Catholic Bishop Lynch vows to thwart health care law

St. Petersburg Times ^ | Dec. 1, 2011 | John Barry

[The Barrister]

TAMPA — The servants of the Lord wore red as always, and the servants of the law wore pinstripes. But the annual Red Mass for Tampa's legal community struck a new chord of civil disobedience.

Bishop Robert Lynch, leader of nearly a half-million Tampa Bay Catholics, surprised two dozen judges and 300 lawyers Wednesday by promising to thwart the federal health care law. It was a departure from his traditional homilies on the virtues of judicial wisdom.

If draft regulations aren't changed, Lynch said, the Diocese of St. Petersburg will no longer provide health insurance for its 2,300 employees.

Instead, he said, diocesan employees would be paid a cash sum and told to find their own insurance. The health care law, expected to be in full force by 2014, allows that.

"I'm extremely uncomfortable with even thinking of such a thing," Lynch said, speaking at the noon Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa.

But he said the church is at a "moment of history" in which it must take a stand for "religious liberty and individual moral conscience."

[frogjerk]

Religious liberty was the reason this land was founded.

[marshmallow]

This is quite something from a man whom I've come to regard as the worst Catholic bishop in the US and he has some extremely tough competition for that award.

There are numerous examples of his pastoral ineptitude and weakness but one of his most underwhelming achievements was his abysmal behavior and lack of moral courage during the Terri Schiavo horror.

[SumProVita]

“Religious liberty was the reason this land was founded.”

That is absolutely true!

[madprof98]

Lynch is really bad news. For him to say this is nothing short of incredible.

[SumProVita]

Perhaps people have been praying for him.

;-)

[goodwithagun]

My husband's grandfather attended church in the Tampa/Bradenton area. When he died his services were at the church, and his ashes were buried in the memorial garden there. That is where my husband's grandmother's ashes had been buried a few years before. John's last request was to have “Anchors Away” played for his recessional. He was after all a Pearl Harbor survivor. The priest had no problem with this, but later called my in-laws with sad news. The organist and music director refused. We had to get special permission from the bishop to get the song played. However, at the end of the services the organist kept playing up in the loft and would not let us play “Anchors Away.” My husband went up to the loft to discover that the door was locked and neither the organist nor music director would open it. We found out later they were prepared to play the organ for an hour if need be to prevent “Anchors Away” from being played as the recessional. Everyone was in tears at the atrocity. After a very angry campaign to get the two fired, it was discovered that the music director and the organist had a homosexual relationship and voluntarily left the church.

[John123]

The organist and music director refused.

What did they have against 'Anchors Aweigh?'

[goodwithagun]

In a strange twist of irony the gay duo did not think it appropriate for church, Pearl Harbor survivor or not.

[Jeff Chandler]

Religious liberty was the reason this land was founded.

If you mean the Pilgrims, then no, it wasn't.

Real Pilgrims Sought Purity, Not Tolerance or Diversity

[married21]

Probably it was because it was pro-military, pro-patriotism.

[veritas2002]

That’s a very good start for this VERY liberal bishop.

Next he should begin hiring only practicing Roman Catholics to work for the Church which should be a ministry in itself and rightfully be carried out by those belonging to the Church.

Every diocesan job ought to be an expression of evangelization. How can a non-Catholic evangelize the Catholic faith?????

[livius]

Well, this sure surprises me, since he was one of the main supporters of the death of Terri Schiavo. He even forbade priests from his diocese to give her Communion or get involved in any way in her case.

He’s also known as “Bishop Speedo” for certain other indiscretions, as well as some legal settlements his prior diocese had to make on his behalf.

But you never know. Maybe God hit him upside the head after the Schivo affair.

I remember reading once about martyrs, incidentally, that you never knew who they would be: the person who defended orthodoxy and looked like he would be firm through thick and thin would collapse and vanish immediately, while the person of whom nobody expected anything would go to the guillotine.

[frogjerk]

Real Pilgrims Sought Purity, Not Tolerance or Diversity

Are you talking about Puritans or Pilgrims?

[rhombus]

When are Obama’s socialist buddies going to just nationalize all those church buidings and send the clergy into re-educatin’ camps? I’m sure Unplanned Parenthood would be glad to rent some extra space. ;-)

[PanzerKardinal]

More importantly red is the color of the martyrs.

I hope these judges and lawyers remember the words of Sir Thomas More, lawyer statesman and more importantly martyr.

More was tried and sentenced to death because he refused to sign his name to a law that would violate his faith and conscience.

At his execution he said, “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”

[George from New England]

My wife works at a St. Pete diocesan parish office. We have for years wanted to participate in an outside health-care sharing plan for our family, like Samaritan Ministries. This bishop Lynch has been a dictator and refused to let any employee buy outside of their mandated policy. So for years I had to pay twice for my wife’s coverage, thanks to Lynch’s ‘lack of choice’ mandate.

We would love to take the cash in her paycheck and buy it ourselves.

[The Barrister]

The sudden change/irony was not lost on me. Perhaps he has changed for the better; after all, we (as Catholics) like to believe that EVERYONE is capable of earning a full day’s wage in the field, even if it’s late in the day (Matthew 20:1–16). Thank God for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

As was noted, many are praying for him.

[Varsity Flight]

Wake up people see my Tagline,

[FamiliarFace]

Ditto to everything you said.

Worst Catholic bishop in the U.S.

I wonder what happened to him that he has suddenly taken an interest in doing the morally correct thing all of a sudden.