Archbishop to U.S. Troops: Obamacare Reg 'Is a Blow to Freedom'

2/7/2012

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his Jan. 28 telephone conversation with Army Secretary McHugh, Archbishop Broglio was able to extract from the secretary an admission that it had been wrong for the secretary to try to silence the Catholic chaplains. The archbishop decided that the line in his letter that said Catholics cannot and will not comply with the "unjust law" of the HHS regulation would not be read aloud in Catholic Masses by the chaplains, but that the rest of the letter would.

The line stating "we will not ... comply with this unjust law" did remain, however, in the printed letter that was distributed at Masses said by Army chaplains and it remains in the copies of the letter posted on the website of the Archdiocese for the Military.

"Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop's letter," said the statement by the archdiocese. "Additionally, the line: 'We cannot--we will not--comply with this unjust law' was removed [from the reading of the letter] by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.

"The AMS did not receive any objections to the reading of Archbishop Broglio's statement from the other branches of service," said the archdiocese's statement.

Archbishop Broglio's letter minced no words in telling Catholics in the Armed Forces that the federal government was not only violating their constitutional rights through the new Obamacare regulation but was also violating the constitutional rights of all Catholics, while harming the freedom of religion generally.

"It is imperative that I call to your attention to an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith," wrote the archbishop.

"The federal government, which claims to be 'of, by, and for the people,' has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people-the Catholic population-and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faith," wrote the archbishop.

"It is a blow to a freedom that you have fought to defend and for which you have seen your buddies fall in battle," said Archbishop Broglio.

The archbishop made clear that the regulation seeks to force not only Catholic institutions but also individuals, employers and insurers to provide and/or purchase immoral services.

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees' health coverage the includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception," said Archbishop Broglio. "Almost all health insurers will be forced to include these immoral 'services' in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies."

Archbishop Broglio declared that the Administration's regulation was an "unjust law" and warned that Catholics would resist it.

"In so ruling," he wrote, "the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying Catholics our Nation's first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty.

"And, as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to choose between violating our consciences or dropping health care coverage for our employees (and suffering the penalties for doing so)," said the archbishop.

"We cannot-and will not-comply with this unjust law," he wrote.

When she finalized the regulation last month, HHS Secretary Sebelius said she would give religious non-profit organizations-such as Catholic hospitals, universities and charitable institutions-until Aug. 1, 2013 to "adapt" to the new regulation and comply with it. For Catholic business owners, insurers and individuals the rule will take effect this Aug. 1.

In comments on the regulation submitted to HHS in September, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called it an "unprecedented attack on religious liberty" and urged the administration to completely rescind it. "The HHS mandate should be rescinded in its entirety," the bishops said.

In November, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, personally made the Catholic Church's case for rescinding the regulation to President Barack Obama.

Over the past week, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has repeatedly defended the regulation, saying at one point that it did not raise any "constitutional issues."

A spokesman for the Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains told CNSNews.com that the office sent an email out to senior chaplains around the world a week ago Friday asking that Archbishop Broglio's letter not be read during Mass last Sunday but only be mentioned during Mass and then handed out afterwards.

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CNSNews.com is a division of the Media Research Center, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Like National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, CNSNews.com is able to provide its services and information to the public at no cost, thanks to the generous support of our thousands of donors and their tax-deductible contributions.This article is reprinted with permission.

Keywords: Army chaplians, Obamacare, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Military chaplains, Health Care Law

