Cardinal George praised the Mormons for their work with Catholics to protect the conscience rights of health care providers and institutions that do not want to participate in abortion or assisted suicide and to defend marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
"When the government fails to protect the consciences of its citizens, it falls to religious bodies to defend them," he said.
True religious freedom means not just freedom to worship or "individual conscience rights as long as you don't make anyone unhappy," but the right to "influence the public square," he added.
The cardinal said Catholics and Mormons shared not only a common understanding of religious freedom, but the common experience of growing from a small, sometimes persecuted religious minority to larger communities of 67 million U.S. Catholics and about 6 million U.S. Mormons today.
"Both our communities have prospered in a nation that respects religious freedom and recognizes that government should never stand between its citizens and almighty God," he said.
Catholics and Mormons also have stood side by side in efforts against "the degradations associated with pornography" and in promoting "respect for the lives of those waiting to be born and respect for marriage," he added.
http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=11512
If Cardinal George's statements upset you regarding the efforts of Catholics and Mormons to work together on social issues, please explain why. Otherwise, I would appreciate your not hijacking the thread.