Posted on 09/29/2013 10:18:18 PM PDT by Olog-hai
The Catholic bishops of the United States have sent a last-ditch letter to members of the House and Senate asking them to protect the religious liberty of American Catholics, which is under attack by the Obama administration.
Specifically, the bishops are asking Congress to use the continuing resolution that must be enacted to keep the federal government funded after midnight on Monday—or otherwise use the bill that will be needed by mid-October to increase the legal limit on the federal debt—to prohibit the effects of an Obamacare regulation that force Catholics to act against their faith.
Under this regulation, many Catholics will quite literally be denied the right to live according to their faith so long as they live in the United States. …
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
A quid pro quo ought to be: full support for conservative efforts to repeal this monstrosity, not just for your narrow interests but in its entirety.
Source?
Conservatism is taking responsibility for ones own actions. Something apparently not a requirement in Catholic dogma, it is always somebody else that caused the ‘sin’.
Good luck with that. Catholics aren’t a protected class like muzzies.
US Bishops have never voiced ANY OPPOSITION to socialized medicine. They have been strongly in favor of it EVERY TIME it has EVER been proposed. It's part of the "preferential option for the poor." (read: socialism.) All they want is for contraception and abortion to be left out of it. In other words: "our special pleading should matter, but liberty and sound economics shouldn't."
Read these two articles -- among many -- and weep.
catholic-bishops-lobby-for-obamacare-amnesty-for-illegals
http://seeingredaz.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/church-leaders-who-supported-obamacare-now-outraged/
Look it up.
It’s true. The USCCB often pointed out that they had been supporting nationalized, socialize medicine for eighty years.
Dolan’s letter last year to Obama, complaining about the HHS Abortion Mandate, repeated that the USCCB still supports Obamacare.
How dare you blame the rest of us for the actions of an apostate, whatever she calls herself?
As you judge, so shall ye be judged.
Or are you just looking for someone to blame? Where were you?
Does the US constitution only apply to conservative voters ?
Should religious freedom not be protected for all citizens not just the ones that vote the way we think they should ?
Urge our elected officials to, among other things, support religious freedom for all americans.
And yet you are clueless as the reality of what the powers that be within your religion are literally doing? Are you unaware the former pope was all about 'universal health care, fancy way of renaming socialized healthcare?
How dare you blame the rest of us for the actions of an apostate, whatever she calls herself?
she did nothing that did not get approved by the majority! Only now has word filtered down and out that she has a problem. This abomination called 'healthcare' is that old dead lion of the Senate that got a saint's burial, Teddy Kennedy's revenge. Deal with it.
As you judge, so shall ye be judged.
Pot meet kettle!
Or are you just looking for someone to blame? Where were you?
I have been planting seeds of truth, and it is not my business if the 'soil' is or is not fertile. Only God through Christ saves. And yet I am among the millions of Americans that must suffer through the religion of socialism.
Hey these socialists got their control over OUR healthcare, they have moved on to their next agenda make saints out of illegals. Deal with it.
Conservatives are the only voters that give a hoot about the Constitution. The government ...'we the people', are not given authority to enforce religion. It was this bunch that did not seem to mind when Nanny the RED said we would have to pass the legislation to find out what was in it. They put their faith in the wrong place.
Now there is religion, and then there is reality. Reality is whacking US across our nose with continuous blows.
Urge your churchmen to, among other things, show support for the entire Constitution, and not just the one tiny phrase that protects their special carve-out.
So to be clear you do not think congress should enact laws to protect religious freedom if that freedom protects catholics ?
Congress is US, they in majority were elected to do exactly what they are doing. Well, except those that helped them get elected thought they were entitled to get 'freebies', even if the rest of US got screwed.
Despite the bishops‟ consistent advocacy, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law did not incorporate the three moral criteria the bishops had identified. However, though the bishops ultimately opposed the new law, they recognized the good present in the bill and look forward to advocating future legislation that incorporates the three moral criteria necessary for authentic life-giving health care reform.
So, it would not be accurate to state the Bishops supported the act as passed, only the idea of expanding coverage for poor, especially children.
That in no way implies a break with Church Doctrine on the issues of Abortion nor Contraception, as other posters have implied.
Certainly, no one here wants sick and dying children to be denied access to health care, but the issue of Obamacare has never been providing health care, rather, one of control, economic redistribution, and forcing (some) people to pay for procedures or pharma to which they have a distinct moral objection.
That the White House closeted crypto-Muslim would push such is no surprise, and while Nancy Pelosi, (the late) Teddy Kennedy, and others may claim what they will, that does not make them so. Neither is a spokesperson for the Catholic Church.
With a hat-tip to Salvation:
Updated: *153* Bishops (Over 80% of Dioceses) Have Spoken Out Against Obama/HHS Mandate
In the past I’ve compiled a list of all the bishops speaking out on a particular controversial issue (for instance, over Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama) — here are the bishops who have spoken out against the Obama/HHS mandate.
[See my ongoing coverage of Obama/HHS's war against religious liberty here, here, here and most recently here. I'm also tweeting more updates @AmericanPapist.]
