Catholics Care. Catholics Vote.

Tuesday, November 8

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Our Conscience Cries Out

"I cannot! I must not! I will not!"  At the recent San Franciso "Stand Up" rally, Fr. Keyes explains how this rallying cry of the past intersects with our historical present.  (Click here or photo for video link.)



Fr. Keyes at S.F. "Stand Up" Rally, June 8, 2012

Excerpt from full speech:

We are not imposing our values on anyone. The government has dictated that employees at Catholic institutions are provided with free contraception, and that is the imposition on our faith and on our conscience. The government doesn't want so much to advance the cause of women's health, but rather, they seek to demonize a faith group that has the "audacity of hope," that they might live their faith free from government interference and intrusion.

Corpus Christi

(C) 2012 On Being Roman Catholic in America

Appropriately enough, on the weekend of the Feast of Corpus Christi, Sacramento, California, being named for the Blessed Sacrament, the Most Holy Eucharist, was one of many sites across the United States where Americans stood up for religious freedom.  More photos on facebook.

(C) 2012 On Being Roman Catholic in America

Cheer! Cheer!

The University of Notre Dame Sues to Stop HHS Mandate

In a U.S. federal district court complaint by the University of Notre Dame filed today against the Obama administration’s HHS Mandate, numbered paragraphs from the legal pleading outline how the federal mandate violates religious liberty for Catholic institutions:  

271. The Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause protect the freedom of religious organizations to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church government as well as those of faith and doctrine.

272. Under these Clauses, the Government may not interfere with a religious organization’s internal decisions concerning the organization’s religious structure, ministers, or doctrine.

273. Under these Clauses, the Government may not interfere with a religious organization’s internal decision if that interference would affect the faith and mission of the organization itself.

274. Notre Dame is a religious organization under the general control and direction of the Roman Catholic Church.

275. The Catholic Church views abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception as intrinsically immoral, and prohibits Catholic organizations from condoning or facilitating those practices.

276. Notre Dame has abided and must continue to abide by the decision of the Catholic Church on these issues.

277. The Government may not interfere with, or otherwise question the final decision of the Catholic Church that its religious organizations must abide by these views.

278. The Government may not interfere with the Catholic Church’s affiliated religious organizations, including Notre Dame, with regard to their religious beliefs on abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception.

279. In accordance with this Catholic doctrine, Notre Dame has made the internal decision that its employee and student health plans may not cover, subsidize, or facilitate abortifacients, sterilization, or contraception.

280. The U.S. Government Mandate interferes with Notre Dame’s internal decisions concerning its structure and mission by requiring it to either facilitate practices that directly conflict with Catholic tenets or face substantial penalties.

281. As a University with a publicly stated goal to ensure that its Catholic character informs all its endeavors, Notre Dame is an integral part of the Catholic Church.

282. The U.S. Government Mandate and its religious employer exemption interfere with the organizational structure of Notre Dame as part of the Church by requiring Notre Dame to include or facilitate coverage for practices that directly conflict with its Catholic tenets but purporting to exempt the Church.

283. Because the U.S. Government Mandate interferes with the internal decisionmaking and organizational structure of Notre Dame in a manner that affects its faith and mission, the U.S. Government Mandate violates the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

284. The Government is also requiring student health plans, including the one currently offered by Notre Dame, to include abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception, and related education and counseling.

285. Defendants have again violated the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment by requiring Notre Dame’s student health plan to include services that violate its religious beliefs, and thereby interfering with the internal decisionmaking and organizational structure of Notre Dame in a manner that affects its faith and mission.

Read the full complaint here.

Our Own Moral Compass

Contrary to what remains of its Catholic identity, Georgetown gave the bully pulpit to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week, who addressed the graduates of the University’s Public Policy Institute with vapid remarks about how they, like she, might find their way through difficult public policy debates. At one point, Ms. Sebelius invoked the ghost of President John F. Kennedy for the misstated proposition that “the separation of church and state [is] a fundamental principle of our democracy.” Others have questioned her reliance on Kennedy’s statement.

What is more interesting--and disturbing--is her proposition that one’s individual “moral compass” directed to the “common good” serves to direct sound public policy. Two quotes from her speech:

So my first hope for you today is that you always hold on to your commitment to work for the common good. If you let that focus guide you, you will never go off course.
***
Contributing to these [public policy] debates will require more than just the quantitative skills you have learned at Georgetown. It will also require the ethical skills you have honed – the ability to weigh different views, see issues from other points of view, and in the end, follow your own moral compass.

Of course, a compass of any worth must be set to the objective truth of true north. The “common good” is not found by resort to our “own moral compass.” Achieving the consensus of our “own moral compass” leads to public policy based on a tyranny of the majority. Seeking the “common good” requires moving beyond the limited sense of “our own moral compass.”

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ full remarks to Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute

Storyboard

Picture:  Newman Club Newark, video

A "storyboard" can refer to a series of thumbnail sketches that lay out the essential elements of the storyline. This video does just that, explaining the threat to religious liberty and the need to repeal the HHS mandate.

