Diary of a Parish Priest

Preserve Religious Freedom

 

Preserve Religious Freedom

A webpage initiative of the Archdiocese of Washington with information about the decision of several Catholic groups in the Archdiocese to file suit against the Obama administration's HHS mandate that Catholic institutions provide coverage for immoral drugs and procedures when they offer employee medical insurance. 

This lawsuit is about an unprecedented attack by the federal government on one of America’s most cherished freedoms: the freedom to practice one’s religion without government interference. It is not about whether people have access to certain services; it is about whether the government may force religious institutions and individuals to facilitate and fund services which violate their religious beliefs.

 

The Archdiocese of Washington, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, The Consortium of Catholic Academis of the Archdiocese of Washington, Archbishop Carroll High School and the Catholic University of America are joining the lawsuit which is only one of twelve lawsuits filed today on behalf of 43 Catholic institutions around the country.

The lawsuits have been filed in eight states and the District of Columbia by the Archdioceses of Washington and New York, the Michigan Catholic Conference, Catholic Charities in Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Indiana, health care agencies in New York and two dioceses in Texas.

In an irony too rich, but also too unjust to savor, the University of Notre Dame is also joining the lawsuits. Perhaps Obama will return his honorary doctorate in protest?

So What Did Sebelius Say?

After all the furor over the ill-advised invitation by Georgetown University to Kathleen Sebelius to speak at the "non commencement event," and the predictable deaf ear turned toward it by the University administration, what did she say?

Well, pretty much work hard, work for the common good, keep your idealism, Carpe diem. She was pretty heavy on the Georgetown sports metaphors (the transcript of the speech I read doesn't transcribe whether there was any hooting or hollering when the teams were mentioned). Which ideals she meant for the graduates to hold onto wasn't clear, but strongly implied that elders don't have them anymore.

She used the word "Catholic" once in referring to John Kennedy's presidential campaign but did not identify herself as one. And she repeated the poorly understood phrase "separation of church and state" which has often been used in an attempt to silence public discussion about moral issues.  (Some critics have noted there was little to fear Catholicism would influence anything Kennedy did, public or private.)  

Some of then-Senator Kennedy’s opponents attacked him for his religion, suggesting that electing the first Catholic president would undermine the separation of church and state, a fundamental principle of our democracy. The furor grew so loud that Kennedy chose to deliver a speech about his beliefs just seven weeks before the election.

In that talk to Protestant ministers, Kennedy talked about his vision of religion and the public square, and said he believed in an America, and I quote, “where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials – and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against us all.”

Kennedy was elected president on November 8, 1960. And more than 50 years later, that conversation, about the intersection of our nation’s long tradition of religious freedom with policy decisions that affect the general public, continues.

 

Indeed it does. Except under Sebelius' watch, it's the federal regulations that are being imposed on Catholics. 

In support of the US Catholic bishops call for faithful Catholics to be heard, Holy Cross will have petitions available for parishioners to sign which call for the protection of religious liberty in the United States.

How Catholic is Georgetown?

Well, according to the Archdiocese of Washington's editorial in its diocesan newspaper:

...Georgetown has undergone a secularization, due in no small part to the fact that much of its leadership and faculty find their inspiration in sources other than the Gospel and Catholic teaching. Many are quite clear that they reflect the values of the secular culture of our age. Thus the selection of Secretary Sebelius for special recognition, while disappointing, is not surprising.

Read their blog post about Georgetown's controversial invitation to Kathleen Sebelius to speak here.

Read the entire editorial in the Catholic Standard here.

Georgetown University was named after the city, which was named after the king...of England that is.

 

The Cardinal Newman Society has an online petition which you may sign to express your dissatisfaction with Georgetown's invitation to Secretary Sebelius.