If I have missed anyone please let me know in the comments! And please double-check that your bishop really is not there before posting. The list is not in any particular order at this point.
Items in bold mean the statement was read at all diocesan Masses or included in all parish bulletins on Sunday:
- Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, CA (Emeritus)
- 1. Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York City, NY
- 2. Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, TX
- 3. Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, MO
- 4. Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ
- 5. Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, MI
- 6. Archbishop John Nienstedt of Saint Paul & Minneapolis, MN
- 7. Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, WI
- 8. Bishop Paul Etienne of Cheyenne, WY
- 9. Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, CT
- 10. Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, IL
- 11. Cardinal-designate Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore, MD
- 12. Bishop Felipe Estevez of Saint Augustine, FL
- 13. Bishop James Conley of Denver, CO
- 14. Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, IL
- 15. Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh, PA (Twice!)
- 16. Bishop Walker Nickless of Sioux City, IA
- 17. Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, VA
- 18. Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee, WI
- 29. Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth, TX
- 20. Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, TX
- 21. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati, OH
- 22. Bishop William Medley of Owensboro, KY
- 23. Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, GA
- 24. Bishop Peter Libasci of Manchester, NH
- 25. Bishop Frederick Campbell of Columbus, OH
- 26. Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, ME
- 27. Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock, AR
- 28. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, OK
- 29. Bishop Patrick McGrath of San Jose, CA
- 30. Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, PA
- 31. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, FL (also apostolic administrator of Pensacola-Tallahasee, FL)
- 32. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angelas, CA
- 33. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, TX
- 34. Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, OH
- 35. Donald Cardinal Wuerl of Washington, DC
- 36. Bishop Patrick Zurek of Amarillo, TX
- 37. Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
- 38. Bishop William Callahan of La Crosse, WI
- 39. Archbishop John Myers of Newark, NJ
- 40. Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord, MI
- 41. Bishop David O’Connell of Trenton, NJ
- 42. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, NE
- 43. Bishop Michael Mulvey of Corpus Christi, TX
- 44. Archbishop Timothy Broglio of Military Services, USA
- 45. Sean Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, MA
- 46. Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, WI
- 47. Bishop Richard Lennon of Cleveland, OH
- 48. Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, LA
- 49. Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, MI
- 50. Bishop Michael Burbidge of Raleigh, NC
- 51. Bishop Walter Hurley of Grand Rapids, MI
- 52. Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, IL
- 53. Bishop Francis Malooly of Wilmington, DE
- 54. Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte, NC
- 55. Bishop Francis DiLorenzo of Richmond, VA
- 56. Archbishop Roger Schwietz of Anchorage, AK
- 57. Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND
- 58. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tuscon, AZ
- 59. Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge, LA
- 60. Bishop Sam Jacobs of Houma-Thibodaux, LA
- 61. Bishop Michael Jarrell of Lafayette, LA
- 62. Bishop Ronald Herzog of Alexandria, LA
- 63. Bishop Glen Provost of Lake Charles, LA
- 64. Bishop Michael Duca of Shreveport, LA
- 65. Bishop Dale Melczek of Gary, IN
- 66. Bishop Michael Jackels of Wichita, KS
- 67. Bishop Peter Christensen of Superior, WI
- 68. Bishop John Noonan of Orlando, FL
- 69. Bishop Gregory Hartmayer of Savannah, GA
- 70. Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, CA
- 71. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, PA
- 72. Bishop Michael Driscoll of Boise, ID
- 73. Bishop Robert Cunningham of Syracuse, NY
- 74. Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck, ND
- 75. Bishop Paul Bradley of Kalamazoo, MI
- 76. Bishop Placido Rodriguez of Lubbock, TX
- 77. Archbishop John Vlazny of Portland, OR
- 78. Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg, PA
- 79. Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center, NY
- 80. Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs, CO
- 81. Bishop Timothy McDonnell of Springfield, MA
- 82. Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, FL
- 83. Archbishop Henry Mansell of Hartford, CT
- 84. Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, NM
- 85. Bishop Robert Gruss of Rapid City, SD
- 86. Bishop Gerald Barbarito of Palm Beach, FL
- 87. Bishop Michael Cote of Norwich, CT
- 88. Bishop Edward Kmiec of Buffalo, NY
- 89. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, KS
- 90. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, KY
- 91. Bishop Roger Foys of Covington, KY
- 92. Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm, MN
- 93. Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernadino, CA
- 94. Bishop Terry LaValley of Ogdensburg, NY
- 95. Bishop Salvatore Matano of Burlington, VT
- 96. Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle, WA
- 97. Bishop Martin Amos of Davenport, IA
- 98. Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, NE
- 99. Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau, AK
- 100. Bishop John Quinn on Winona, MN
- 101. Bishop Joseph Cistone of Saginaw, MI
- 102. Bishop John Gaydos of Jefferson City, MO
- 103. Bishop Daniel Conlon of Joliet, IL
- 104. Bishop Robert Guglielmone of Charleston, SC
