Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson on Religious Liberty # 3 of 6

Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson on Religious Liberty # 3 of 6

The relentless pursuit of the truth - www.cinopsbegoneblogspot.com - Sat. May 19/12

This is part 3 of Carl’s Address to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. April 19, 2012
“Similarly, the HHS mandate allows only the narrowest exemption for religious institutions. The exemption exists only for institutions that, among other things, hire and serve only members of their own faith.

“As Cardinal Daniel DiNardo put it: Jesus himself, or the Good Samaritan … would not qualify as ‘religious enough’ for the exemption, since they insisted on helping people who did not share their view of God. Christians are called to reach beyond their own denominations in teaching ‘all nations,’ considering everyone their “neighbor”, and doing “good to those who hate” them. So in a country where three quarters of the population professes to be a Christian, the administration insists upon a religious exemption that Christ himself cannot meet.

“In the Hosanna-Tabor case, the Administration sought to impose a new definition of ministry so narrow that ministers didn’t fit. In its HHS mandate, the Administration insists on an exemption so narrow that organizations can qualify only by violating the teaching of their church. Consider if the administration’s view in the Hosanna-Tabor case prevailed.

“Churches and religious organizations would have found themselves at the mercy of what the Supreme Court unanimously characterized as “government interference with an internal church that affects the faith and mission of the church itself.

“Precisely the same can be said of the HHS mandate. A Government willing to affect the faith and mission of the church is a government willing to change the identity of the church. And what can we expect in the future.

“The National Right to Life Committee makes a compelling case that the Obama Administration’s “accommodation” for the HHS mandate - if accepted - paves the way for mandated coverage of “abortion on demand.” But if the HHS mandate and the Hosanna-Tabor case have been among the most egregious assaults on religious liberty, they are not the only ones.

“Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services denied funding of the Catholic Church’s work with victims of human trafficking. The Conference of Catholic Bishops had successfully administered the program for five years, but after the ACLU filed suit demanding that the program refer women for abortions and contraception, HHS restructured the program. As a result, highly qualified providers such as the Catholic Church are now barred from the program because they cannot, in good conscience, provide what HHS calls the “full range” of reproductive services - namely abortion and contraception.

“Once again the Administration’s logic is consistent: faith-based groups may apply only if their “faith mission” are acceptable to the government”..

George H. Kubeck, What do you think? At this point, this talk so far should be read not only to members of the Knights of Columbus but to the whole parish. And with your help it will be.