Tough Times Ahead: Courageous Cardinals and Catholic Action

By Deacon Keith Fournier
3/8/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

It is time to engage in Catholic Action, each according to our distinct and complimentary role.

"It is a freedom of religion battle.It is not about contraception. It is not about women's health. We're talking about an unwarranted, unprecedented, radical intrusion" into "a church's ability to teach, serve and sanctify on its own". The cardinal warned of a secularized culture which "seems to discover new rights every day.Now we hear there's a right to sterilization, abortion and chemical contraceptives."

Timothy Cardinal Dolan

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WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - In a powerful speech delivered to over 1,000 people engaged in public policy activism, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York again showed his mettle. We are fortunate to have him at the helm of the United States Conference of Catholic bishops during the growing conflict with the contemporary Caesar called the Obama Administration. Any Catholic commentator complaining about the Bishops somehow not showing courage needs to get a new script.

The Cardinal spoke to a Diocesan convention at Holy Trinity High School held in preparation for the annual lobbying day in Albany New York on March 13, 2012. He reminded them, and all of us, "We are called to be very active, very informed and very involved in politics." He spoke of the Federal Governments current effort to compel the Church to provide contraception, abortion inducing drugs and sterilization in their social outreaches or face punitive measures:

"It is a freedom of religion battle.It is not about contraception. It is not about women's health. We're talking about an unwarranted, unprecedented, radical intrusion" into "a church's ability to teach, serve and sanctify on its own." The cardinal warned of a secularized culture which "seems to discover new rights every day.Now we hear there's a right to sterilization, abortion and chemical contraceptives."

He affirmed what the Church has taught since the Second Vatican Council that the lay faithful are called to the primary role in this struggle. He explained that while priests and Bishops "stick to principles.we leave a lot of the messiness of politics up to you." In his characteristically self deprecating manner he told the crowd, "In the public square, I hate to tell you, the days of fat, balding Irish bishops are over."

Cardinal Dolan is one of the great communicators of our age. In "The Gospel in the Digital Age" he recently posted "I Owe You an Update." He summarized the struggle: "Over the last six months or so, the Catholic Church in the United States has found itself in some tension with the executive branch of the federal government over a very grave issue: religious freedom. Can a government bureau, in this case the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), define for us or any faith community what is ministry and how it can be exercised? Can government also coerce the church to violate its conscience?"

He warned of tough times ahead and affirmed another brave Bishop, Francis Cardinal George: "So, we have to be realistic and prepare for tough times. Some, like America magazine, want us to cave-in and stop fighting, saying this is simply a policy issue; some want us to close everything down rather than comply (In an excellent article, Cardinal Francis George wrote that the administration apparently wants us to "give up for Lent" our schools, hospitals, and charitable ministries); some want us to engage in civil disobedience and be fined; some worry that we'll have to face a decision between two ethically repugnant choices: subsidizing immoral services or no longer offering insurance coverage, a road none of us wants to travel."

In a February 26, 2012 column in "Catholic New World" the Cardinal from Chicago wrote: "This year, the Catholic Church in the United States is being told she must "give up" her health care institutions, her universities and many of her social service organizations. This is not a voluntary sacrifice. It is the consequence of the already much discussed Department of Health and Human Services regulations now filed and promulgated for implementation beginning Aug. 1 of this year.

"Why does a governmental administrative decision now mean the end of institutions that have been built up over several generations from small donations, often from immigrants, and through the services of religious women and men and others who wanted to be part of the church's mission in healing and education? Catholic hospitals, universities and social services have an institutional conscience, a conscience shaped by Catholic moral and social teaching. The HHS regulations now before our society will make it impossible for Catholic institutions to follow their conscience."

"So far in American history, our government has respected the freedom of individual conscience and of institutional integrity for all the many religious groups that shape our society. The government has not compelled them to perform or pay for what their faith tells them is immoral. That's what we've meant by freedom of religion. That's what we had believed was protected by the U.S. Constitution. Maybe we "were foolish to believe ...