Good Company



Most Reverend Daniel Jenkey, Bishop of Peoria
(click picture for text of homily)

We must marvel--too often these days, it seems!--how the Acts of the Apostles, chapters from so long ago, eloquently speak to our modern times. Peter and John, then, and Daniel, now, will not be silenced. (Acts 4:18-20.)

“The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism.”

(Bishop Daniel Jenkey, Peoria) 

June 8

"On June 8, people of faith will hit the streets again to demand that all our health care laws respect the role of religious faith in the public square."

Read more.

Fortnight for Freedom

Stop HHS Mandate - San Francisco
(C) 2012 On Being Roman Catholic in America

On July 4, 2012, the fireworks in the night skies over America will have special meaning for those who participated in the Fortnight of Freedom. Find out more, here.

Staying on Message

On the HHS mandate for religious "employers," Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, keeps the focus, where it belongs, on religious liberty.  Read the interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Rallying Cries

(C) 2012 On Being Roman Catholic in America

The Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally in San Francisco on March 23, 2012, like the day’s companion events throughout the United States, had memorable speakers and many powerful eloquent moments. While RCIA blog could not capture them all--these and other quotes will likely all be found at other sites-- here is a sampling of the day’s “rallying cries.”

“Catholic Charities not an expression of religion?  . . . Unbelievable!”  [on the Administration’s position on who qualifies as a religious employer] – George Wesolek, Public Policy, Archdioceseof San Francisco

 “Don’t force us: We will not do harm!” [on why conscience protection must be observed] – William B. May, President, Catholics for theCommon Good

 “We keep our mouths shut, and evil triumphs everywhere.” [on why Christians can no longer remain silent] – Gary Wagner, Pastor, Reformed Heritage Church

 “The bell that once rang, is still ringing again:  Let freedom ring!”  [on the growing chorus of voices in support of religious liberty] – Rev. Fr. Enrique Morales, Jr., Iglesia de Cristo Nuevo Pacto, San Francisco

 “Send the National Guard to close our (church-run) elementary schools . . . the answer is still No! [on why conscience cannot be compromised] – Dolores Meehan, San Francisco Walk for Life West Coast

“We are here!”  [on the “stand up” presence of Christians and others of faith united for religious liberty] – Walter B. Hoye II, Founder and President, California Civil Rights Foundation

March 23, 2012 - America Stands Up!

(c) 2012 On Being Roman Catholic in America

The Heart of the Matter

In United for Religious Freedom, USCCB March 14 Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate:  A Statement of the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued March 14, 2012, the Bishops re-frame the debate to answer the question: 

So what is it about? 

An unwarranted government definition of religion. The mandate includes an extremely narrow definition of what HHS deems a “religious employer” deserving exemption—employers who, among other things, must hire and serve primarily those of their own faith. We are deeply concerned about this new definition of who we are as people of faith and what constitutes our ministry. The introduction of this unprecedented defining of faith communities and their ministries has precipitated this struggle for religious freedom.

 And why does it matter?  The Bishops explain,

Those deemed by HHS not to be “religious employers” will be forced by government to violate their own teachings within their very own institutions. This is not only an injustice in itself, but it also undermines the effective proclamation of those teachings to the faithful and to the world. For decades, the Bishops have led the fight against such government incursions on conscience, particularly in the area of health care. Far from making us waver in this longstanding commitment, the unprecedented magnitude of this latest threat has only strengthened our resolve to maintain that consistent view.
(Emphasis added.)

Novena

Catholics have many traditions where numbers have significance:  40 days of Lent, 7 sacraments, 10 Hail Marys in a decade of the Rosary, and today, the number is 9 - for novena.  Nine days of prayer in anticipation of the upcoming rally for religious freedom.

Here's Day One:

NOVENA FOR A REVERSAL OF THE HHS MANDATE: DAY 1
Lord God,

You are the Author of Life and Freedom. In Your Spirit, we have the freedom of the children of God, and in Your Name, we promote the freedom of all to seek, embrace, and live the truth of Your Word.

In that freedom, Lord, we your people stand with Life and reject whatever destroys life or distorts the meaning of human sexuality.

In that freedom, Lord, we Your people live our lives in a way that advances Your Kingdom of Life, and we refuse to cooperate in what is evil.

At this moment, therefore, when our government has decided to force us to cooperate in evil, we pray for the grace to be faithful to You and to oppose the unjust laws and mandates that have been imposed upon us and our institutions.

We pray for the conversion of those in civil authority who fail to appreciate the demands of conscience. We pray for the complete reversal of all policies that permit the destruction of life or coerce the cooperation of Your people in practices that are wrong.

Bring us to a Culture of Life.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Full-Court Press

 

In basketball, a full-court press is when a team puts pressure on the opponent along the full length of the basketball court.  In other words, you don't wait for the other team come to your side of the court to defend.  In support of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' call for Catholic action in defense of religious liberty, Ave Maria Radio has taken up this strategy with its all-out Stop HHS campaign.  This "one-stop" STOP provides comprehensive information, late breaking news and commentary, and opportunities to take action.  Game on!