freedom Ambassador role with a very strong endorsement:

"As religious persecution continues around the world, we cannot afford to leave this critical post unfilled."

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

This morning, @CissieGLynch spoke before the @SenateForeign for her nomination hearing to the Intl Religious Freedom Ambassador role. 👇I hope she's confirmed swiftly:

"Some of the most important lessons I've learned ... came from sitting with mothers who've lost sons & daughters to persecution, listening to pastors who've rebuilt their congregations after their churches have been burnt & meeting with families driven from their homes because of their beliefs."

[Alliance Defending Freedom @ADFLegal]

The EU’s Digital Services Act isn’t just a European problem. It regulates Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and other platforms Americans use every day. When EU regulators pressure them to remove content they deem harmful, the effects may not stop at the border.

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

The incredible love & care the Holy Father shows towards those with disabilities & the difficulties they & families experience, & his strong & unwavering expression of the Church’s defense of their incalculable value, has to me been the highlight of his pontificate 🙏 So grateful

[Vatican News @VaticanNews]

Marta Griselda Torres, who was born with cerebral palsy, shares her story with Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the Don Orione Little Cottolengo in Argentina, in Claypole, on November 9, 2026.

[Courtney Mares @catholicourtney]

Such a moving moment with Pope Leo in Argentina

[Kristen Waggoner @KristenWaggoner]

Letitia James has lost again in her effort to stop women from learning about abortion pill reversal (APR).

In 2024, the New York AG sued pro-life pregnancy centers just for informing women about APR, a simple progesterone treatment which can save a baby’s life if a woman changes her mind after taking the first abortion pill. (This happens more often than you might think.)

So @ADFLegal helped pregnancy centers sue the AG in federal court. Both the district court and 2nd Circuit ruled in their favor, saying that their speech about APR is protected under the First Amendment.

But AG James then claimed that, in order to know exactly who she shouldn’t prosecute or punish for their protected speech, she needed the full membership list from one of our clients.

That’s not true. The court already ruled that speaking about APR in this way is protected. And the Supreme Court has protected information like membership rolls for decades, because it recognizes how state officials can use them as a weapon to punish disfavored viewpoints.

So we asked the federal court to extend its injunction to unnamed members of our client organization—not just those who were named parties in the original lawsuit. On Friday, the court did exactly that.

Politicians like AG James call themselves “pro-choice.” But it’s amazing the lengths they’re willing to go to stop women from choosing life—or even from knowing what their choices are.

Thankfully, the First Amendment still wins. Even in New York.

[ADF International @ADFIntl]

🚨BREAKING: The European Commission has announced that it will WITHDRAW a proposal to criminalise “hate speech” under EU law.

The initiative would have placed “hate speech” and “hate crimes” in the same category as human trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime.

The proposal required unanimous consent, but several member states BLOCKED the initiative in the Council due to free speech concerns.

This is a major victory for freedom of expression. But the battle is not over yet 👇

[Erika Kirk @MrsErikaKirk]

To see leftist podcasters, comedians, and commentators laugh about political assassination as though it’s entertainment and the destruction of a human life is a punchline, is beyond disgusting.

My husband, Charlie Kirk, was killed in an act of political violence, something our two children and I will live with every day for the rest of our lives.

A culture that laughs at assassination is one of profound moral decay. It threatens the very foundation of our country and the principles that hold our democracy together.

You do not have to agree with someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life. This should not be so hard.

Political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates.

[Uzay Bulut @bulutuzay_]

The Supreme Court of Pakistan announced its long-awaited judgment in the case of the Ayub brothers, who have spent more than a decade in prison and roughly nine years on death row after being accused of blasphemy.

Amoon Ayub has been acquitted and freed due to a lack of evidence. However, the court upheld the death sentence for his brother, Qaiser, regarding alleged online blasphemy. Qaiser remains on death row and faces execution by hanging.

The brothers were arrested in 2014 and 2015, then condemned to death in 2018 for allegedly running an online blog critical of Islam's founder, Muhammad.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

When being just and honest comes at a price, pay it. When forgiving seems like a defeat, forgive. When everyone tells you to think of yourselves first, do not be afraid to put yourselves in the last place. Be willing to give up time, money, comfort and plans to serve others. May those who see you find themselves asking: “Why do they live in this way? Where do they get this freedom? Why do they love one another so much?” #ApostolicJourney #Uruguay

[Reem Ibrahim @ReemAmirIbrahim]

Britain has abandoned free speech.

More than 62,000 people have been arrested for "speech offenses" over the last five years in the U.K.

But how did we get here?

[Sean Nelson @Sean_ADFIntl]

@ErikBootsma @anadromist @thewaronbeauty @kalezelden @PaulVanderKlay @PageauJonathan @moveincircles @MrEwanMorrison @roddreher @Aesthetic_City @wokal_distance @MichaelLouisTh1 @BMcGrewvy Has anyone ever … opened one of those cans?