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1 - 10 of 21 Comments

Joseph
7 months ago
I find it curious that the part of the church that hires lay people as clerks and administrators has manged to twist the discussion from their unconscionable attack on the rights of people they employ to an attack on the churches religious dogma.
vance
1 year ago
Tough Times Ahead, yes indeed. Obama and the Marxist Democrat Party promise that tough times are here and more to come.
Gerald Grosek
1 year ago
There is no reason to panic. I assume Canadian women have the same birth control available as is in Obamacare. Christ never wanted to use a man made government to convey his ministry on earth. Christ created the Catholic church to do His work on earth. Our Catholic leaders should be spending all their time and resources spreading the Good News instead of talking politics. We can create a better sociaty by changing peoples hearts. People obey mans laws for fear of fine or imprisonment. People obey Gods laws because of Gods love. Let us fill our churches with followers and not worry about mans laws.
techwreck
1 year ago
While the article correctly points out the courageous actions of our cardinals, it fails to mention their actions as a part of the USCCB that played into the hands of a government that has been moving toward a "war on religion" for years. Mark Steyn has an excellent column on the war on religion that looks at the growth of progressive governments and the problem that religion presents to that growth. He also comments on the politicization of the Church which plays into the hands of progressives. Steyn's column is at - http://www.steynonline.com/4857/the-church-of-big-government
Mickey F
1 year ago
Looks like Obama is trying to bring us to a full government religion. Isn't that what Islam is all about?
Bill Sr.
1 year ago
A look behind the headlines these past few years will show anyone with a clear conscience that a new religion has sprung up among our population. It is not Christian, Jew, Muslim nor any other. It is not out of the Bible or Koran. It is Humanism gone wild. It is not divinely nor intellectually inspired. It speaks not of heaven or hell. It is an out growth of mans pathetic dream of divinizing himself and creating Utopia on Earth.
This latest Babylonian attempt to be something other than what God created us to be will also ultimately fail. In the meantime it has found great favor with those who cherish privilege without price through a governmentally granted modern day monarchs of sorts as a reward for their rejection of all other religions which in one way or another may oppose their desires to become masters of human life and its future.
As we well know it is doomed for failure but at the present those who subscribe to its charter of corruption are unfortunately in power in Washington. The majority of Americans, thank God, are unwilling to be controlled be such zealots and we pray the voices of reason and common sense will prevail in November and put an end to this madness.
DLL
1 year ago
"The Sexual Revolution" and "Women's Liberation" is all about maintaining the "Culture of Death". Sex became as a result lewd,crude and rude. Sex became for fun,a spectator sport and vulgar. Pornography became freedom of speech. Pregnancy became a disease that should be controlled especially in poor people because they can not afford having children and those children become the burden of society and not a joy. Women wanted to be as crude as the men they hated who also acted and behaved crudely with them. Abortion and soon assisted suicide and euthanasia,culture of death issues will become a "Human Right". Any institution that chooses to reject the "Culture of Death" and their motives and mandates will experience persecution,especially the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church won't even accept the total destruction of the concept of "Traditional marriage " or family,so that institution is the primary target for persecution. This Catholic institution wants to say that the right of "Religious Freedom" is becoming affected and destroyed but the "Culture of Death"says it is about "Woman's health" this is not true, The issue is about religious freedom!
The "culture of death"has always acted in total defiance of God and the Holy Catholic Church. Unveiled the culture of death is the religion of "Secular Humanism" it seems all of whom are relative thinkers and enemies of all religious thinking and morals. Planned Parenthood is such an organization and President has pledged total political allegiance to them during his last presidential campaign as has the Democratic Party. The real war against women and children is against the sanctity of womb not the violation of it. Today violation of the womb of women in every sort of an abominational way is what is being redefined as "A Woman's Right " to choose. That is the real violence against the inherent dignity of women and the lives of women,this is not a war about taking some kind of pill only. Pregnancy is a blessing not a disease. Poly cystic ovaries is a disease that is treated as a medical problem and insurance helps. Insurance companies have in general loaded their benefit packages with deductibles and co pays for all sorts of medical problems and will continue to do so. That is a problem. When insurance is the only solution for paying exorbident medical bills and everyone must pay to have an insurance policy to avoid bankruptcy, that is to me socialized medicine. Insurance companies are not fair and equitable these days,they decide what is they will or won't pay for concerning any given disease situation,that is a problem for everyone. There is another of many battles with a society run by a culture of death. The culture of death will eventually have total control of who lives and who dies and when. That is the war. Our society must have religious freedoms to act in defense of all of this.
Bill Donahue
1 year ago
Thomas Paine commented about the American Revolution that "these are the times that try men's souls." The 'summer' patriot will run away when hard work is to be done. That was written during Valley Forge. The darkest time of the Revolution. The true believer will stay and fight he said. How similar it is today. Cardinal Dolan is a powerful speaker and leader. We, as Catholics, should take stock of our values and, I hope, follow his lead. These are the times that will try our souls. May we stand as steadfast as the original forefathers who founded a nation "under God, with liberty and justice for all."
Barbara Logan
1 year ago
Bravo Cardinal Dolan, Bravo US Catholics - from New Zealand I salute you. Indeed we need to raise our voices as one and stand against the wickedness without and within. By within I mean those in the Church who follow New Age, liberal and anti-Christ messages instead of humbling following God's way as expressed in His Word and through His Church.
God bless you faithful ones!
David Marazon
1 year ago
How serious is the church about it's teaching of the sancity of life? As a 66year old life long catholic,i wonder! The Bishops have yet to publicly chastize any of the government officials, Nancy Palosi, Kathalene Sabilius, Marcy Kaptur,and Joe Beiden just to name a few. They and their public support of infantaside, the murder of the unborn, are leading millions of souls to eternal damnation. Still the Church has remained silent . Why? Through it's own lack of
public action; the Church has given a silent go ahead, buisness as usual. I shall continue to pray for the most inocent of the holocost, but shall do nothing further untill the bishops step up

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