Georgetown Scandal.com

 

 

The Ironies Have Only Just Begun; Saying Doesn't Make it So

Does the White House not understand the incredible hubris in touting the Affordable Patient Care Act on Mother's Day of all days?! While hyping the misclassification of pregnancy as a "prexisiting condition" in regard to pre-natal care, The White House fails to mention that the Affordable Patient Care Act has trampled upon religious liberties, treats birth control and abortion as "preventive medicine," and may have more to do with preventing Mother's Day than celebrating it! You can't make this stuff up! 

Be Afraid then Write, Email and Call

A Real Three Ring Circus

The media circus over Obama's HHS mandate that religious institutions provide health care coverage for artificial contraception, abortifacients and surgical sterilization grows daily. The cast of characters streaming into the Big Top would be amusing, except that this three ring circus is deadly serious.

Did you know: Every Christian denomination denounced artificial contraception prior to 1930.

Did you know: "The Morning After Pill" prevents pregnancy in some cases by preventing implantation of an already living and multiplying human life?

Did you know: That Natural Family Planning is more effective at preventing pregnancy than female chemical contraception and equally effective as male barrier contraception?

Why do some of our elected representatives feel as though they have the right to challenge the legitimacy of the teaching authority of our bishops by misinterpreting polls on artificial contraception? What about if we put each of the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes to a vote? Or how about if we nullified each commandment we routinely break? Our chuch teachings are ideals to help us strive for holiness, not a political party platform. Jesus himself lost at least one crucial poll...the crowd chose Barabbas. 

The brazen attempt to both minimize the theological objection to artificial contraception and ridicule or ignore the teaching authority of our bishops is bad enough. But coverage for abortifacient drugs and surgical sterlization are also mandated by the HHS directive. 

Bad when politicians turn theologians or preachers, worse still when they challenge our own.

Archbishop Chaput: HHS Mandate "... belligerent, unnecessary and deeply offensive to the content of Catholic belief"

Everything Archbishop Chaput writes is lapidary and clear. The Archbishop's response to President Obama's latest assault on our religious freedoms is no exception:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) refused on January 20 to broaden the exception to its mandate that nearly all Catholic employers must cover contraception, abortifacients and sterilization in their health care plans.

