Government Assault May Have Just Begun, Cardinal Dolan Warns

Catholic News Agency ^ | 2/23/12 | Benjamin Mann

[marshmallow]

Washington D.C., Feb 23, 2012 / 03:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- President Obama's contraception mandate may only be the beginning of a historic attack on religious freedom, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan warned his fellow U.S. bishops in a Feb. 22 letter.

“If the government can, for example, tell Catholics that they cannot be in the insurance business today without violating their religious convictions, where does it end?” asked the cardinal, addressing the U.S. episcopate in a letter coauthored with the bishops' religious freedom chair Bishop William E. Lori.

The Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate “violates the constitutional limits on our government, and the basic rights upon which our country was founded,” wrote the cardinal and bishop. They noted that religious liberty “does not depend on the benevolence of who is regulating us.”

The dispute with the administration is “not about Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals,” and “not just about contraception, abortion-causing drugs, and sterilization – although all should recognize the injustices involved in making them part of a universal mandated health care program.”

“It is about people of faith. This is first and foremost a matter of religious liberty for all.”

In a letter released in both English and Spanish, Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Lori gave their fellow bishops an update on the Health and Human Services mandate, finalized Feb. 10 over the objections of the Catholic Church and other religious groups.

The mandate requires many religious ministries to cover contraception and sterilization, including abortion-causing drugs, in their health plans. The U.S. bishops have rejected the rule, along with a promised change purportedly shifting the burden to insurers.

[43north]

Cardinal Dolan just don’t get it. Government is the new religion. Sibelius is the new cardinal and owebama is the new pope.

[Venturer]

I have many Catholic friends,( at least people who go to Mass on Sunday, and call themselves Catholic) who are not in the least upset and will vote for Obama again.

I believe Obama has slipped it to us, He has read the Cafeteria Catholics like a book.

There will be no great uprising about this issue.Soon it to will blow over like Fast & Furious which will soon disappear.

[CdMGuy]

I keep hearing this about Catholics over and over again. Maybe I go to the wrong Catholic Churches. However, in the last 3 parishes in which I resided and was an active parishioner, the overwhelming majority of the parishioners were conservative Republicans.

Of all the folks I know in my present parish, either through being an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Community, or a Bible class attendee or a Bible class facilitator, or becoming friendly with the folks who sit around us, all but one is a Republican, and that one is a liberal Democrat who just loves Obama.

[Venturer]

I live in a Democrat county in a Democrat State.

Believe me the Democratic party is more important to these people than their Church is.

[Biggirl]

You do not hear about the Catholics you have mentioned because the ones who would support Obama will get mentioned.

[Campion]

Soon it to will blow over like Fast & Furious which will soon disappear.

If you mean "blow over" as in the MSM not covering it, of course the thought-control MSM covers what they want you to know and tells you what they want you to hear.

But the issue won't go away until Obama gets slapped down by the courts, or retreats, or is driven from office and all of deathcare is repealed. (The best option of all.)

This is a non-negotiable for a lot of Catholics. Either we run hospitals, schools, etc. according to our faith, or we close them down.