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Blog Latest Post
RSSEvery Single Bishop Has Condemned the Obama/HHS Mandate! (181)
From Portland, Maine to San Diego, California–
From Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington–
Every single Roman Catholic bishop in the United States has condemned in public the Obamacare HHS mandate — all 181 bishops who lead dioceses in the U.S. have spoken.
This is a simply incredible, unified, universal Catholic witness on this critical issue of religious freedom.
(To those wondering about my methodology, it is now negative instead of positive — I am no longer able to find a single Roman Catholic bishop who has NOT spoken out against the mandate publicly. It is also my presumption that this conclusion applies to all Eastern Rite and Sui Iuris bishops in the U.S.).
Meanwhile, my list of Catholic institutions that have spoken out against the mandate is now at 30 (and continues to grow). The list also includes 10 non-Catholic groups who have condemned the mandate.
Thank you to everyone who made building this list possible. It’s a complimentary sign of Catholic solidarity that so many Catholics across the country proudly helped me add their bishop’s name to this list!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged american bishops, barack obama, Catholic Bishops, concience, president obama, Religious freedom, religious liberty, usccb. Bookmark the permalink.
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Comments
RSScomment by Maria
90 days ago
Proud to be Catholic and proud of my bishops for speaking out. We are with you!
comment by teresa
90 days ago
Glad to be catholic and standing behind God's law. If you believe in abortion and birth control pills then you are not Catholic. The name does not make you one, Action does. Proper birth control is NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING.
comment by Lori
90 days ago
really , then why do priests give absolution for it in confession?? NFP is ok in a perfect marriage- which not every catholic has. My defintion of being catholic is that I believe in the resurrection, the communion of saints and in His body and blood. I am a sinner, just like 95.5555 % of other catholics. if practicing birth control makes us not catholic, our churhes would be empty. I dont believe in abortion or capital punishment and I didnt vote for Obama in 2008, but there are plenty of poeple in my church who did vote for him. Does that make them not Catholic as well?
comment by E. E.
90 days ago
The Church has been constant in teaching that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence, and the church has affirmed that the illicitness of contraception is an infallible doctrine. Are you familiar with Humanae Vitae? The Catechism of the Catholic Church?
comment by nan
60 days ago
NFP is a form of contraception. You're just using a thermometer instead of a pill. NFP is the Emperor's New Clothes.
comment by nan
60 days ago
E.E. - You must be a man.
comment by MariBeth
90 days ago
http://staphx.org/podcasts/contraception.mp3 17 minutes that might change your thinking, but hubby has to listen too...
comment by Maxine
89 days ago
Thank you MariBeth. This is the best homily and teaching I have ever heard, and I have heard many. We need to get this message out to everyone sitting in the pews, Catholic or otherwise. Everything he had to say I have been trying to get across to people for the past 20+ years.
comment by Kelly
90 days ago
Lori! You're idea is misguided!!! YOU can't define what is Catholic- the Church does! But by practicing birth control no one is less Catholic than another- just less faithful to the Catholic faith. Theresa does go too far!No matter what percent of Catholics erroneously use BC, it doesn't mean the Church should change its dogmas and if that mean pews are empty, too bad. NFP is often used as artifical birth control and THAT is wrong too!
comment by La Candida
87 days ago
"artificial birth control"? practicing nfp isn't birth control - you're not prevening life, but you are monitoring your likelihood of conception. we are called to be responsible with our resources and to be able to provide for our families. nfp allows you to do that. even if a couple is using it to decrease the liklihood of conception, it still does not prevent life - that power is still elft in God's hands.
comment by Anne
85 days ago
La Candida - I think what Kelly meant was that NFP can be used in wrongful ways. In other words, it is possible that couples could avoid pregnancy for selfish reasons using NFP. It is certainly not on the same moral plane as artificial birth control.
comment by Rustler45
82 days ago
"practicing nfp isn't birth control" Sorry to disagree with you, but it is birth control. It's not "artificial" but still it is birth control. It is not to be used at will. It can have the same problems that artificial birth control can have and can cause problems in your marriage. It should only be used in cases of necessity and with your priest's permission.
