Posted on 11/16/2012 2:51:21 PM PST by NYer
BALTIMORE, November 16, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The head of America’s Catholic bishops’ conference declared Tuesday that the Catholic Church will “not obey” the Obama administration’s HHS mandate, a policy he classified as “immoral.”
The mandate, which takes effect in eight months, forces employers to cover sterilizations, contraception, and abortifacient medications. Although churches themselves are exempt the mandate applies to religiously affiliated institutions such as hospitals, colleges, charities, and social service agencies.
Asked if the Church is prepared to close its hospitals and other agencies, or instead pay the exorbitant fines levied for non-compliance, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said, “The only thing we’re certainly prepared to do is not give in, not violate our consciences, and not obey what we consider to be something immoral.”
“How we do that and what doors would remain open to us to see if there’s some way consonant with our high moral principles to be able to do it, that’s something we’ve got to start to tackle…and we’re prepared to tackle,” added Dolan, who serves as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The prelate noted that the Church had taken “a bit of a breather” on the issue before election day because the result “could have changed the playing field.” But in the end, he said, “it didn’t.”
Obama’s Republican challenger Mitt Romney had pledged to overturn the mandate within days of taking office.
“We better get back to work and decide just what we’re going to do,” said Dolan. “No door is closed except the door to capitulation.”
Cardinal Dolan was speaking a day after Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore had pledged that the bishops were prepared for a “long-term” fight for religious freedom in his address as head of the U.S. Bishops’ religious liberty campaign.
Commenting in the wake of Obama’s re-election, Lori said, “In the short- to mid-term … the political landscape is the same, but so also is the resolve to eliminate the HHS mandate and most especially the four-part definition that it contains of what constitutes religious activity such that a church or a church institution could qualify for an exemption.”
That four-part definition “draws lines in our mission where we do not draw them,” he said.
Asked in a follow-up press conference whether the bishops would be willing to shift their position on the mandate, he said, “As it stands certainly we would not be able to live with it.”
“I think as this evolves, as the rule making process gets a little more clear and as we study this and monitor it, as we see how the court cases are proceeding, then our range of options will probably become a little more clear,” he added.
I do not understand how one can claim to be Catholic, yet support any part of this administration.
Donchano it’s okay to glorify a baby killer if you need to raise money
Pop Culture Presidency (what impact does personality have on the electorate)
Catholics and Evangelicals: Past, Present, and Future
Green Bay Diocese's Tax Status Challenged After Bishop's Voting Letter
Washington Bishops Seek Stronger Catechesis After Same-sex Marriage Vote
Following the Truth: One Way To Be Sure You’re Following God’s Will… [Catholic & Open]
“Hitting Bottom” – Matt Archbold lays it out (Must Read!)
How the Faithful Voted: 2012 Preliminary Analysis [Evang. up; other Prot. + white Catholics down]
Religiously unaffiliated make up largest segment of Obama supporters
Obama’s collision with the Catholic Church is 'assured,' Fr. Pavone says
Obama's Re-Election Sets up Two-Pronged Crisis for Church
Romney’s Fans in the Vatican
U.S.: Catholics Split Fifty Fifty Between Republicans and Democrats
Election Reflection for Warrior Catholics
Obama won Catholic vote, regular churchgoers chose Romney
Difficult Days Ahead for the Church?
Direction for Our Time
Catholic Conservatives and the Obama’s re-election
Obama wins with the Catholic vote
Difficult Days Ahead for the Church?
The Religious Right is Dead
Shocking. What diocese was this?
What diocese was that?
San Diego, he says.
I believe it. Bishop Robert Brom is a disaster.
http://usccb.org/news/2012/12-119.cfm
The USCCB is an enemy of human life, human liberty, the Catholic Church, civil society, and the U.S. Constitution. All right-thinking Catholics should declare war on this evil institution, and petition Rome to abolish it.
The Catholic church will crumble and do whatever Obama’s HHS says
_______________________________
You are quite wrong about this. They ARE prepared to either close or sell hospitals, schools, etc.
His name was put forth by some younger Bishops when it came time to elect a new President of the Bishop’s conference, and he was voted in, with WAY more votes than the candidate who was preferred by the more liberal Bishops...
_________________________________________
Thank you for posting this. It’s nice to see facts rather than knee-jerk reactions. One wonders how often the loudest critics actually pray for their bishops and clergy.
We will ALL have to give an account to the Almighty eventually.
;-/
I just found on line the voting guide published by the diocese of San Diego. It was actually pretty decent. I might say “excellent” if I could trust pastors to place it into context better; indeed the bulletin I found it in contained a pastoral sabotage of its message. While I fault it for allowing people to get get muddled into prudential issues, it plainly asserted that no Catholic can vote for a pro-abortion candidate over a pro-life one. The top issues were Pro-Life, Defense of Marriage, and Religious Liberty. It even had a discussion of subsidiarity and solidarity, discussing poverty relief in terms of job creation, not just government handouts.
I just found on line the voting guide published by the diocese of San Diego. It was actually pretty decent. I might say “excellent” if I could trust pastors to place it into context better; indeed the bulletin I found it in contained a pastoral sabotage of its message. While I fault it for allowing people to get get muddled into prudential issues, it plainly asserted that no Catholic can vote for a pro-abortion candidate over a pro-life one. The top issues were Pro-Life, Defense of Marriage, and Religious Liberty. It even had a discussion of subsidiarity and solidarity, discussing poverty relief in terms of job creation, not just government handouts.
The current Catholic leadership has a great record of gearing up for a fight after the battle is over.
Link to the bulletin?
Here in north Jersey our material was pro-life, anti-ObamaCare, but still included the social justice BS - just ambiguous enough so a “Catholic” could claim the moral high ground by voting for Obama.
Obama won a lot of “Catholic” votes in NJ.
That wasn’t it, but I’m sure it was a major source.
This is it, and you’ll see what I mean by that particular pastor undermining it. Also, the ugliest church I’ve ever seen:
http://www.stmoside.org/pdf/weekly_bulletins/STMoside20121007.pdf
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.