On the HHS Mandate - Archbishop Jose Gomez - 2 of 2

On the HHS Mandate- Archbishop Jose Gomez - 2 of 2
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegoneblogspot.com – Saturday, February 11, 2012

And more and more, Church agencies are now treated as if they are arms of the government. Increasingly, these agencies are expected to serve and submit to the government’s agendas and priorities.

None of this is good for our democracies or our individual liberties.

America’s founders knew that a strong civil society and flourishing faith communities are our last best protection against tyranny – against government becoming too big and all-powerful and all-controlling in our lives.

That this why this new mandate has struck such a nerve – not only with Catholics and other believers, but also with millions of our fellow citizens.

People are realizing that if the government denies our fundamental freedom to hold religious beliefs and to order our lives according to these beliefs, then there is no real freedom for anyone.

This new mandate moves us closer to what Pope Benedict XVI warned against in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (“God is Love”): “The state which would provide everything into itself … a state which regulates and controls everything.”

When I first wrote about this new mandate two weeks ago, I said this is a time for Catholic action and Catholic voices. This is still the time.

We need to defend our rights as Catholics. Not only to pray and worship. But also to be able to express our faith through our Catholic institutions and to make our own contribution to the decisions that affect the common good and future of our society.

We also need to help our political leaders understand what is at stake in this debate. My brother bishops and I in the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops are supporting legislation that would rescind this unjust policy.

For more information and take action, visit the U.S. bishops’ website: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

Let’s pray for another this week. And let’s ask Mary Immaculate, Patroness of the United States, to pray for our country.
Follow Archbishop Gomez at: www.facebook.com/ArchbishopGomez