comment by Miriam
90 days ago
Sorry, but you can't be a supermarket Catholic. You either are a Catholic or not. And if you are, follow the rules honey. And by the way you're missing the point of what confession is, you go to confess your SINS. All sins are forgiven. But you can only be forgiven if you are truly sorry for your sins and strive to not commit them again. Please read "The Good news about Sex and Marriage" by Christopher West. He explains why contraception is immoral and a GRAVE SIN. I will pray for you Lori, because your understanding of what it means to belong to the Body of Christ is very misconstrued. You can't just like the heart and lungs and think that the arms and legs are ok 'in a perfect world', but not needed.
comment by Earl G, OFS
90 days ago
Priests give absolution for it just as they do for other sins ... that you may repent and not repeat the sin anymore. The sacrament of penance/reconciliation only works if one has a purpose of ammendment. Without it, the absolution that the priest gives means nothing. You should also realize that every marriage is perfect, because it is a Sacrament. Now, the relationship is not perfect, but the marriage is something that both the husband and wife strive for to be one with one another. Both reach for this perfect sacrament with vigor, with the help of The Holy Spirit, and make every effort to avoid sin. Does everyone do that? No, because everyone doesn't know that. I think the point is, if you know something is wrong or evil, or against the Roman Catholic Church, you need to amend your ways and follow that teaching away from sin. To continue toward sin, or not to get as many facts concerning religion and faith, burdens the very Church one attends. If you don't know, was never told, that is another story ... which has a rather odd outcome ... I don't think it is what you think it might be.
comment by Mike Katzer
90 days ago
1. They give absolution for it if you are heartily sorry for it. But the mere fact that you need to confess it and get absolution is proof that it is wrong! 2. In order to be a Catholic, you must believe in ALL of Christ's teachings, not just the ones you pick and choose to your liking. 3. Our Churches aren't empty, yet that's true. God gave humans sexual intercourse in order to create Immortal Beings. No other creature has this power. To have sex for the purpose of fun is a slap in the face to God. It is a movement against God, and if you believe that doing so is okay, then no, you're not a Catholic. You've created your own religion where insulting God is A-OK, or where God doesn't mind if humans run about pleasing themselves and abusing the gift he gave them. 4. Not necessarily. It depends upon their purpose of voting for him. If they voted for him because they wanted abortion and contraception, then yes, they're being heretical and uncatholic. If they voted for him simply because they believe he was best fit to handle a political/economic/etc crisis/problem, then no, they're still Catholic.
comment by Pat
90 days ago
When you call yourself Catholic by YOUR definition of catholic, then you are by definition, not Catholic. We all sin and that is why there is Reconciliation and Absolution. But that does not mean that you are free to live by your definition of catholic and the heck with the Church's teachings. That, by definition, is not Catholic. For more on this, read the old testiment and the calamities that continued to befall the Jews because they decided to follow their own definition of Judaism.
comment by Rosemary
90 days ago
I'm not going to hit the dislike button, because your comment really deserves a thoughtful and loving response! The absolution in confession is given to a sinner who TRULY repents....it is not just a clean slate until the next confession for someone who has NO intention of stopping sinful behavior. Remember in the act of contrition you say something to the effect of...."I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin"....so are you lying just to get absolution... It is so tempting to rationalize every part of our lives until we are no loner "responsible" for any of our sins. No one is perfect or free from habitual sin, but that does not mean we cannot judge behavior that is contrary to God's laws and our own nature. Contraception is poison to the soul, even more so than abortion, because it is sterile and selfish and against the very nature of true self- giving love! I'm 50 and swallowed the rhetoric hook line and sinker until my sister-in-law challenged me to live what I so casually professed...that I am Catholic and obedient to Christ thru His Church! Bless you!!
comment by Ikedi
90 days ago
If they voted for him for the sake of abortion then actually they are no longer Catholics.
comment by sonatinababie15
90 days ago
pretty sure this has nothing to do with who voted for obama, capital punishment, or what you confess during reconciliation.
comment by Liz
90 days ago
You are Catholic. But you're failing to practice in this area. Yes, we all fall short very, very often. But if you were to confess the use of birth control and let the Priest know that you plan to continue, he'd not be able to offer absolution for a sin you intend to continue committing. You're not a "bigger sinner" than most of us. But we have to all start with being honest and acknowledging that when we stand before God, it won't really matter if we're able to point out others who were worse. We'll all stand as individuals. That said, I have enough to worry about with my own failings, so I'm sure not going to presume to judge someone else's soul. That would just give me one more thing to answer for, and I have enough already.
