U.S. bishops on offensive in debate over contraception
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As the nation’s Catholic bishops gathered in Atlanta this week, they were told by a representative of the pope not to relent in what many Catholics regard as a battle over religious liberty.
But Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Pope Benedict XVI’s ambassador to the U.S., also said bishops should tread carefully as they take on the administration of President Barack Obama over its so-called contraception mandate.
The dispute, Viganò said, comes “in the context of an election year, making interventions even more delicate.”
But as a two-day meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrapped up Thursday, the event felt something more akin to generals conferring over a battle plan.
And next week, that battle will roll out nationwide as bishops launch a campaign called The Fortnight for Freedom. More than 70 of the nation’s 195 dioceses, including the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the Diocese of Belleville, have organized events.
“My brother bishops, we have a great task in front of us,” Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, who leads the bishops’ committee on religious liberty, told the gathering Wednesday. “It will not be easy, and we may well suffer, as we are called to do. But we will not fail.”
The bishops’ goal is to repeal a rule handed down by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in January that says religiously affiliated institutions, such as universities and hospitals, must soon include free birth control coverage in their employee health coverage.
The bishops say that the mandate will force Catholics to betray their consciences, and that for them the issue is not about women’s health — as the Obama administration has couched it — but about religious liberty. [More]
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27 Comments
WHEN WILL OUR CURRENT THEOLOGY MOVE BEYOND GYNECOLOGY? We have some obsessed men!
Janet — you seem obsessed with men who believe sexual purity is critical to living a holy life. If the purity isn’t there, it is essentially impossible to live a virtuous life outside the sexual area. It sounds like you should review paragraph 2352 in the 1997 Catechism concerning the morality of masturbation. You may also want to check the section on homosexuality.
Also, Janet, you apparently don’t understand men’s sexuality — most women don’t. Men have ten times the testosterone that women do; men were made like this by God, as He wanted to ensure the propogation of the species. Men are very sexual, Janet — and, as the Blessed Mother told Jacinta in a private revelation, more souls go to Hell for sins of the flesh than for any other reason.
I don’t believe that’s correct, Tony. For example, the few colleges in the USA that do not take any subsidy from the government (Hillsdale & Grove City) would, I believe, still have to comply with this fascist mandate.
The fact that you could possibly support Obama (the most pro-choice president ever), Kathleen Sebelius, head of the HHS (very pro-choice when she was governor) shows how off- target you are.
where do you get that I support Obama, never said it.
Well, you’re right, you didn’t say it — but the fact that you take typical liberal positions, such as making the deaths of 100 convicted felons equally important with abortion makes me think you’re an Obama man. I hope you’re not, and I’d be pleased to know you’re not.
I have always maintained that every life is sacred from the first moment of conception to a NATURAL death, which means no mercy killing and NO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. I don’t know why to rush to put words in my mouth.
To answer your question: your positions are very liberal, and I know liberal Catholics who believe it is morally correct to vote for Obama. So, my apologies for my presumption.
Perhaps it wasn’t you, but someone made a comment that the Bishops are the religious arm of the Republican party. Such a comment strongly implies the person voted for Obama.
No, the person may not have voted at all, or the person may have voted independent.
Well, a vote not against Obama is a vote not against Obama. We need to ensure this scourge on our country does not get another four years. Besides his incompetence, he twice vetoed a “born alive” bill when he was in the Illinois legislature, meaning he wanted babies who survived a saline abortion to be taken to a back room and left to die. Talk about an anti-life position — anyone who is pro-life could not possibly vote for Obama, and frankly should vote against him by voting for Romney.
The Catholic Church gives away more than any other organization in the world. Sounds like you’re a little jealous of the possessions of the Catholic Church.
I don’t know if that is true. The Catholic Church is divided into many autonomus organization so don’t lump them together and get a whole.
How can you go to Church and receive the Eucharist, consecrated by a priest who was ordained by a bishop you despise, a priest who is supported by the Catholic Church hierarchy?
How else would one get the Eucharist? We’re stuck with these guys. Jim, it’s not the “community” of the people of the church that anyone has a problem with; it’s the centuries ongoing secrecy, coverups, deceit, control & power.
Well, Tony, I can’t believe the people in the pews — i.e., those in the “community” — are any better than the clergy (generally speaking — I know there are exceptions). So, those in the pews engage in secrecy, coverups, deceit, control & power.
Your actions do not match your poor opinion about the Church.
Suggestion: either change and be more grateful to the Church, or change your behavior and leave the Church.
And, your allegation that it is all about $ — that is a very cynical position.
Tony, you could not possibly be happy, given all of the bitterness you have for Jesus’ Church. Therapy with a good Christian therapist might help.
I love the church, it’s the way the bishops run it I don’t like. By their own admission they need helpl
Hillsdale and Grove City, a truly Conservative College may have objections to supplying contraception and abortion but not from a religious stance as for example Fordham University.
But my point was that these colleges, that do not take federal money even for their students, will be forced to pay for birth control and sterilization. This was in response to your assertion that the Church shouldn’t take federal money if they don’t want to play by federal rules. My response was to demonstrate that the Obama administration’s fascism makes no exceptions for anyone. And, BTW, federal money does not belong to the federal government — they took it out of the pockets of Americans. They have no right to strip us of our right to practice our religion in order to get the money back that we gave them in the first place.
Tony
June 15, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Hillsdale and Grove City, a truly Conservative College may have objections to supplying contraception and abortion but not from a religious stance as for example Fordham University.
Ouch, did I say Hillsdale and Grove City in the same breath as “liberl” Forhdam, Ooops, my bad.
It is all about MONEY. The administration is not saying the Church can’t practice it’s religion. It is saying, if you want and take this govenment money you must provide contraception and the like to women.
If you don’t take the money you can do whatever you want.
Go, Bishops, go!