Catholic Bishops Courageous Stand For Religious Freedom Continues: No to Recent HHS Accomodation

By Deacon Keith Fournier
2/9/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The Church in the United States is in need of the New Evangelization and Cardinal Dolan is its instrument, a trumpet in the hands of the Lord

In a statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York the Bishops weighed in on the recent alleged "accomodation" offered by the Obama Administration last Friday. The answer was clear, principled, uncompromising and courageous. I expected nothing less from this man who is such a great gift to the Church in the United States during this critical hour in the history of both Church and Nation.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Facebook Delicous MySpace

Twitter Stumble Digg

More Destinations

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - In a statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Bishops weighed in on the recent alleged "accomodation" offered by the Obama Administration last Friday. The answer was clear, principled, uncompromising and courageous. I expected nothing less from this man who is such a great gift to the Church in the United States during this critical hour in the history of both Church and Nation.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan loves the Lord and the Church with an infectious enthusiasm borne of a sincere, living faith. He is what I call, dynamically orthodox. A strong defender of the truths which the Church must always defend, he defends them filled with the joy of the Lord. Even those who contend with him cannot help but like him. He is a man comfortable in his own skin, at ease with the use of the media, filled with the Holy Spirit, and eager to share the Gospel, as it is found in its fullness within the Catholic Church.

This dynamic Bishop began his challenging assignment of leading the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in June of 2002 by proclaiming those wonderful words of Blessed John Paul II, the words of the Angel to Our Lady, "Be Not Afraid" when he addressed the faithful. Any observer of the work of Bishops must attest that, given the state of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee when he was appointed, he demonstrated his full palate of gifts and led with the heart of a true shepherd.

Wherever he serves, he is dearly loved by his priests and deacons. That is because he has a pastor's heart and knows the importance of a Bishop's relationship with his clergy. He is also a dynamic and inspiring communicator and solid teacher of the truths as taught by the Magisterium of the Church.Finally, he is a true leader, both naturally and supernaturally. He is just what we need as we face great threats to the freedom of the Church to engage in her mission at the very time when the nation so desperately needs her message and her ministry.

His pastoral and communications gifts - and full compliment of leadership skills - were applied immediately upon his appointment to the Archdiocese of New York, the second largest local Church in the United States. He leads the Archdiocese of New York - which the Holy See is purported to consider the "Capital of the World" - with a pastors heart, a teachers wisdom, and a courageous and faithful Bishops dedication to defending the fullness of truth found within the full communion of the Catholic Church. He has been willing to fight the enemies of the Church, but he does so with velvet gloves! He confounds his opponents with Truth and wins them with the Love of God, making them friends.

At this critical time in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States, Cardinal Dolan's election to the office of President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops was not only an historic turn of events, it was a sign of the Lord's continued guidance of the Catholic Church in the United States. The United States of America has become mission territory. The Church in the United States is in need of the New Evangelization and Cardinal Dolan is its instrument, a trumpet in the hands of the Lord.

But make no mistake, the smile on his jovial face, his gregarious manner and his genuine warmth dwell right within a leader with a backbone of steel. This is a true defender of the faith. He will not back down in the defense of the Church, her mission, her rights and her call to participate fully in the public square. We ask our readers to pray for Cardinal Dolan and for all of our Bishops as they once again take the lead in this epic struggle.

We are please to present his entire statement of response to the most recent proposal from the Federal Administration below, in its entirety.

-----

Statement of Cardinal Timothy Dolan Responding to Feb. 1 Proposal from HHS

For almost a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have worked hard to support the right of every person to affordable, accessible, comprehensive, life-affirming healthcare.As we continue to do so, our changeless values remain the same.We promote the protection of the dignity of all human life and the innate rights that flow from it, including the right to life from conception to natural death; care for the poorest among us and the undocumented; the right of the Church to define itself, its ministries, and its ministers; and freedom of conscience.

Last Friday, the Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the HHS mandate that requires coverage for sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortions.The Administration indicates that it has heard some previously expressed concerns and that it is open to dialogue.With release of the NPRM, ...

1 | 2 Next Page

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

1 - 10 of 11 Comments

Rob
3 months ago
I still think ultimately this mandate will fall away. Let the system work, the government will lose and this will fade away. But in this debate I see a lot of hypocrisy.

I have yet to hear of anyone who has dropped their employer provided health plan because they cover contraception etc. I have no one protest just about every grocery store chain in the country or pharmacy chain for the availability of these products.

Seems like we care more about institutions than we do people, otherwise the fight would have been happening long ago. I think the bishops would be better served fighting for the souls of their flocks than worrying about insurance plans. I personally believe its the reason that so many are not connecting with any of this. I really view this as one of those things that is Caesars. If the people running these organizations have done their jobs, not a penny will be spent on people in their organizations using these things.

The law is never going to convert people's hearts. You can pass around the 5 nonnegotiables all you want....would be better if you shared the good news versus the list of things you can't do. Expectations are too high for those who have never given their lives to Christ. And all the screaming and yelling does nothing to do that.
Robert
3 months ago
JoAnn,

I concur. It is our responsibility to inform ourselves and yet I learned the teachings as I aged. I had many teachers who provided me insight along the way.
Sadly, I fall short and find myself asking the Lord's forgiveness. My point is that I don't place a great deal of blame on the Church leaders but a certain amount must apply.