comment by Dan
89 days ago
If you believe that contraception is wrong and do it anyway, you are in a state of obstinant mortal sin, although still Catholic. If you don't believe it is wrong but know that the Church teaches it is, the above applies and, additionally, you are guilty of heresy and no longer a Catholic. Either way, penance would be advisable.
comment by christopher
89 days ago
My understanding is that priests are to give give absolution after a good confession only. If one has no contrition or intent to amend their life they should not receive absolution, or if they do receive it under false pretenses after deceiving the priest about their intent, their "confession" avails them absolutely nothing and in fact constitutes a serious sin in itself. Those who act and think otherwise, and who encourage others to follow suit, may still be Catholics, but not faithful Catholics.
comment by angel
89 days ago
yes
comment by Chip
89 days ago
We are all sinners - each Mass begins with a public acknowledgement of as much. But, we are all called to try, try again...to "be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect". If one continues to operate intentionally in oppossition to Church teaching...well...then who's Church do you belong to? Christ taught some "hard sayings" (i.e. "it really is His body and blood and if you do not eat/drink of it you "will not have life within you"). You walk away from that - from any of it - after knowing it to be true - well, what does that make you? Not so Catholic as you hold yourself out to be. It is not whether you've sinned or not - we all have. It is whether you strive to "work out your salvation"...to cooperate with God's good grace and walk in Christ's path. Bottom line, given what you've written above: you're kidding yourself. And I think you know it but find the alternative (not contracepting) as too high a hurdle...as asking too much. At least be honest about it. Being Catholic is more than just being born and raised so. You must recommit every day of your life to being Catholic...to being as perfectly conformed as you possibly - by God's grace - can be. Good luck - I'll pray for you. It isn't easy, but it is so very worth it.
comment by Michelle
89 days ago
That would make you a "cafeteria Catholic". You choose what you want to believe in and follow, based upon the lifestyle you choose to live. This, versus following the teachings of the Church they way they are taught and meant to be followed. While practicing birth control may not in itself make you "not Catholic", it does make you an unfaithful Catholic, as it would me or anyone else who chooses not to be faithful to or abide by what the Church teaches. Sorry. It is what it is. You can't pick and choose what you believe is right or wrong. Either the church is fully right on issues of faith and morals, or it is all together wrong. It does not faulter in those type of teachings. So, if you believe the Catholic Church is the true Church, founded by Christ and led by the Holy Spirit.... then you must believe ALL that it teaches when it comes to faith and morals. (Some things you are not absolutely bound to believe, such as private revelations or things that are outside the boundary of the Church's infalible teaching)
comment by mairi
89 days ago
Response to Lori: No, I don't think that's what teresa meant. You are by all means Catholic; Just because someone sins doesn't mean they aren't Catholic. 100% of Catholics are sinners. Belief in non-Catholic teachings doesn't exclude one from the fold of the Church *unless* one has full knowledge of the Church's teaching, and, possessing that full knowledge acts against their conscience, and rejects it. As a side note, my mother teaches NFP, and the health benefits are unbelievable. Use of the pill alone raises the risk of breast cancer by 52%. Other contraceptives mess with all your systems, and, in the long run, totally break your body. The great thing about NFP is that you can use it to either get pregnant, or not, and if you can't get pregnant and want too, you can find out exactly what is wrong with your body, and fix it. Without having to resort to IVF.
comment by Hoolie7
89 days ago
We are Catholic by virtue of our baptism into our faith. We are faithful to the tenants of our faith when we follow the teachings of the Catholic Church, first and foremost of which is respect for life. The Church's position on birth control is a tenant of our faith. To be a faithful Catholic we must comply. When we knowingly sin, then expect that sin to be "erased" in the confessional with the clear insight that we will commit that sin again, the process is corrupted. I learned the prayer this way. "O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, do penance, and amend my life. Amen. If I had no plans to amend my life, why bother. I get considerable comfort from these words I learned in childhood and I pray fervently to be worthy of the awesome gift of forgiveness that is mine by benefit of Christ's sacrifice. Dissembling in the confessional is cheating.