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1 - 10 of 14 Comments

Hooter
1 month ago
Ever read the Didache codex teaching of the Apostles, goes back to the first generation followers of the way, ACTS 15...... Abortion is listed among the grave sins.... Get over it liberals (Seekers of Smooth Things), for two thousand years your not going to change the church.. We have faced tougher foes in our history.. This isn't canon law, rather Gods law Shall not Kill....
Irl Gladfelter, LTC, USA (RET)
1 year ago
The problem is that military chaplains serve two masters. In order to serve as a military Chaplain, a clergyman must be in good standing with his Church (the endorsing institution) and serve in the chain of military command under the terms and provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. When there is a conflict between the two, a chaplain has recourse to his endorsing institution, but he must obey the lawful orders of his chain of command. He can question the legality of an order only after obeying it to the letter. Conflicts of substance between military policy as set by the Federal Chaplain's Board through the chain of military command and a Church's doctrines such as this incident is may possibly leave the sponsoring institution (in this case the Military Ordinariate) with no choice but to rescind the sponsorship of chaplains because of conflicts between military requirements and Church doctrine. It is up to the Military Ordinariate and its Bishop to be sure that the Chaplain's Board be fully aware of the doctrinal requirements of the Catholic Church; to be aware that there are boundaries which cannot be crossed by the Church and its priests; take steps to be sure that those boundaries are not approached by the military; and if crossed, take whatever actions are necessary, including the removal of Catholic chaplains from military service. I would truly hate to see it come to that, but the fact is that there are boundaries, which the Church can not and will not cross; which it will not permit its military chaplains to cross; the Federal Chaplain's Board and the Chief of Chaplains of the Armed Forces know precisely where those boundaries are. Then, if the situation is not resolved in a way satisfactory to the Catholic Church, in consultation with the USCCB and the Vatican, to take whatever action is necessary to preserve the integrity of the Church regardless of the consequences.
Betty
1 year ago
As a Catholic health care worker, who have spent many years working in maternal and infant care, I love babies. I also know first hand that women and girls will get and use birth control no matter with the church says, they have faith in God that they are doing the right thing for their bodies, and that He has unconditional love for them. Thye will also have abortions for unwanted pregancies, some by health care professionals and others by butchers.. No man should tell a female that she has to carry and give birth to a child that she is not prepared to mother. No child should be born of parents that resent them.
robert
1 year ago
wake up catholics...and every other religion for that matter..This is only a "nudge"...it is not about contraception it is about secular irradication of organised religion which the current administration despises.....france circa 1789..."we shall strangle the last priest with the guts of the last King."....pretty extreme...yes...but , the intent is the same...67 million catholic voters now is the time to stand up for God and your Country that currently allows you to recognize your God...
Renton
1 year ago
I served in the military myself and think that this comming from the pulpit is not seperation of church and state but is a political statement to support a particular political party. why is it okay to prescribe viagra to enhanse sexual activity? why does't the church condem the use of birth control and say those who use it should not recieve the sacrament of the holy euchrist? If the church is always right, explain to me how the why Galliao was excommunited. OH just a mintake because of ignorance or execution of power. Those of us that have served in the military served to protect our counry and preserve our rights and freedom. one of the rights and freedoms is seperation of church and state.
Woody
1 year ago
If the Catholic church accepts federal monies they have to play by the rules. Simple as that.
Tom Roe
1 year ago
This is why Government should not be involved in health care. Any time the Government gives you something, they can control you. No matter what it is. Slipper slope
George Ronald Adkisson
1 year ago
This is a good month for a discussion about freedom or even any form of slavery...not enjoying that freedom of choice and finding it levied upon you...by rulers that do not measure one measure the equal of those within the Church.
In the book of Philemon...Paul made it clear from the cell he was imprisoned in...using Onesimus as example what his view of slavery was...period.
You never put an individual or group of individuals in those circumstances and not know just what you will miss...and Onesimus was a good example...as Onesimus had even been accused of being a thief to grant his return to a fellow Christian that was polity told...slavery is not a characteristic of a Christian... Paul also made it clear he expected as usual, his friend or even we make a place for him to visit when he was freed and returned to thank his friend or us personally.
I have to recall it was Paul too...that stated he would join hands with us and in any event see us then and there in a blink of an eye.That man Paul, was confident.James would then even say...correct. Thomas would have to whisper...we already should know what to do...less the sky would have burning boulders falling down from it.
Everyone have a pleasant day...
Tom Evans
1 year ago
I do believe that the Catholic church has made way too much of this whole discussion. Birth control is not an affront on the church, the teachings of the church nor the sanctity of marriage. There has been a freedom to married couples to use artificial means to prevent pregnancy. With the way that the world is now, people should have the right and the ability to practice birth control. The president is not dictating what a person does, but only giving the freedom to people who work for facilities that are owned by the church but not a purely religious insititution to use birth control. The real issue to worry the church should be abortions. As the president said at a graduation ceremonies at Notre Dame, the real issue is to prevent unwanted pregnancies before they happen and not have to make the decision to abort them later.
Bill Barter
1 year ago
I am Catholic and abide with my church. However, my health care is a personal thing and not something for my employer to "cherry-pick" or to know what I or my family does. Healthcare is a human right in my opinion it is a shame that it is not for all. It is a shameful too that a medical person causes these grave sins to occur or the me (s) that commit them. Was Christ not tempted by Satan? Look what happens in Iraq, Europe (not too long ago) and most countries that religion dominated the law. My advice is to live with it...teach what is wrong...give unto Caesar what is Caesar. Pitting American against American is just plan wrong, too.

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