Cardinal Dolan praises judge’s HHS mandate ruling, chides New York Times
December 14, 2012
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has welcome a US district court judge’s ruling that the Archdiocese of New York’s lawsuit against the HHS mandate may proceed.
“Of course, there is still a long way to go before these cases are final, and it would be our hope that the administration will be true to their word and amend the HHS mandate so that it does provide a real religious exemption and freedom of conscience protection,” Cardinal Dolan wrote in a blog post. “Until then, we will continue to seek justice in the courts. Thanks to last week’s decision in Federal Court in Brooklyn, it looks like we will have that chance.”
Cardinal Dolan also chided the failure of local media, particularly The New York Times, to cover the decision:
Did you hear about the decision last week by U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in the lawsuit brought by the Archdiocese of New York, ArchCare, (the agency coordinating our Catholic healthcare in the archdiocese) and three plaintiffs from the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, against the administration for the unconstitutional HHS mandate?
You probably did not, as there seems to have been virtually no mention of the decision – in favor of the archdiocese, by the way – in any local newspaper or on television. As far as I can tell, and I’ve looked rather carefully, there hasn’t even been a story in the New York Times, which couldn’t wait to publish an editorial this past October, admonishing the bishops, when a federal judge in Missouri found for the administration and dismissed a similar case brought by a private, for-profit, mining company. (The Times also didn’t have much to say last week, when the appeals court temporarily blocked the bad Missouri decision the Times had gushed over.)
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Further information:
- Cardinal Dolan: HHS Mandate Decision (The Gospel in the Digital Age)
- Judge rules that Archdiocese of New York’s lawsuit against HHS mandate may proceed (CWN, 12/6)
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Posted by: Bveritas2322 -
Dec. 15, 2012 3:02 PM ET USA
You're right. And if Cardinal Dolan were true to the reality of the situation, he would characterize the HHS mandate as not merely an affront to religious freedom but a tyrannical act that is compelling the Church in particular and the private sector in general to crimes against humanity.
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Posted by: unum -
Dec. 15, 2012 12:27 PM ET USA
I too am unclear about the Cardinal's position on the issue of religious freedom. Is he still willing to make a "deal with the devil", or is he willing to go the whole distance to have the SCOTUS uphold our constitutional freedom of religion? Judge Cogan seems to have no such uncertainty about the intent of the Obama administration and the need to uphold the Constitution..
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Posted by: -
Dec. 14, 2012 12:01 PM ET USA
Unfortunately, the clear implication of Card Dolan's remarks is that, if the administration is true to its word (!) and the offensive mandate from HHS is amended, the Obamacare legislation is okay.