comment by Karen
89 days ago
It doesn't matter what your personal definition of Catholic is...it matters what the Catholic Church's definition is. And yes, the Church DOES say that we're all sinners, however that never means that we should condone sin.
comment by Rossi
89 days ago
Practicing birth control is a willful telling to God that you deny Him and to deny Him willfully, puts your soul at risk. For you to state that the church pews would be empty "if practicing birth control makes us not catholic" indicates your lack of education in your Catholic faith. Unfortunately there are just a lot of poorly cathecised Catholics. Read Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI and get more educated. God love you.
comment by Lisseth
89 days ago
Lori, you are missing the point. Besides, we are not cafeteria Catholics,(pick and choose from His teachings). We need to follow the teachings of Jesus. We support our Bishops and Priests. We hope that we can all be united in Christ. God is merciful.
comment by James
89 days ago
We all sin. Sinning doesn't make one a non-Catholic. Calling sin acceptable doesn't even make one a non-Catholic, but it is gravely sinful in and of itself. Calling sin a "right"...you should take a long hard look at yourself (preferably in front of the Blessed Sacrament) and ask "Why do I call myself Catholic?" http://www.mensadomini.wordpress.com
comment by Jose
89 days ago
That makes them CINO...Catholic in name only.
comment by Maria
88 days ago
No, baptism makes us Catholics. And baptism can not be reversed.
comment by Martha
89 days ago
Follow your conscience Lori. That is why you have one. God bless!
comment by Dave
89 days ago
That would be "a WELL-FORMED conscience." At least, that's what the Church teaches.
comment by John H.
89 days ago
Lori, 100% off Catholics are sinners, and of course that doesn't make us not Catholic. Still, the Church's wisdom has proven correct regarding contraception. Every dire prediction Paul VI had in Humane Vitae has come to pass. Because of contraception, human life has been devalued, abortion is rampant, the sanctity of marriage is under attack, etc. The contraceptive mentality of our modern culture is directly related to these horrible developments. I encourage you to read Humanae Viate for yourself, and be open to the wisdom it has to offer. But the issue here is not just contraception. The issue is a direct assault on religious liberty. Catholics believe contraception to be immoral, and yet we are being forced to provide it to employees. This is unacceptable.
comment by Missing the point
89 days ago
Lori, priests give absolution for all repented sins, even murder. Yes, even the sin of abortion. But that certainly doesn't mean they approve of such sins! NFP is good for all marriages, not just the "perfect" (show me a perfect marriage...I've been married for almost 50 years and ours is not perfect, but it's great anyway) marriages. I encourage you to read the Church's teachings on NFP and how it can strengthen the love between husband and wife. Deacon Dave
comment by Kevin
89 days ago
It's more like 100 percent are sinners.. There's only been 2 people without sin. You don't go against the churches law on contraception just because the seats might go empty.. Your thinking is completely illogical and based on your personal opinion, not the laws of the church and what is morally right in the eyes of God.. If God was in front of you and you asked him, " Should I take the pill so I don't become pregnant?" what do you honestly think his answer would be?
comment by Matthew
89 days ago
To be clear, absolution is for sins. Priests give absolution for sinful acts. Using contraceptives is held by the Church to be a sinful act. Hence priests give absolution for it. Your definition of being Catholic has no bearing on anything. You should be concerned with the Church's definition of what it means to be a Catholic. Part of being Catholic is following and believing in all of the teachings of the Church. Practicing birth control does not make a person no longer Catholic....it merely means the person is sinning. Voting for a pro-abortion candidate is sinful as well. People who do the things you are describing are still catholics but they are also Catholics who need to seek the Sacrament of Reconcilliation or risk hell.
comment by La Candida
87 days ago
you're right, priests do give absolution for the use of contraception, sterilization or abortion because we as Catholice believe in a loving and merciful God. i'm not sure how you came up with your percentage, because 100% of human beings are sinners -including the pope who is only infallible on points of doctrine and JPII went to confession daily - which is why we are in great need of God's love and mercy. however, just because we as sinners choose to sin, doesn't mean the Church should change it's teaching to make us feel better about our sin. that is why it is vital that the Church stand firm. to say that the Church is wrong on this point and any other of its doctrines is the same thing as saying you know better than God does, even though He is perfect and you are a sinner. i recommend you talk to your parish priest about why the Church teaches what it does because they are beautiful reasons for it.