An "accommodation" offered Friday by the White House did not solve the problem. Instead, it triggered withering criticism from legal scholars like Notre Dame’s Carter Snead, Harvard’s Mary Ann Glendon, Princeton’s Robert George and Catholic University of America president John Garvey, along with non-Catholic scholars like Yuval Levin, the religious liberty law firm The Becket Fund and numerous Catholic and other organizations.
Many Catholics are confused and angry. They should be.
Quite a few Catholics supported President Obama in the last election, so the ironies here are bitter. Many feel betrayed. They’re baffled that the Obama administration would seek to coerce Catholic employers, private and corporate, to violate their religious convictions.
But it’s clear that such actions are developing into a pattern. Whether it was the administration's early shift toward the anemic language of "freedom of worship" instead of the more historically grounded and robust concept of "freedom of religion" in key diplomatic discussions; or its troubling effort to regulate religious ministers recently rejected 9-0 by the Supreme Court in the Hosanna Tabor case; or the revocation of the U.S. bishops’ conference human trafficking grant for refusing to refer rape victims to abortion clinics, it seems obvious that this administration is -- to put it generously -- tone deaf to people of faith.
Philadelphians may wish to reflect on the following facts. The Archdiocesan Secretariat for Catholic Human Services spends $278,000,000 annually on services to the community. About 4,000 employees comprise our Secretariat’s work force. Catholic Social Services is the largest social service agency in Pennsylvania and the largest residential care/social service sub-contractor with the Department of Human Services of the City of Philadelphia.
There’s more. Archdiocesan Catholic Health Care Services is the largest faith-based provider of long-term-care services to the poor and elderly in the five-county area, and the seventh-largest nationally. And our Nutritional Development Services ministry serves more than 8 million meals a year to school children, summer programs and child care centers. It also provides 2 million pounds of non-perishable food to needy families and the elderly through its Community Food Program.
Much of the money used by these ministries comes from public funding. But of course, the reason these ministries are trusted with public funding is that they do an excellent job. The service relationship works well without compromising the integrity of either the government or the Church. In fact, in a practical sense, government often benefits more than the Church.
It’s also important to note that many millions of the dollars disbursed are resources directly donated by faithful Catholics to carry out their Gospel mission to serve the needy. For the Church, this makes perfect sense: As a believing community, we share our resources freely and gladly. We’ll cooperate with anyone in service to the common good, so long as we are not forced to compromise our religious beliefs.
But the HHS mandate, including its latest variant, are belligerent, unnecessary and deeply offensive to the content of Catholic belief. Any such mandate would make it morally compromising for us to provide health care benefits to the staffing of our public service ministries. Moreover, we cannot afford to be fooled -- yet again -- by evasive and misleading allusions to the administration’s alleged "flexibility" on such issues. The HHS mandate needs to be rescinded.
Many critics are focusing on the details of this or that particular version of the HHS regulation -- the narrowness of the religious exemption, the breadth of the mandate, the hollowness of the grace period. As useful as this approach may be, it risks wandering into the weeds. The White House response on these points is ambiguous and weak. The true magnitude of the issue is getting lost as just another debate about details.
In reality, no similarly aggressive attack on religious freedom in our country has occurred in recent memory.
The current administration prides itself on being measured and deliberate. The current HHS mandate needs to be understood as exactly that. Commentators are using words like "gaffe," "ill conceived," and "mistake" to describe the mandate. They’re wrong. It’s impossible to see this regulation as some happenstance policy. It has been too long in the making.
Despite all of its public apprehension about "culture warriors" on the political right in the past, the current administration has created an HHS mandate that is the embodiment of culture war. At its heart is a seemingly deep distrust of the formative role religious faith has on personal and social conduct, and a deep distaste for religion’s moral influence on public affairs. To say that this view is contrary to the Founders’ thinking and the record of American history would be an understatement.
Critics may characterize my words here as partisan or political. These are my personal views, and of course people are free to disagree. But it is this administration -- not Catholic ministries or institutions or bishops -- that chose the timing and nature of the fight. The onus is entirely on the White House, which also has the power to remove the issue from public conflict. Catholics should not be misled into accepting feeble compromises on issues of principle. The HHS mandate is bad law; and not merely bad, but dangerous and insulting. It needs to be withdrawn -- now

Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM

 

 

Catholic News Agency post 2/11

Contact the President, Secretary of HHS and Congress over Conscience Protection Clause

I've assembled a collection of links which might be useful if you plan on contacting government officials to let them know of your displeasure with the recent decision of HHS Secretary Sebelius and President Obama to mandate medical insurance which covers morally objectionable medications and procedures for employees of Catholic institutions.

The USCCB has a link to Congress to advocate for legislation which more fully protects the rights of individuals and institutions from coercion of their consciences.

Support Respect for Rights of Conscience Act

Contact the White House

President Obama's email at the White House

Mailing address:

Contact Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at Health and Human Services

 

The USCCB has a good collection of links and articles about conscience protection at their webpage.

USCCB Conscience Protection Critical

Archbishop Dolan's OpEd in Wall Street Journal

Father Manning's Homily For Respect Life on Jan 21, 2012

Tomorrow is the National Prayer Vigil for Life And the Annual March for Life in Washington And boy do we need them.

Last week, President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius determined that money from the school tuition you pay to Holy Cross And some of the collection monies on Sunday which subsidize our school, be used to provide health care coverage for our employees which includes medications, procedures and counseling that flaunts 2000 years of church tradition.

The Washington double‐speak‐filled‐directive which should anger every person who holds a single religious conviction, conceded that the ruling which forces Church employers to fund the immoral procedures, drugs and counsel would respect our religious sensitivities by giving us one year to comply with the ruling. Only one day before the unprecedented and anti‐Catholic ruling by Obama/Sebelius, listen to the truth proclaimed boldly by Pope Benedict to a group of US Bishops meeting with the pope in the Vatican:

"Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. …it is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life."

