At their annual fall gathering in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops issued a
message voicing their continued opposition to the federal contraception
mandate and the threats that it poses to religious liberty.
“We stand together as pastors charged with proclaiming the Gospel in its
entirety. That Gospel calls us to feed the poor, heal the sick, and
educate the young, and in so doing witness to our faith in its
fullness,” noted the Nov. 13 message from the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops.
“Our great ministries of service … strive to answer this call every day,
and the Constitution and the law protect our freedom to do so. Yet with
its coercive HHS mandate, the government is refusing to uphold its
obligation to respect the rights of religious believers.”
Passed unanimously, the message was the first statement issued by the
general membership of the bishops’ conference since the previous day’s
election of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., as the
group’s president and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as
its vice president. Their terms officially begin at the conclusion of
the bishops’ meeting on Nov. 14.
The bishops’ statement renewed their opposition to the HHS mandate, or
federal contraception mandate, which requires employers to offer health
insurance covering contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can
cause early abortions, even if doing so violates their religious
convictions.
Issued under the Affordable Care Act, the mandate is being challenged in
lawsuits by more than 200 plaintiffs across the country. The lawsuits
are currently in different stages of the judiciary process and could
reach the Supreme Court in a future term.
Although the Obama administration went through a lengthy process to
revise the mandate, religious freedom advocates warn that the changes
are not sufficient to secure the constitutionally-protected right to
free exercise of religion.
The bishops said that protection of religious freedom, “especially as
threatened by the HHS mandate,” is among their priorities, and went on
to quote the words of Pope Francis: “In the context of society, there is
only one thing which the Church quite clearly demands: the freedom to
proclaim the Gospel in its entirety, even when it runs counter to the
world, even when it goes against the tide.”
They identified three ongoing concerns surrounding the mandate: a
reduction of religious freedom to mere freedom of worship; the
compulsion of Catholic ministries to participate in the providing of
abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception; and the compulsion of
Catholics owning for-profit businesses to act against Catholic teaching.
“Despite our repeated efforts to work and dialogue toward a solution,
those problems remain,” they said. “Not only does the mandate undermine
our ministries’ ability to witness to our faith, which is their core
mission, but the penalties it imposes also lay a great burden on those
ministries, threatening their very ability to survive and to serve the
many who rely on their care.”
The lack of a solution to the impositions against religious freedom, the
bishops continued, is “all the more frustrating,” as the Church “has
long been a leading provider of, and advocate for, accessible,
life-affirming health care.”
“We would have preferred to spend these recent past years working toward
this shared goal instead of resisting this intrusion into our religious
liberty. We have been forced to devote time and resources to a conflict
we did not start nor seek.”
However, America's bishops reiterated their “resolve to resist this
heavy burden” and to protect religious liberty. “Even as each bishop
struggles to address the mandate, together we are striving to develop
alternate avenues of response to this difficult situation.”
“We seek to answer the Gospel call to serve our neighbors, meet our
obligation to provide our people with just health insurance, protect our
religious freedom, and not be coerced to violate our consciences.”
They also expressed their gratitude to non-Catholic Americans who share a
concern for the right to religious liberty, and said, “it is our hope
that our ministries and lay faithful will be able to continue providing
insurance in a manner consistent with the faith of our Church.”
“We will continue our efforts in Congress and especially with the
promising initiatives in the courts to protect the religious freedom
that ensures our ability to fulfill the Gospel by serving the common
good.”
Concluding their message, the bishops invoked the example of St. Frances
Cabrini, whose feast day was being celebrated. They said that the woman
religious, who is a patron saint of immigrants, was “a brave woman who
brought the full vigor of her deep religious faith to the service of the
sick, the poor, children, the elderly, and the immigrant.”
“We count on her intercession, as united we obey the command of Jesus to serve the least of our brothers and sisters.”
Kim Daniels, spokesperson for the president of the bishops’ conference,
said the statement shows that the bishops remain united and are not
letting up on their efforts to secure religious freedom.
“This message was passed unanimously,” she told CNA. “It's remarkable
that the bishops continue to stand united in their opposition to the
mandate and in their desire to witness to the fullness of the Gospel.”
“The bishops are standing together as pastors to support the ability of
Catholic ministries to fulfill their core mission of witnessing to our
faith in its fullness while serving the common good,” she continued.
“Like others, the bishops are trying to come to grips with the
complexities of this burdensome law, and each bishop is determining how
best to respond. It's a very difficult situation and all are engaging in
careful review.”