I do not write to point fingers. I write to encourage others to speak to their pastors and clergy about speaking up. Let them know when their sermons are good and when they are lacking. Let them know they may have to offend someone when preaching the Lord's message. Ask them about the five non-negotiables and if they understand them to be as their title suggests.
They are the shepherds and we are the flock.

I wish to follow the shepherd that will me to heaven. The pathway may be more difficult and yet the reward is greater we can imagine.

May God bless his Church and this nation.
JoAnn
3 months ago
Robert: Thank you for your explanation. I guess it is difficult for me to understand why every Catholic doesn't know about the 5 non-negotiables. I hear it from the pulpit in my parish all the time. And, even if some Catholics belong to a more "liberal" parish, it would seem that common sense and the "natural law" would already be written in our hearts that the "big 5" are abominations. I think, it is not that Catholics don't know, they don't care. These people are apostates. I have the utmost privilege of being able to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament twice a week. There is also another woman who has the same hour that I do. She kneels before Our Lord, yet strongly supports Obama. She is my age, so I'm assuming she has been a Catholic? as long as I have. There is no way that she is unaware of the "big 5." I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it breaks my heart to see so many people blaming the Church's clergy. If we love our Faith as we should, it is up to us to make sure we know it inside out. Jesus said "Seek and you shall find." I guess there are too many Catholics? that don't care enough to learn their Faith Learing about our Faith is a lifetime journey. Like one of the priests in my parish said one day in his sermon. "Are you Catholics really practicing your Faith or are you "pagans" that just come to Church?" I enjoyed the dialogue with you. You made some very good points. Especially, about Pelosi, Fluke and some bishops. But these bishops can do no harm to Catholics who really know and love their Faith. God bless.
Lisa Bannister
3 months ago
We must support Cardinal Dolan. He is fighting on behalf of all Christians of conscience- not just Catholics.
I personally loathe the whole health care legislation. It's just one step in trying to get the U.S. into "universal" health care. This country is too large for that to be managed effectively.
vance
3 months ago
Robert, I share your opinion. So far, very little has been said about Religious Liberty from the pulpits of my diocese.
Robert
3 months ago
Dear Joann,

If my comments implied that Cardinal Dolan assisted the Democratic Party in bringing us to where we are now I chose my words poorly.

What I meant to convene is this: Several Catholic groups provided voters with the 'FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLES ISSUES FOR A CATHOIC VOTER". The list included:
1. Abortion 2. Euthanasia 3. Fetal Stem Cell Research 4. Human Cloning 5. Homosexual Marriage

My canvassing of comments from Cardinals, Priests and Bishops found no mention of the five non-negotiables referenced with Cardinal Dolan. The USCCB voter guide was ambigious at best.

Cardinal Dolan's voice is enormous for Catholics in the United States. His voice could have been clearer prior to the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

The point I tried to make is that Cardinal Dolan, Cardinal DiNardo and all members of the USCCB could have made the five non-negotiables the bedrock of their conversation points prior to the past two elections. This lack of clarity on their part has played a role (however large is undeterminable) in allowing many Catholics to accept the loss of unborn lives, stem cell research, homosexual marriage to be the aceeptable price of providing healthcare for all, making millions more dependent on the government for food, enslaving future generations with an enormous debt, regardless of their underlying evils. Isn't it troubling that Sandra Fluke, Cecile Richards, Nancy Pelosi, and some Bishops all stand in an unforseen lock of arms behind the Democratic Party while at that same time they vote to take God out of their platform. Did anyonelse hear the cock crow three times during the Democrats convention?

By not speaking clearly many Catholics have equated feeding the poor with American Tax Dollars taken by force as the same moral equivalent as saving the unborn.

I hope this better expains my thoughts. Am I proud of Cardinal Dolan, YES. Am I wanting more from the leader of our Catholic faith in the U.S.A. YES.

These thoughts are those of a humble sinner.
Vincent A. Lewis
3 months ago
It is time for the Bishops to start treating the HHS mandate as a moral issue. If religious liberty means that you can believe and behave according to your beliefs, then religious liberty is worthless. At some point, the arbitrator of religious liberty must decide whose religious liberty takes precedence. Ultimately, either Catholics will not be allowed to impose our beliefs on the culture or the culture will impose its beliefs on Catholics. The HHS mandate is an attempt to do the latter..
JoAnn
3 months ago
Robert: Could you be more specific? Maybe my old mind missed something, but how did Cardinal Dolan "help" get us where we are? Since Roe vs. Wade, "true" Catholics have never supported the Democratic party. God bless.
Joe
3 months ago
Thank you, heed the advice, we must speak up, the time is now. All Americans.
abey
3 months ago
In the first place instead of "appreciating" , amounting to profess faith in the wrong person, to the Obama gesture, he should have taken it with a pinch of salt like some other sects of Christianity did.

Prev12 Next

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment