Hudson and Fournier: Catholic Countdown to Election 2012 - Day 36. Defend Religious Liberty

By Deal W. Hudson and Rev. Mr. Keith Fournier
10/2/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The USCCB has issued a nationwide bulletin insert for all parishes

What is this election? It is, in large part, a popular referendum on whether or not the President of the United States can openly and egregiously violate the conscience of Catholic citizens. We must act.

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WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - The USCCB has issued a "nationwide bulletin insert" for September-October, 2012. You can read it below and also click the link on the conference web site.

We have made it a point to regularly praise the leadership of our Bishops in these challenging times. Having Cardinal Dolan at the helm is a particular blessing for all of the faithful. The appointments of new Bishops - and transfers of some already in office to Dioceses which are in need - all manifest the Lord's continued care for His Church. They also give us hope for the future.

However, please note the following about the bulletin insert recommended for all the parishes in our nation:

1. There is NO mention of the election on Nov. 6.

2. There IS a recommendation to contact Congress but NO mention about voting on Nov. 6.

3. There IS a recommendation to pray a Rosary Novena or to GO "on a Marian Pilgrimage" -- NOTHING about voting on Nov. 6.

4. The HHS mandate is first mentioned in paragraph 5 with NO mention of Secretary Sebelius and NO mention of President Obama's support of the mandate.

5. There is NO mention of the Congressional remedy to override the mandate, the Religious Freedom Tax Repeal Act, H.R. 6097, introduced on July 10 with 57 co-sponsors.

Unfortunately, the message of this insert, it must be said, is so indirect it's practically a whisper, the faintest hint at the message that should be proclaimed boldly by all Catholics as we approach this historic election.

What is this election? It is, in large part, a popular referendum on whether or not the President of the United States can openly and egregiously violate the conscience of Catholic citizens.

The urgency of this referendum is completely missing from the USCCB document below. So, all of us must add what is missing. We must turn up the volume on the whisper. We must fill in the gaps, through our focused prayer, our compellingly delivered message shared in the public square and our concerted Catholic action as faithful citizens.

*****

PRAYER AND ACTION ARE NECESSARY TO KEEP OUR FIRST FREEDOM FIRST

When Pope Benedict visited the United States in 2008, he asked the U.S. bishops a question: "Is it consistent to profess our beliefs in church on Sunday, and then during the week to promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs?"

The Holy Father then answered his own question:

"...Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted. Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to the transforming power of the Gospel."

Although the full impact of the Holy Father's words might not have been understood then, they have since proven prophetic. The Pope was challenging Catholics in the United States to resist the growing pressure to confine religious beliefs to houses of worship and to prevent the Church and individual believers from living out their faith in their day-to- day work and care for others.

The U.S. bishops have since raised numerous concerns over the increasing threats to religious freedom, especially the now-finalized rule of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which would force virtually all private health plans nationwide to provide coverage of sterilization and contraception-including abortifacient drugs.

While there is an exemption for certain "religious employers," it only covers employers that serve people of their own faith. Jesus and his apostles would not qualify. Mother Teresa would not qualify. As the bishops noted in their statement, United for Religious Freedom, this is an extremely narrow and unprecedented federal definition of religion, resulting in coercion to act against our teachings and the violation of civil rights.

Federal law has long been generous in protecting the rights of individuals and institutions to not act against their religious beliefs or moral convictions. Is that now changing? Are we entering a time when the federal government may now force the Church-consisting of its faithful and all but a few of its institutions-to act against Church teachings?

While we seek remedies from the White House, Congress, and the courts, the U.S. bishops have called upon the Catholic faithful, and all people of faith throughout our country, to join in prayer and penance for our political leaders and for the complete protection of our first freedom-religious liberty. Prayer is the ultimate source of our strength-for without God, we can do nothing; but with God, all things are possible.

What can you do to help protect religious freedom?

- To get breaking news and opportunities for action,
text the word "Freedom" to 377377 on your cell phone.

- To learn more about our first freedom, and to send your message to Congress urging them to stand up for conscience rights in health care, go to www.usccb.org/conscience.

- To join in the Rosary Novena for Life and Liberty, October 14-22,
or to sponsor a Marian Pilgrimage or other prayer efforts for religious freedom and conscience rights, go to www.usccb.org/freedom

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: USCCB, religious freedom, religious liberty, first freedom, Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Dolan, Bishop Lori, Obama, Ryan, Biden, Romney, anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, catholic action, faithful citizenship, Deal W Hudson, Deacon Keith Fournier