Swear allegiance to the Roman emperor Or we will cut off your head! Well, at least, close your hospitals, schools and adoption agencies and force you to violate your religious convictions! 

I don’t usually like slogans, but if they make you think…here’s one: The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

Just a slight dip into murky waters of secular media should focus our attention and energize us:

Again and again, we see free speech and open debate stifled whenever the subject of modern marriage comes up in civic discourse. Deviations from the current politically correct definitions are hate speech. (Wisconsin student essay on traditional marriage)

Piers Morgan in an interview with Rick Santorum Responded to Santorum’s traditional Catholic views on marriage and sexuality with the retort: But your views border on bigotry, don’t you think?

The Santorum’s reverent treatment of their deceased newborn’s body many years ago was aubject of mockery by liberal pundits on the Internet and in print.

Google, Coca‐Cola, Apple, The Simpsons - have been around longer than these new secular dogmas on marriage and adoption we are expected to embrace lockstep.

American bigotry toward Catholicism isn’t new or gone. I'm reading Gotham: On The History of New York City From Its Very Beginnings. From the earliest days there were European settlers in North America, Catholics were denied the rights accorded others. On Pope Day, effigies of the Pope and Satan were burned and thrown into the river. Local modern history even until very recently shows the anti-Catholic bias: several local golf and beach clubs were founded primarily for Catholics, who could not easily gain entry into establishment groups. The Knights of Columbus offered Catholic family men life insurance which they could otherwise not obtain. Where was the largest KKK march in the US in 1924? ?  Long Branch. Recall that the KKK not only hates blacks, but Jews and Catholics as well.

The news isn’t all bad though: Last week the US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of religious groups to set their own qualifications for ministry. A Lutheran church had dismissed one of its religion teachers and the Justice Department brought suit for her reinstatement under the ADA act, alleging discrimination because of disability. The supreme court reaffirmed the right of the church to hire its ministers as it sees fit. 

Archbishop Dolan, president of the USCCB, has criticized the Administration's insurance mandate and will be studying the church’s options.  Pray for Archbishop Dolan. We need bishops with fire in the belly on this issue. 

Let us stay informed: you contribute the donations and pay the tuition and I endorse the checks which would pay for this immoral insurance. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and read, read, read: American History, Church history, regional history, the church teachings on life issues and the moral reasoning behind these teachings, discuss the issues.

Write Congress, Sibelius, Obama. Write the reporters, editors, media outlets when their anti-Catholic bias shows. Then we should vote as if our faith depended on it!

Guess Who our Pilgrims to the March for Life in Washington Met?

 
Bishop O'Connell !

 

 
Thanks to our frost-tested travellers for representing Holy Cross and witnessing for life!

Vigil for All Nascent Human Life

 

Pope Benedict has asked that prayer vigils be held at the beginning of Advent to pray for a greater respect for all unborn human life. The time of expectant waiting for Jesus seems a perfect opportunity to be mindful of the vulnerability Jesus took upon himself in the Incarnation, and the vulnerability of all powerless and voiceless human life.

We will pray a Vigil for Human Life on Wednesday, December 1st at 6:30 PM at Holy Cross Church. This will coincide with the beginning of the Advent Family Retreat, but will also include any parishioners who are not taking part in the Family Retreat but wish to join in prayer for life.

It is planned to have prayer, song, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and some time for private reflection and meditation.