comment by James
85 days ago
I stopped at "my definition of being a catholic" A Catholic (w/ a capital C) does not come up with "their own" definition but rather reconciles to "the" definition as put forth by the Church. Anything else is patently Protestant.
comment by nan
60 days ago
YOU make sense - thank you!
comment by Rick
90 days ago
You know, as a devout Catholic and conservative I have mixed feelings about all this. It is good to see the Bishops stand up, but it is way too late. They embraced the devil of socialism in the 1930s with FDR. They have continued that loyalty to socialism ever since. They endorsed the idea of a national health care law, just so long as they did not have to pay for contraception and abortion. Thus, they were traitors to the Constitution because such an law is not an authority granted by the Constitution. They refused to excommunicate those who publicly supported abortion. They refused to take action against homosexual predator priests because so many of them were/are homosexual. Maybe this should be shoved down their throats as the natural consequence of their embracing godless socialism. See Paul Rahe's article at ricochet.com and Mr. Hurt's at The Washington Times.
comment by clifc
89 days ago
if you believe in unfettered free market capitalism I guess you're also not Catholic.
comment by nan
60 days ago
When you get married and use Natural Family Planning for oh say about 20+ years then you can get off your soap box and wear your "I'm a true Catholic" button. When you use NFP aren't you limiting the number of children you have? With NFP are YOU taking charge of your body and procreating when YOU want to according to a thermometer, etc. Can you have enough trust in God to let Him solely be in charge of the size of your family or do you let a thermometer be in charge? A thermometer or a pill - both control family size. Take a look around your parish. You can't possibly believe all these families have incorporated NFP in their lives. God bless the good people who can - but let's be real and not condemn.
comment by Drew
90 days ago
Good work, Thomas. I'm happy to be able to say that every single bishop has spoken out against the mandate in defense of the freedom.
comment by Brother Rolf
89 days ago
Yes every single bishop is against the birth control mandate, but what about the married ones?
comment by Michael
88 days ago
Married bishops???
comment by Bill
90 days ago
Good to know
comment by saabel
90 days ago
Glad to see it. This is what I would expect of my Catholic Church. I feel much better now.
comment by Bro AJK
90 days ago
Dear Thomas, I am hesitant to examine 100+ pages to find this link, but at least one http://www.diocesisdearecibo.org/?id=comunicado157&title=Obispo%20invita%20a%20solidaridad%20con%20protecci%F3n%20a%20la%20libertad%20religiosa" rel="nofollow">Puerto Rican bishop (of Arecibo) suports his colleagues in the USCCB. I cannot find others. One diocese do not have a site linked at Catholic-Hierarchy.org, two dioceses' links are broken, and two did not get through my school's filter because they are in Spanish. The above one did. (This is a cross-post from the big list thread. I did not see the comment post.)
comment by Cindy
90 days ago
http://www.thegregorian.org/memorare-army Let us all join in on this army of memoraries with the help of our Blessed Mother.
comment by Bro AJK
90 days ago
Dear Thomas, et al., Below is a link to the website for the Diocese of Arecibo (PR). It is a letter of solidarity with the USCCB addressed to the faithful of that diocese. http://diocesisdearecibo.org/?id=comunicado157&title=Obispo%20invita%20a%20solidaridad%20con%20protecci%F3n%20a%20la%20libertad%20religiosa
comment by Bro AJK
90 days ago
OK, so why can't I get that link to work.... http://diocesisdearecibo.org/?id=comunicado157&title=Obispo%20invita%20a%20solidaridad%20con%20protecci%F3n%20a%20la%20libertad%20religiosa
comment by Bro AJK
90 days ago
I give up. Copy that entire link in the above comment (not either of the two initializing comments) to find it. Perhaps a magical web-elf can fix this.
comment by bpeters1
90 days ago
Try this one: http://tinyurl.com/pr-on-hhs
comment by Bro AJK
90 days ago
Thanks!
comment by bpeters1
90 days ago
No problem! Never thought of myself as a "magical web-elf" :o)