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1 - 7 of 7 Comments

Paul-Emile Leray
7 months ago
If our leaders were truly honest, they would tell us that it is the nature of truth that it often (usually) separates itself from the crowd. (A Catholic Archbishop wrote this; it was either Alban Goodier or Luis M. Martinez). And yet, how to reconcile this logical contradiction with democracies when in a democracy majority rules? Furthermore, Christianity and Christian existential living transcends nationalism and international alliances. Therefore, our Catholic leaders ought to be BLASTING Catholic politicians who not only pass into laws but also keep these enforced; policy making, rules and laws that are explicitly against Catholic teachings. Some of the WORST politicians came out of Catholic schools. It is not the fault of the schools, but rather the case whereby well instructed students then turn around and use their intelligence against what is best. In other words, many politicians are sophists. They manipulate, twist and turn around, words and concepts to not suit the truth; but rather, to suit their desired ends using questionnable means to get there. Jesus? He would have quite possibly been as piercing with some politicians as he was with some very similar in nature....the PHARISEES. The political PHARISEES of modern day culture are often on political stages and inside the courts! Justice? We'll see most of it in heaven. Funerals? A wonderful reminder of where everyone ends up and something nobody ever escapes. This gives me great hope, knowing politicians also end up in either coffins or urns. Therefore? Other than on different points on the timeline, some later than sooner, everyone ends up inside the rectangular box....and hopefully their many political ideologies, in many cases, get buried alongside with them before closing the cover.
Paul-Emile Leray
james in colorado
7 months ago
As a lay person, I long for the Bishops to be Truthful and not worry about any tax exempt staus granted to the church by our corrupted Government. If they would just speak out the Triuth to the Faithful; that Catholics cannot, must not ,support the democratic party any longer, because that party supports the intrinsic evils that the Church has rightly called out as mortal sins. Let us pray that we will not allow the state to put a muffler over out voices, but will boldly speak out before it's too late and they place us in prisons where no one will hear the Truth anymore. For the sake of Jesus' sorrowful passion dear Father, have Mercy on us!
Tom McGuire
7 months ago
Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation to the Church in the Middle East:
"A healthy secularity, on the other hand, frees religion from the encumbrance of politics, and allows politics to be enriched by the contribution of religion, while maintaining the necessary distance, clear distinction and indispensable collaboration between the two spheres. No society can develop in a healthy way without embodying a spirit of mutual respect between politics and religion, avoiding the constant temptation either to merge the two or to set them at odds."

"This kind of healthy secularity ensures that political activity does not manipulate religion, while the practice of religion remains free from a politics of self-interest which at times is barely compatible with, if not downright contrary to, religious belief. For this reason, a healthy secularity, embodying unity in distinction, is necessary and even vital for both spheres."

The Bishops of the United States in "Nationwide Bulletin Insert" did exactly what the Pope encourages, avoided mingling politics and religion. It is not the duty of the Bishops to issue political directives, although some individual Bishops do just that. The work of politics belongs to the laity. Let us work at creating the healthy secularity that will enable all people of good will to work together for the common good.
Spiritus Gladius
7 months ago
@michael YES!! You speak the truth my brother! I do not want religious liberty, I want religious TRUTH! This whole issue has become nothing more than an exploitation of liberalism in the post-modern world. Popes of old would have dismissed this entire thing just as they dismissed the modern world in its entirety. The Catholic Church needs a renaissance, where we take back those ideas with which the Church reigned supreme in all Her glory. No, it is not ok to follow any religion that you choose. If you are not a part of the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church, you will not be saved. At the end of the day, is that not the most mercy man can offer to his brethren? To save his soul? Feeding mouths, clothing the naked, and giving people the materialistic possessions pales in comparison to the splendour of showing that person the truth, and opening up the gates of heaven for that person's soul. That is what we are to be most concerned with; the salvation of our fellow man. If I am poor, do not give me money. But if I am lost, show me the way. If I am deprived inspire in me the truth of Jesus. If I am a savage teach me what it is necessary to be saved. What good is it, to save a man's life, if he will not be saved in death? There is no greater love than to have the deepest concern and desire for your fellow man to be saved.
Tim King
7 months ago
If you dont name names and what they are donig to our religion and our freedom most people will not get the right massage and be more confused then they already are most people dont pay attention and if they are watching the local news or even the Main Stream Media they are being mislead or just lied to the people need the truthand if they dont get the truth from the church they may never hear the truth this country will be distroyed along with all religion and or FREEDOMS The truth is the way and the light shine the light on the lies and the cover ups tell the people the truth before its to late
mike robertson
7 months ago
Agree with correct preaching to change hearts, but let us avoid the trap set by Catholic democrats who piously say "we can't change abortion laws until we change hearts". Rape is illegal and yet happens daily. Should we make it legal, then change hearts until no one wants to rape? Then we can make it illegal? Catholic democrats are great at using garbage logic to justify their disgraceful votes for an evil man who likes infanticide (even after the baby girl is born) and who thinks he is smarter than God about marriage. Catholic democrats justify their complicitness in evil by defending their fake compassion-the evil man taking us towards a Greece-style collapse by spending us into oblivion with social programs. Yes, Catholic democrats will make us equal-we will all be poor and hungry.
michael
7 months ago
Instead of asking what can we do to protect religious freedom we should be asking what can we do to keep Catholics, including countless bishops, from falling into doctrinal error. One last time...no one has a moral right to do something wrong. One doesn't have a right to a direct abortion and no one has a right to sodomitical unions. If we can all accept these obvious points then we should understand that no one has the right to worship a false god or to worship the true God in a false way. This entire religious liberty debate has been totally mishandled by Cardinal Dolan and the entire episcopate. This issue is not about religious liberty. It's about Divine and nature law that applies to all souls. Preach the Commandments first, dear bishops, and they try to educate yourself on a proper understanding of religious liberty and freedom of conscience according to traditional Catholic teaching which remains unchanged according to the very first paragraph of Dignitatis Humanae.

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