 

Two Laudable Resolutions to Honor Mother Teresa

 

Assemblyman Jay Webber / 973-884-6190

Assembly Republican Press Office / 609-292-5339

 

June 10, 2010

 

WEBBER INTRODUCES RESOLUTIONS TO COMMEMORATE 100th BIRTHDAY OF MOTHER TERESA

 

CALLS ON EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TO RECONSIDER DENYING REVERED WOMAN THE SAME HONOR GIVEN TO

COMMUNIST DICTATOR MAO ZEDONG

 

            Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris and Passaic, introduced today two Resolutions to honor Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta on August 26, 2010, the 100th anniversary of her birth.  On June 1, Assemblyman Webber announced that he would be introducing these Resolutions.   Assemblyman Peter Barnes, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, and Assemblyman Erik Peterson already are joining in sponsoring these bipartisan Resolutions.

The first resolution, AR-92, responds to the Empire State Building Lighting Partners’ rejection of an application to illuminate the Empire State Building in blue and white, the colors of the congregation Mother Teresa founded, the Missionaries of Charity.  Last Fall, the Partners approved of lighting the tower in red and yellow to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist revolution, whose dictator Mao Zedong was responsible for the deaths of millions of people.  In the past the Building also has been lighted for other less consequential figures such as the Grateful Dead and Mariah Carey.  The Resolution urges the Partners and owner Anthony Malkin to reconsider their decision to disqualify Mother Teresa.

"So let’s see whether we have this straight from Anthony Malkin and his Partners:  Worthy of lighting the Empire State Building are Mao Zedong, Mariah Carey, and the Grateful Dead — but not Mother Teresa, who helped shape the 20th century through her compassion and caring,” stated Webber.  “It is perverse that the Empire State Building Partners and Mr. Malkin would choose to honor an oppressive Communist regime defined by terror and tyranny, but then refuse to honor a life-saving humanitarian whose life was selflessly dedicated to easing the pain of the suffering and sick.  The absurdity of this situation towers nearly as tall as the skyscraper itself.”

"Outside Calcutta, few places have been more touched by Mother Teresa than our metropolitan area," stated Webber. "Her Missionaries of Charity minister to the poor in the Bronx and across New Jersey, from Newark to Plainfield to Asbury Park.  The New York City skyline is a treasured part of daily life for millions of New Jerseyans, many of whom have been helped or inspired by the heroic life of Mother Teresa.  On their behalf, I ask the Empire State Building Lighting Partners to use their powerful icon to honor Mother Teresa.  Such a tribute in lights would be fitting for a woman who brought the light of love to so many suffering in darkness," continued Webber.

The New York City Council is scheduled to consider its own resolution calling on the Building Partners to reconsider its decision denying Mother Teresa an honoring in lights.

The second resolution, AR-93, would declare August 26, 2010, to be Mother Teresa Day in New Jersey, to honor and celebrate her centennial.  Mother Teresa received in her lifetime 124 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Medal of Freedom.

            "New Jerseyans of all beliefs and backgrounds agree that Mother Teresa will be a model of selflessness for centuries to come, and I call on my colleagues in the Legislature to join me in honoring her extraordinary life and work,” concluded Webber.

            Both resolutions are attached.

Empire State Lighting for Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Day in New Jersey

NJ Assemblyman Jay Webber Introduces Resolutions to Honor Mother Teresa

WEBBER TO INTRODUCE RESOLUTIONS TO COMMEMORATE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF MOTHER TERESA

CALLS ON EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TO RECONSIDER DENYING REVERED WOMAN THE SAME HONOR GIVEN TO COMMUNIST DICTATOR MAO ZEDONG

 Sept 30 2009 Lights to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of People's Republic of China

Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris and Passaic, will introduce two resolutions to honor Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta on August 26, 2010, the 100th anniversary of her birth.

The first resolution responds to the recent rejection of an application to illuminate the Empire State Building in blue and white, the colors of her congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, on Mother Teresa’s centenary. The Empire State Building Lighting Partners denied the request without explanation.Yet last Fall, the Partners approved of lighting the tower in red and yellow to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist revolution, whose dictator Mao Zedong was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. The resolution urges the Partners and owner Anthony Malkin to reconsider their decision.