- 105. Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, FL
- 106. Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, IA
- 107. Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, MA
- 108. Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo, TX
- 109. Bishop John Kudrick, Eparchy of Parma, OH
- 110. Bishop John Barres of Allentown, PA
- 111. Bishop Ronald Gainer of Lexington, KY (better link needed)
- 112. Bishop Lawrence Brandt of Greensburg, PA
- 113. Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, WA
- 114. Bishop Gerald Dino, Eparchy of Phoenix, AZ
- 115. Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, OH
- 116. Bishop Richard Seminack, Eparchy of Chicago, IL
- 117. Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, MI
- 118. Bishop Tod Brown of Orange, CA
- 119. Bishop James Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO
- 120. Bishop James Wall of Gallup, NM (better link needed)
- 121. Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, NJ
- 122. Bishop Matthew Clark of Rochester, NY
- 123. Bishop Fernando Isern of Pueblo, CO
- 124. Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, TN
- 125. Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, WV
- 126. Archbishop Jerome Hanus of Dubuque, IA
- 127. Bishop Robert Brom of San Diego, CA (forthcoming, I am told)
- 128. Bishop David Choby of Nashville, TN (forthcoming, I am told)
- 129. Bishop Armando Ochoa of Fresno, CA (also apostolic administrator of El Paso, TX)
- 130. Archbishop-elect William Skurla, Eparchy of Pittsburgh (better link needed)
- 131. Bishop Paul Swain of Sioux Falls, SD
- 132. Bishop Joseph Galante of Camden, NJ
- 133. Bishop George Coleman of Fall River, MA
- 134. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio, TX
- Monsignor Kurt Kemo (apostolic administrator) of Steubenville, OH
- Father Barry Brinkman (apostolic administrator) of Salina, KS
- 135. Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis, TN
- Bishop William Skystad (apostolic administrator) of Baker, OR
- 136. Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, MO
- 137. Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, CA
- 138. Bishop George Thomas of Helena, MT (forthcoming)
- 139. Bishop Edward Braxton of Belleville, IL (forthcoming)
- 140. Bishop Timothy Doherty of Lafayette, IN
- 141. Bishop Michael Warfel of Great Falls-Billings, MT
- 142. Bishop Michael Pfeifer of San Angelo, TX
- Edward Cardinal Egan of New York City, NY (Emeritus)
- 143. Bishop William Dendinger of Grand Island, NE (forthcoming)
- 144. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, RI
- 145. Bishop Curtis Guillory of Beaumont, TX (forthcoming)
- 146. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, TX
- 147. Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, OK
- 148. Bishop Mark Bartchak of Altoona-Johnstown, PA
- 149. Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, ID
- 150. Bishop Joseph Pepe of Los Vegas, NV
- 151. Bishop Randolph Cavo of Reno, NV
- Bishop Alvaro Corrada (apostolic administrator) of Tyler, TX
- 152. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, NY
- 153. Bishop Charles Thompson of Evansville, IN
SPECIAL MENTION: “The Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in North America just issued a formal statement of protest against the HHS mandate in which the Assembly, representing all 53 Orthodox bishops in North America, references their complete agreement with the statements of the USCCB.”
THANK YOU to everyone who has helped me build and correct this list.
NOTE: If you would like a statement by an Eastern Rite bishop to be included please send me the link/document or post it in the comments! Thank you. I’m trying to provide documentation for all the bishops listed and Eastern Rite bishops have been harder for me to track down. Thank you for understanding!
UPDATE: Of the 183 dioceses (by my count) in the U.S. who have a bishop currently serving as its head, 155 of them have issued statements. So over 80% of bishops who head dioceses have spoken out against the Obama/HHS mandate.
From, Joint Statement on Health Care Reform by Abp Naumann, Bishop Finn:
I. The Principle of Subsidiarity: Preamble to the Work of Reform
This notion that health care ought to be determined at the lowest level rather than at the higher strata of society, has been promoted by the Church as “subsidiarity.” Subsidiarity is that principle by which we respect the inherent dignity and freedom of the individual by never doing for others what they can do for themselves and thus enabling individuals to have the most possible discretion in the affairs of their lives. (See: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, ## 185ff.; Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1883) The writings of recent Popes have warned that the neglect of subsidiarity can lead to an excessive centralization of human services, which in turn leads to excessive costs, and loss of personal responsibility and quality of care.
Pope John Paul II wrote: “By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.” (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus #48)
And Pope Benedict writes: “The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person -every person -needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3) - a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est #28)
While subsidiarity is vital to the structure of justice, we can see from what the Popes say that it rests on a more fundamental principal, the unchanging dignity of the person. The belief in the innate value of human life and the transcendent dignity of the human person must be the primordial driving force of reform efforts.
Also see, Health Care Principles [Bishop Samuel Aquila, Fargo, ND]
Also see, ObamaCare and Catholic social teaching (Bishop R. Walker Nickless)
Also, call your senators and sign dontfundit.com, and get a few friends to do the same.
No they weren’t behind Obama care. They were stauchly against it because it funded abortions. Plese catch up on the facts before lambasting the Catholic Church. Do you want to see my very, very, very long list of links that verify this?
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