Posted on 03/08/2012 2:13:03 PM PST by NYer
March 8, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) White House staff members have told U.S. bishops that the administration will not consider further revision of the mandate forcing religious employers to pay for birth control, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs, and that the religious leaders should listen to “enlightened” Catholics who accept the president’s terms, reports Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
In a letter sent to fellow Bishops last week, the New York archbishop revealed some of what had transpired in a recent meeting involving staff members from the White House and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
“Our staff members asked directly whether the broader concerns of religious freedom – that is, revisiting the strait-jacketing mandates, or broadening the maligned exemption – are all off the table. They were informed that they are,” wrote the cardinal, who is the current president of the USCCB.
According to the letter, White House staff also exhorted the USCCB to “listen to the ‘enlightened’ voices of accommodation,” and cited a recent editorial in the liberal Catholic publication America which lauded Obama’s revised mandate.
The March 5th editorial had claimed that the “compromise,” which has been rejected by Church officials as insufficient, “fundamentally did what Catholic social teaching expects government to do.”
Dolan lambasted the White House’s mention of the editorial, accusing the Administration of “nominat[ing] its own handpicked official Catholic teachers.”
With the President refusing to budge, the cardinal indicated that Church officials would be looking in the direction of legislative and judicial remedies. And while an attempt to nullify the mandate by adding a conscience protection amendment to the federal health care law was recently defeated in the Senate, Dolan said that the bishops’ commitment to a legislative remedy “remains strong.”
However, he added, the courts may “offer the most light.” The letter cited the recent Hosanna-Tabor Supreme Court ruling which held that churches were exempt from employee discrimination laws when choosing their religious leaders, a ruling Dolan called “a dramatic rebuff to the administration.”
“Our bishops’ conference, many individual religious entities, and other people of good will are working with some top-notch law firms who feel so strongly about this that they will represent us pro-bono. In the upcoming days, you will hear much more about this encouraging and welcome development,” the cardinal wrote.
“Some, like America magazine, want us to cave-in and stop fighting, saying this is simply a policy issue,” he said, adding that the Bishops were committed to “tirelessly defend the timeless and enduring truth of religious freedom.”
America is a national weekly magazine published by the American Jesuits .... enough said. St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for them!
Enlightened Catholic = non-Catholic. Period.
that the religious leaders should listen to “enlightened” Catholics who accept the president’s terms, reports Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Well its is likely Satan accepts the president’s terms. I doubt the religious leader will listen based on that either.
“Enlightened” = “Fallen Away and Don’t Really Give A Rip”
When this White House talks about “enlightened” anyone, they are talking about those who have come around to Lucifer’s thinking, evolution, humanism, and throwaway values. They aren’t talking about the intellectualism of high conscience.
Catholic Bishops PROMOTED Obamacare...getting what they deserve.
About time they stood up and acted like men as well as Bishops.
The Church should flex it’s muscle by ex-communicating a few CINO politicians. I would start with the biggest mouth first.
Doesn’t the commie Chinese government maintain its own “Catholic” church, complete with government approved priests and bishops?
Enlightened = agrees with Barry
“Enlightened” = set the broiler on “deep fat fry” in the hereafter.
The Catholic Bishops did indeed promote Obamacare and indeed they did get stung.
They had no idea what they were promoting, and who would have thought that Catholics in Government would back Obama instead of Jesus Christ.It shows how sick these politicians are that they sell their soul to this hybrid Satan’s accomplice.
I too believe it is time the Bishops started playing hard ball. Star telling these Apostate catholics that they can no longer receive the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, since the do not bvelieve the teachings of the Catholic Church and would rather stand behind this Muslim Devil.
You can ALWAYS find a useful idiot somewhere to parrot lib propaganda.
Especially when the media DOESN’T DARE to ask the obvious questions.
Unless the statement is about GAYS, of course.
Hear James Madison, the "father" of the Constitution:
"Although all men are born free, slavery has been the general lot of the human race. Ignorant—they have been cheated; asleep—they have been surprised; divided—the yoke has been forced upon them. But what is the lesson? ... the people ought to be enlightened, to be awakened, to be united, that after establishing a government, they should watch over it ... It is universally admitted that a well-instructed people alone can be permanently free."
This isn’t an anti-Catholic stance, however, I find it hypocritical that Catholics are up in arms over this. Let me explain: First of all they vote in droves for the Democratic party, which is the party of pro-abortion, then they overwhelmingly support Romney, who also was pro-abortion. So, what’s their problem? Of course, we know this is an attack on the 1st Amendment, but, I’m just making some logical observations here.
Agreed. The Bishops appear to have out smarted themselves.
No compromising with Obama. Just as well, since he’s proven himself to be a double-crosser and a president who exhibits utter contempt for the First Amendment.
Time for USCCB to sue. And no more initiatives to make compromises with snakes in future.
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