"Outside Calcutta, few places have been more touched by Mother Teresa than our metropolitan area," stated Webber. "Her Missionaries of Charity minister to the poor in the Bronx and across New Jersey, from Newark to Plainfield to Asbury Park. It is absurd and beyond belief that the Empire State Building would honor an oppressive Communist regime defined by terror and tyranny, but refuse to honor a life-saving Catholic woman defined by compassion and caring.

"The New York City skyline is a treasured part of daily life for millions of New Jerseyans, many of whom have been helped or inspired by the heroic life of Mother Teresa. On their behalf, I ask the Empire State Building Lighting Partners to use their powerful icon to honor this great saint. Such a tribute in lights would be fitting for a woman who brought the light of love to so many suffering in darkness," continued Webber.

The second resolution would declare August 26, 2010, to be Mother Teresa Day in New Jersey, to honor and celebrate her centennial. Mother Teresa received in her lifetime 124 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Medal of Freedom.

"New Jerseyans of all beliefs and backgrounds agree that Mother Teresa will be a model of selflessness for centuries to come, and I call on my colleagues in the Legislature to join me in honoring her extraordinary life and work,” concluded Webber.

Assemblyman Jay Webber / 973-884-6190

Obama Proclamation 2010 and 2009

President Obama has declared June to be National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. There was an interesting change on the President's website from 2009 to 2010 in the wording of the language of this proclamation.

May 28, 2010 version of the Proclamation: (excerpt)

Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.

June 1, 2009 version of the Proclamation: (excerpt)

Much work remains to fulfill our Nation's promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.  That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. (emphasis mine)  We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits.  We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment.  I am also committed to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.

Read the official version of the proclamation  2009 Version

   Here's the 2010 Version

Read about the powers of a presidential proclamation at Wikipedia

 

  

New England Journal of Medicine Hails Catholic Health Association and Leadership Council of Women Religious for Their "Pro-Life" Support of Obama's Health Care Reform

 Many have written about the damage done by the CHA and the Leadership Council of Women Religious because of their support for the recently passed Health Care reform bill.

Here's a bit more of the fallout: George Annas, JD, MPH a frequent contributor to NEJM, who has criticized restricting a woman's right to abortion, recently authored an article congratulating the CHA and Leadership Council of Women Religious for their support of the Health Care Reform Act without the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to explicitly exlude elective abortions as a health care benefit. Here's the concluding paragraph:

"Perhaps the most conspicuous winners are the Catholic Health Association of the United States and the Catholic women's religious orders, whose members deliver health care in 1200 facilities and organizations nationwide. In mid-March, shortly before the final vote, both groups came out very strongly in favor of the Senate bill without the Stupak-Pitts amendment; the nuns noted that the bill "will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions. It will uphold longstanding conscience protections, and it will make historic new investments...in support of pregnant women. This is the REAL pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it." Amen."

(The cynical co-opting of pro-life language is the responsibility of the nuns group. The cynical use of "Amen" to conclude the less than prayerful opinion piece, is George Annas'. A congratulations from the pro physician-assisted suicide NEJM is only a Catholic merit badge in certain circles. Since Annas does not use the nuns' formal title, I wonder if he is aware that there is another group representing "Catholic religious orders?")

The US Bishops, however, and their legal consultants, concluded that the bill did not adequately protect the individual consciences of those opposed to abortion, nor continue the ban on the use of federal funds for abortions. Here's their statement:

 Health care reform must protect life and conscience, not threaten them. The Senate bill extends abortion coverage, allows federal funds to pay for elective abortions (for example, through a new appropriation for services at Community Health Centers that bypasses the Hyde amendment), and denies adequate conscience protection to individuals and institutions.

The regulations to prevent clever channeling of federal funds to abortion coverage have not yet been written. The bill's provision to allocate federal funds to Community Health Centers (e.g. run by Planned Parenthood) also did not concern CHA or LCWR.

