The already-boiling debate about Georgetown University’s decision to invite Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak during graduation hit the highest levels of Catholic Washington on Tuesday, with the region’s archbishop slamming the school’s president for the “shocking” invitation and saying the real issue was being distorted.
Since Sebelius was announced earlier this month as one of the speakers for this week’s Georgetown graduation ceremonies, about 27,000 people have signed a petition, circulated by a conservative Catholic think tank, urging the university to withdraw the invitation. Sebelius was a key architect of the 2010 health-care law, and she authored the requirement that employers, including most religious ones, provide their employees with contraception coverage.
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By the way, federal money comes from our taxes. I sure pay my share. Also, it’s not about money. That tactic has been oversued and it’s really tiresome. YAWN!!!!!!!
Baloney! If non-catholic employees what coverage for contraception and abortion, don’t work for the Catholic Church. This freedom of conscience idea has led to the killing of 53 million babies in the US since 1973. Why not ask them about freedom of conscience.
By the way, maybe the Church should pay taxes. This way we can start our own political party and run our own candidates and vigorously campaign for them. I don’t think that either the Democrats or Republicans want that to happen. I however, think it’s a great idea.
The Cardinal’s silence is deafening. Speaker of the House John Boehner at Catholic University and Paul Ryan at Georgetown University. Neither of those “gentleman’ espouse the corporal works of mercy, let alone an understanding of Catholic social justice. The Bishops’ silence spoke volumes regarding his political vote.
Where was Wuerl when Paul Ryan came to Georgetown?????
It is a slap in the fact to the Catholic church to allow this “Catholic in name only,” Sebelius to speak at this ceremony. It is a sad day indeed for Catholism in America. The Arch Bishop has got my vote.
Got it Tony. Maybe the Catholic Church should stop funding all its hospitals, all its elementary and highs schools, all its universities, all its homes that assist the homeless, the single mothers, the AIDS victims, the missionairies, et al. and put that all on the government and tax payers’ doors. After all, the Catholic Church provides no benefit to the nation, it only takes.
Margaret, you might vbe surprised to learn that the federal government funds most of Catholic charities. The Church gives, yes, and it takes, for sure. And federal money comes with strings.
Carl,
I know about federal govt funding catholic charities to a good degree. But did you take note of my list? Catholic Charities would be less than 1% of the charity, education, health services and beyond I brought up. But no one ever wants to talk about that. They only want to talk about tax exempt status.
If Georgetown University doesn’t want to act Catholic, fine. But then Cardinal Wuerl is well within his rights to take out all Catholic faculties off of the university property; including Masses being said and most especially take out the Holy Eucharist. It’s not just what Sebelius recently did to fly in the face of what Jesus taught us. But it is her constant and aggressive efforts to allow the murder of babies even as Governor of Kansas. Objectively speaking, her most grievous times are ahead of her when she is confronted by Jesus.
The issue is not at all about religious liberty. It’s about MONEY.
You don’t want to do abortions or provide contraception, fine. Don’t take the money.
No prob with religious liberty.
It is entirely about religious liberty! The church cannot be made to participate in any health plan that tries to sneak in abortion!
Irish….then the Church should stop taking federal money. Otherwise, shouldn’t it honor the consciences abd right of its non-Catholic employees?