I (Cardinal Timothy Dolan) Owe You an Update!

I (Cardinal Timothy Dolan) Owe You an Update
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegoneblogspot.com – Monday, March 5, 2012

Ref. the Cardinal’s website http://blog.archny - March 3, 2012

“Over the last six months or so, the Catholic Church in the United States has found itself in some tension with executive branch of the federal government over a very grave issue: religious freedom. Can a government bureau, in this case the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), define for us or any faith community what is ministry and how it can be exercised? Can government also coerce the church to violate its conscience?

“This has not been a fight of our choosing. We’d rather not be in it… The Catholic Church in America has a long tradition of partnership with government and the wider community in the service of the sick, our children, our elders, and the poor at home and abroad. We’d sure rather be partnering than punching…

“And it is not just about sterilization, abortifacients, and chemical contraception. Pure and simple, it’s about religious freedom, the sacred right, protected by our constitution, of any Church to define its own teaching and ministry.

“When the President announced on January 20th that the choking mandates from HHS would remain – a shock to me, since he had personally assured me that he would do nothing to impede the good work of the Church in health care, education, and charity, and that he considered the protection of conscience a sacred duty – not only you, but men and women of every faith, or none at all, rallied in protest. The worry that we bishops had expressed – that such government control was contrary to our deepest political values – was eloquently articulated by constitutional scholars and leaders of every creed. Even newspapers editorials supported us! … Well, for one, we’ll keep up advocacy and education on the issue…

“The White House already notified Congress that the dreaded mandates are now published in the Federal Registry “without change.” The Secretary of HHS is widely quoted as saying, “Religious insurance companies don’t really design the plans they sell based on their own religious tenets,” which doesn’t bode well for a truly acceptable “accommodation.” And a recent meeting between staff and the bishops’ conference and the White House staff ended with the President’s people informing us that the broader concerns of religious freedom – that is, revisiting the straight-jacketing mandates, or broadening the maligned exemption – are all off the table…

“Congress offers more hope, with thoughtful elected officials proposing legislation to protect what should be so obvious: religious freedom… And the courts offer the most light. In the recent Hosanna-Tabor ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously and enthusiastically defended the right of the Church to define its own ministry and services, a dramatic rebuff to the administration…”

George H. Kubeck – Pray that the U.S. Jesuit Order will support the Bishops and the First Amendment to the Constitution.