Since the media didn't cover the statement by the "other" nuns leadership council, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, here is their statement:

In a March 15th statement, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, president

of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on behalf of the United

States Bishops in opposition to the Senate’s version of the health care legislation

under consideration because of its expansion of abortion funding and its lack of

adequate provision for conscience protection. Recent statements from groups like

Network, the Catholic Health Association and the Leadership Conference of

Women Religious (LCWR) directly oppose the Catholic Church’s position on

critical issues of health care reform.

The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the second conference of

Major Superiors of Women Religious in the United States, finds the provision of

the bill to include expansion of abortion funding and fails to include conscience

protection. We believe the bill needs to include the Hyde Amendment as passed by the House in November.

Protection of life and freedom of conscience are central to morally responsible

judgment. We join the bishops in seeking ethically sound legislation.

As Annas confides in his article, "There's no politics like abortion politics." How true. It is unfortunate that some Catholic groups are aligning themselves with those who have no interest whatsoever in limiting abortion or anything that the Church teaches, for a slice of the federal pie. At least Judas didn't keep the money.

The Real Pro-Life Stance - Health Care Reform and Abortion Funding, New England Journal of Medicine

US Bishops to House of Representatives: Fix Flaws or Vote No on Health Care Reform Statement from Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

Statement from Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

Statement from Leadership Conference of Women Religious 

The photo shows life-saving surgery on a baby within its mothers womb.

Archbishop Chaput on the New Health Care Legislation

 The archbishop has some sobering words for the not-so-Catholic Catholic Health Association.

But the actions of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) in providing a deliberate public counter-message to the bishops were both surprising and profoundly disappointing; and also genuinely damaging.  In the crucial final days of debate on health-care legislation, CHA lobbyists worked directly against the efforts of the American bishops in their approach to members of Congress.  The bad law we now likely face, we owe in part to the efforts of the Catholic Health Association and similar “Catholic” organizations. 

Read the Archbishop's entire column here.

Executive Order to Limit Abortion?

Ironic that our president has promised to sign an executive order limiting the scope of the legislation he twisted so many arms, and dangled so many carrots to pass. In viritually the first act of his taking office, he rescinded a previous executive order which forbade the use of federal funds for non-governmental organizations which offered or promoted abortion as a means of population control. President Obama's administration has also made the "morning after" pill available at all US military bases around the world. Many believe that despite its name, it may work not only as a contraceptive, but as an abortifacient as well.

Executive orders come and executive orders go. The US Bishops have issued a statement asking us to remain vigilant that the legislation already passed protects individual consciences and refrains from funding abortions as federal policy.

Holy Cross Students Earn Diocesan Respect Life Awards

Congratulations to all our Holy Cross students who participated in the poster, essay and video contest sponsored by the Diocesan Office Of Life and Justice Ministries.

This year several Holy Cross students submitted entries which were recognized with awards:

• John Paul Burgess 1st place video grades 6 -8
• Mia DeLauro 1st place essay grades 6 - 8
• Gillian Passarella 1st place video grades 3 - 5
• Daniel Koutris 2nd place essay grades 3 - 5
• Holly Koerwer 3rd place video grades 3 - 5
• Francesca Zoppi 3rd place poster grades 3 - 5

The award winning entries will be displayed at St. Anthony of Padua's Parish Center on March 13 as an important component of the Diocesan Witness for LIfe Mass and Procession in Trenton. Bishop Smith will recognize the creators of the winning entries at a reception back at St. Anthony's at the conclusion of the prayer procession and rosary at Planned Parenthood in Shrewsbury.

Everyone is invited to pray the mass and participate in the Prayer Procession. Not only would it make an excellent Lenten offering to the Lord, but it is a wonderful public witness of our Catholic faith.

Hate Speech?

In case you didn't see the much maligned and highly anticpated ads during the Superbowl featuring Tim Tebow and his mother Pam, here is one of them. The first spot aired before the game and this, the second ad, aired during the first quarter.

