US Bishops Decry ‘Illegal and Unjust’ HHS Mandate, Call for Prayer and Penance

Catholic Culture ^ | 3/15/12

[marshmallow]

Decrying the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate as “a mandate to act against our teachings” and “a violation of personal civil rights,” the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement calling upon “the Catholic faithful, and all people of faith, throughout our country to join us in prayer and penance for our leaders and for the complete protection of our First Freedom--religious liberty.”

“The Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, gathered for its March 2012 meeting, is strongly unified and intensely focused in its opposition to the various threats to religious freedom in our day,” the statement began. “To address the broader range of religious liberty issues, we look forward to the upcoming publication of ‘A Statement on Religious Liberty,’ a document of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. This document reflects on the history of religious liberty in our great Nation; surveys the current range of threats to this foundational principle; and states clearly the resolve of the Bishops to act strongly, in concert with our fellow citizens, in its defense.”

“One particular religious freedom issue demands our immediate attention: the now-finalized rule of the US Department of Health and Human Services that would force virtually all private health plans nationwide to provide coverage of sterilization and contraception--including abortifacient drugs--subject to an exemption for ‘religious employers’ that is arbitrarily narrow, and to an unspecified and dubious future ‘accommodation’ for other religious organizations that are denied the exemption,” the bishops continued.

After thanking “all who have stood firmly with us in our vigorous opposition to this unjust and illegal mandate,” the bishops stated that

we wish to clarify what this debate is—and is not—about. This is not about access to contraception, which is ubiquitous..........

[OpusatFR]

1 Kings
Chapter 19
1
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done—that he had put all the prophets to the sword.
2
Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said, “May the gods do thus and so to me if by this time tomorrow I have not done with your life what was done to each of them.”
3
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life, going to Beer-sheba of Judah. He left his servant there
4
and went a day’s journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death: “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
5
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
6
He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
7
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and ordered, “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
8
He got up, ate and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
9
There he came to a cave, where he took shelter. But the word of the LORD came to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
10
He answered: “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
11
1 Then the LORD said, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12
After the earthquake there was fire—but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
13
When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”

It takes prayer and penance to hear that tiny whispering sound. It means to humble yourself before God.

[HChampagne]

I hope that the good bishops finally realize that liberal left wing programs are nothing more than destroyers of true values. They, the bishops, have been supporting them for years.

[sitetest]

The greatest, most valuable penance most of our bishops could do would be to resign and get themselves to cloistered monasteries, to live out their lives in silent prayer and repentance.

[Cicero]

All my life, I’ve been asked to pray at Mass for our leaders, that God will guide and inform them. If a leader is bad, maybe God will help him see the light.

Now, I prefer to pray that God will guide, protect, and convert our country. Frankly, even if God threw Obama down from his horse and appeared to him as a brilliant figure of light, I doubt whether Obama would even notice.

So, maybe we should pray for our country, instead. Just a thought.

[SaxxonWoods]

The Church must declare that no funds will be paid for contraceptives, period.

Let the festivities begin.