Bishops rip HHS mandate; Bishop Zubik: ‘to hell with you’
January 27, 2012
Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh, Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, and Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, Virginia are among the bishops urging Catholics to oppose the Obama administration’s mandate that requires religious agencies to offer contraceptive and sterilization coverage to their employees.
Bishop Jenky has directed all priests to include the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at all Sunday Masses until the issue is favorably resolved. The prayer is to be offered for the intention of the freedom of the Catholic Church in the United States.
“It comes like a slap in the face,” writes Bishop Zubik. “The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’ There is no other way to put it … Kathleen Sebelius and through her, the Obama administration, have said ‘To Hell with You’ to the Catholic faithful of the United States. To Hell with your religious beliefs, to Hell with your religious liberty, to Hell with your freedom of conscience.”
“Nobody, not even the president of the United States or anyone who represents him, has the right to say to you and to me as U.S. citizens, as Catholics, or as both: ‘To Hell with You.’ The president and our elected leaders need to hear from you and me and to listen to us NOW.”
Bishop Loverde said: “I am absolutely convinced that an unprecedented and very dangerous line has been crossed that goes to the heart of the freedom of religion, and that this action does intolerable violence to our First Amendment rights.” He encouraged Catholics in his diocese, which abuts Washington, DC, to “be prepared to engage in a strong defense in the civil arena of the basic human right of religious liberty.”
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Further information:
- Archbishop Gregory Aymond calls health coverage mandate a threat to conscience for Catholics (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
- Bishop Zubik: ‘To Hell With You’ (Diocese of Pittsburgh)
- Jenky urges area Catholics to oppose health care guidelines (Peoria Journal Star)
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Posted by: hartwood01 -
Jan. 29, 2012 5:45 PM ET USA
Well,the voters can choose between: (1)Increased involvement in any foreign nation's affairs,and the certainly of more death and destruction of the innocent by the wars that follow, and, (2)Offering contraceptive/abortion services to all,no matter what their beliefs. Life is cheap,whether in the womb or in uniform.
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Posted by: Gregory108 -
Jan. 28, 2012 10:47 PM ET USA
Let's all re-read "Faithful Citizenship." Maybe we'll find the answer there. Let's all vote in a balanced manner. We don't want to be crazy single-issue voters! I too agree with Hal. Where were the bishops when "the Evil was skulking in caves and gathering strength?" Instead the bishops allowed It to fester because It promised help for the poor, mercy to aliens and health care for all for free for life! And because their grandfathers and fathers were of that working-class Party. It's here!
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Posted by: ILM -
Jan. 27, 2012 10:49 PM ET USA
The expression "if you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas" comes to mind.
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Posted by: Athelstan -
Jan. 27, 2012 7:20 PM ET USA
May all of our bishops come to the realization that Catholics have no friends in the Obama administration, and that we are at war with militant secularists, atheists, and pro-abortionists. We cannot "do business" with them; we must defeat them--politcally and spiritually.
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Posted by: AgnesDay -
Jan. 27, 2012 6:10 PM ET USA
And who, pray tell, has taken responsibility to warn "Catholic" Secretary Sibelius of God's impending "To Hell with you?" by ecclesiastical discipline? Let's get over the snits and start doing our jobs, Reverend Bishops!
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Posted by: Frodo1945 -
Jan. 27, 2012 6:01 PM ET USA
After a meeting with Obama last Nov 14th, Archbishop Dolan had this to say - "But I would say this: that I found the president of the United States to be very open to the sensitivities of the Catholic community that were worried about an intrusion into religious liberty." Duped again, and again, and again.
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Posted by: sparch -
Jan. 27, 2012 10:47 AM ET USA
I agree with Hal. So much for the Church supporting social justice programs through the government. A great mistake. What did they expect from programs conceived and promogated by secularists who control the federal purse strings. The catholic advocates for the federal healthcare are now saying, we didn't mean for it to be this way. It's too late. You were taken in. Now we all pay, in more ways than one.
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Posted by: Hal -
Jan. 27, 2012 10:06 AM ET USA
Well, well, well. Episcopal spine alert. Would have been nice to hear it 4-5 years ago when the gathering evil was skulking in its cave and grwoing stronger through the USCCB's pusullanimous actions. Guess what Bishops? They've now 'come for us".
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Posted by: wolfdavef3415 -
Jan. 27, 2012 9:36 AM ET USA
Here is a link to Archbishop Dennis Schnurr's letter in the Catholic Telegraph. Archdiocese of Cincinnati. http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/a-letter-from-archbishop-dennis-m-schnurr-concerning-hhs-edict/5749