What's amazing is that the controversy was generated by groups labelling themselves in favor of choice. The pre-game hysteria surrounding the (as then unseen ad) ad by pro-choice groups makes one wonder.

New Study Shows Some Patients in Vegetative State Actually Aware

 Ever since Pope John Paul II and later the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued guidelines which encouraged, then presumed the use of feeding tubes for persons in the vegetative state to be measures of “ordinary care,” neuroscientists have been learning more about impaired states of awareness.

News media coverage of Terri Schiavo’s medical condition was not particularly helpful, especially since many reports confused “coma” with “vegetative state (VS).” It was clear from several videotapes of Terri that she was not in a coma, and that she was awake, but that wasn’t the medical problem. Was she ”awake but not aware,” – that is the true definition of vegetative state.

Medical researchers wondered if some patients who are now classified as being in a vegetative state might actually be conscious (that is aware, not simply awake) but unable to express themselves (due to paralysis, for example).

Dynamic MRI studies measured patterns of brain activity of persons diagnosed as being in the vegetative state after they were asked questions and to imagine specific scenarios. In a way, the scans read minds, even when the person couldn’t respond with externally visible signals. These scans detected willful and predictable brain activity in some patients who were thought incapable of it. Re-examination of some of these patients at the bedside revealed detectable signs of responsiveness to questions – responses which had been missed despite careful examination by experts. Physicians could find no signs of clinical responsiveness in one patient whose scan showed awareness. The only patients in the study who showed any signs of brain scan awareness had suffered traumatic brain injury, not stroke or oxygen deprivation.

The study supports the idea that a small percentage of patients thought to be in VS are actually aware and might be able to communicate if given the means to do so. Awareness may be present with subtle and missed clinical responses, or present without any detectable clinical signs.  Researchers hope that further studies will enable such patients to report whether they are in pain, and perhaps to express their thoughts and influence their environment.

Recent church teaching that even persons in vegetative states should ordinarily receive tube feedings has been controversial. This study supports the idea that a significant number of persons diagnosed as being in the vegetative state are actually minimally conscious. Routine clinical examination fails to detect some of these patients.

It will be interesting to see whether ethicists and clinicians respond to this study with skepticism, indifference, or heightened concern that we are starving some patients who are aware by failing to feed them. On the other hand, I am sure it will occur to someone to ask such persons if they wish the feedings stopped. More information doesn't guarantee more wisdom.

The article from the New England Journal of Medicine is here.

A balanced interpretation of the Papal teachings and those of the CDF by the Catholic ethicist Daniel Sulmasy, MD, OFM is here.

Tim Tebow is Preaching at the Superbowl

"This ad is frankly offensive, " said Erin Matson, the Action Vice President of the National Organization for Women, speaking of the Tebow commercial. "It is hate masquerading as love. It sends a message that abortion is always a mistake." (I don't think anyone has actually seen the ad yet. Fr M.)

 And who exactly is Gregg Doyel of CBS sports? He has unilaterally proclaimed the day of the Superbowl "the holiest day of the year" and off limits for serious and potentially controversial discussion. I presume he means only divisive discussions about religion --- surely all the discussions about football that day end in agreement and harmony! "It's not a day to discuss abortion. For it, or against it, I don't care what you are. On Super Bowl Sunday, I don't care what I am. Feb. 7 is simply not the day to have that discussion," writes Doyel. 

Here's the kind of conversation the National Organization of Women and others are vehemently opposing during Superbowl commercials. Something tells me Tim Tebow wouldn't call SuperBowl Sunday the "holiest day of the year."

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

But do you gird your loins;

stand up and tell them

all that I command you.

Be not crushed on their account,

as though I would leave you crushed before them;

for it is I this day

who have made you a fortified city,

a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,

against the whole land:

against Judah’s kings and princes,

against its priests and people.

They will fight against you but not prevail over you,

for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.