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RSSUPDATE: Some Bishops Vow Civil Disobedience Against HHS Contraception Mandate
Over at dotCommonweal, Grant Gallicho reports that Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix announced that his diocese will not comply with the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate. Actually, Bishop Olmsted isn’t the only bishop who suggested his diocese will disobey the law. As my colleague Thomas Peters’ post showed, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati and Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin suggested the same in their public statements.
In fact, each bishop used the exact same language to describe the reasons their diocese will not comply with the impending mandate:
We cannot – we will not comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second-class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their prosperity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope she can trust on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.
The use of the same language surely is not a coincidence. The bishops are getting it from the same source.
Yet other bishops did not use this language. They called on lay Catholics to contact their members of Congress or denounced the ruling. In other words, the bishops have not adopted a uniform strategy to oppose the impending federal mandate. Some vow civil disobedience. Others urge the laity to go through their elected representatives.
I don’t think these are the only options on the table — anyone want to follow the lead of Archbishop Burke or Archbishop Rummel of New Orleans against the Catholics in the Obama administration? But the use of similar language suggests that the bishops already are deliberating among them.
UPDATE: As CV reader Joseph points out, the statement of Bishop Placido Rodriguez of Lubbock, Tex. contained the same language as the three prelates mentioned above.
This entry was posted in FeaturedPost
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Comments
RSScomment by Leila
23 days ago
Thanks for this! I am a proud member of Bishop Olmsted's flock. He is humble and courageous, and we love him. (Note the spelling of "Olmsted")
comment by Chris
23 days ago
I know it's on the White House website, and will likely hit a tin ear, but imagine if the numbers who signed this petition were HUGE? Why not let them hear our voices? CV, please consider endorsing this petition effort. http://wh.gov/kl3
comment by Kevin J.
23 days ago
Practically speaking, how would "civil disobedience" work? An unexempt Catholic organization seeks a sterilization- & contraception-free insurance policy. The insurer says "sorry, you don't qualify." Then what? Discontinue health insurance for employees, further shrinking the Catholic talent pool?
comment by Lynn
23 days ago
My question exactly! Bishops drop health insurance coverage for their employees and save the diocese a bundle. Employees won't have enough money to buy own insurance; so they will have to go elsewhere for employment. We stand to love our beloved teachers, nurses, deacons, etc.
comment by Lynn
23 days ago
I meant lose not love. We will lose many who serve the Church; especially those with families. bye bye youth ministry, bye bye music ministry, bye bye DREs, bye bye school teachers, bye bye nurses, bye bye Catholic physicians, xray technicians, etc.
comment by Matt
23 days ago
Best thing to do is shut down all Catholic schools and hospitals tomorrow. Many Catholic schools and hospitals are in poor areas. The public schools and hospitals would be flooded and overwhelm the system. Cost to the taxpayer would skyrocket. The government would be forced to change their policy.
comment by Gary A. Hernandez
22 days ago
Perhaps. But if we tried that, there would be a huge public outcry condemning the Catholic Church for "playing politics" with the lives of the poor. Obama and the Culture of Death want the Church's charities to evangelize on their behalf. But if they are are unable to bend the Church to their will, they will be just as happy to take those charities over. In fact, many Catholic schools and hospitals already evangelize to a greater or lesser extent for the Culture of Death. Obama expects these charities to obey the new mandate. He expects schools and hospitals that are on the fence or preaching a mixed message to cave under the pressure. He will be happy if the remainder follow the policy you suggest, and shutdown and let the government take over.
comment by FRLBJ
23 days ago
The current bishops' predecessors have exacerbated this by their refusal to protect our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to protect unborn children using the powers only they have, namely binding and loosing in their dioceses. Now , we laity have carried on the fight since 1973,many spending time in jail,losing fortunes, being attacked, shot, defamed, betrayed,spending hours picketing in the cold and heat, counseling and providing aid to women and children in need, giving speeches,making statements to the press and writing books. We laity sometimes had outright opposition or indifference from the bishops to protect babies and promote chastity. We will continue to do so. Now the bishops say, "oh you laity work harder". We will do that with the grace of God, but our end would be much more effective if the bishops would stop just speaking and actually act on their supposed beliefs.Why are CCHD funds going to organizations fund abortion, homosexuality, and contraception? Why are tubal ligations being done now at St. Joseph Mercy in Ann Arbor? In 1985 and 1989 I was asked during labor at St.Mary's Hospital in Knoxville, TN if I was going to have a tubal ligation. I told Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell and nothing was done. He was later outed on 20/20! What if William Brennan's bishop had called him up after the Roe decision and had a serious talk about the state of Brennan's soul? Why hasn't Sibelius had a call from Arch. Wuerl? Yes, we will pray for your Excellencies to show courage and to finally have more respect for God than man. I applaud the few who have! Ad multos annos to you! I can 't help but think about how lonely Bishop John Fisher was. At least we have three so far willing to obey God's law. As I listened to Cardinal-designate Dolan,make his statement, I couldn't help but think of the 'Catholic' governor of N.Y who lives openly in sin and yet is allowed to flaunt his 'Catholicity'.Maybe Arch. Bishop Dolan will see his omissions and now truly engage in the fight? Let's hope!
comment by Joseph
23 days ago
The language of His Excellency, Placido Rodriguez, CMF of Lubbock seems is a direct copy as well. His letter seems to be even a direct lifting of the Most Rev. Olmstead's.