Many moderate to liberal bishops across America are opposing the anti-Obama rhetoric they see from more conservative colleagues such as Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne is reporting.
Dolan yesterday lashed out at the Obama administration against claiming that President Obama’s health care policy is “strangling” religious freedom.
The Cardinal said: “I worry that members of [President Obama’s] administration might not particularly understand our horror at the restricted nature of the exemption that they’re giving us.
“For the first time we can remember, a bureau of the federal government seems to be radically intruding on what the term of a church is.”
However, bishops in California in particular are seeking a more moderate line on the issue of health care rights and seeking to forge a compromise with the Obama administration.
Dionne points out that only 13 of the 105 dioceses across the country joined the recent law suit against the Obama administration.
Many Catholic Bishops wanted a compromise, he stated.
“Until now, bishops who believed that their leadership was aligning the institutional church too closely with the political right had voiced their doubts internally.
“But in recent months, a series of events — among them the Vatican’s rebuke of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, encouraged by right-wing U.S. bishops — have angered more progressive Catholics and led to talk among the disgruntled faithful of the need for a “Catholic spring” to challenge the hierarchy’s shift to the right,” Dionne wrote.
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., has now taken on his more conservative colleagues, Dionne reported.
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In an interview with America, the Jesuit magazine, Blaire stated that groups “very far to the right” are turning the controversy over the contraception rules into “an anti-Obama campaign”.
“I think there are different groups that are trying to co-opt this and make it into [a] political issue, and that’s why we need to have a deeper discussion as bishops,” he said.
“I think our rhetoric has to be that of bishops of the church who are seeking to be faithful to the Gospel, that our one concern is that we make sure the church is free to carry out her mission as given to her by Christ, and that remains our focus.”
Meanwhile, lawyers for California’s bishops said the lawsuits against the Obama administration would be “imprudent” and “ill-advised.”
Many moderate bishops have highlighted Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore as well as Dolan as being the key figures behind the anti Obama drive.
Dionne wrote that “Bishop Blaire believes discussions with the Obama administration toward a resolution of the dispute could be fruitful even as alternative remedies are explored.
Cardinal Dolan told CBS show “This Morning” that the compromise reached over the health plan policy earlier this year was insufficient because the exemptions being made for the Church are too restrictive.
He said, “They tell us if you're really going be considered a church, if you're going to be really exempt from these demands of the government, well, you have to propagate your Catholic faith and everything you do, you can serve only Catholics and employ only Catholics.
"We're like, wait a minute, when did the government get in the business of defining for us the extent of our ministry."
The Catholic institutions are suing in protest over the government’s requirement that most employers provide birth control coverage as part of employee’s health plans. After initial protest from Catholic establishments, Obama offered to soften this rule so the insurer would pay for the birth control, rather than the religious groups.
Dolan, the bishops, and the other Catholic groups suing the Obama administration, feel that this doesn’t go far enough.
Speaking to CBS, Dolan criticized Georgetown University’s decision to invite Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services Secretary, to speak to graduates last week.
He said, “Well, I do think that's a problem. Georgetown is the oldest Catholic university in the country. Part of Catholic identity is to be in union with the bishops.
"When they would invite someone that is so dramatically at odds with one of the central tenets of the faith, that does bother us."
Georgetown University President John DeGioia defended the university's decision to invite Sebelius as evidence that the university "is committed to the free exchange of ideas."
The New York Post commented that in 2008, Barack Obama had 54 percent of the Catholic vote. According to a Gallup poll last month, Catholics are now evenly split between Obama and the Republican hopeful Mitt Romney.
Here’s the CBS “This Morning” interview with the New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan:
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Frosty38 | Sep 30, 2012, 05:18 PM EDT
How many seniors that you know of worry about birth control DA However they do worry about this priest. Wants some attention
pilib04 | Jun 10, 2012, 08:59 PM EDT
Pittsburghkid, please! Dolan gives out $20gs to child raping priests and you compare his to Becket. Have you no shame?
Pittsburghkid | May 29, 2012, 02:52 PM EDT
Cardinal Beckett stood up to King Henry II. Cardinal Dolan is standing up to King Obama. It is the duty of the Catholic Church to stand up for the vunerable. No person is more vunerable that the child in a mother's womb. Abortion Pills kill these vunerable children, and leave their mothers an emotional wreck.
Intercessor | May 27, 2012, 01:15 PM EDT
To KatieMurphy: Great job in exposing Cardinal Dolan. I think that it would really be funny if a Grand Jury were convened in Wisconsin, solely for the purpose of exposing him and the "Funeral Trust Scams!" If the Landmark trial up in the Philly area is successful, where a member of the hierarchy is proven guilty for Covering Up Priest Pedophilia," then Cardinal Dolan, along with others, will be "running for cover," probably back to the Vatican!
Intercessor | May 27, 2012, 01:10 PM EDT
The US Council of Catholic Bishops, led by Cardinal Dolan, is trying to "High-jack" the upcoming Presidential Election in November 2012 by turning the US electorate away from the Democratic Party. Personally, I am an Independent, with Republican leanings, but if I were a staunch Republican I wouldn't want the US Council of Catholic Bishops in my Political Party, base on moral grounds, alone! Cardinal Dolan is also using this gripe against Obama as his political Soap Box, because he probably aspires to being named the first American Pope!
KatieMurphy | May 27, 2012, 12:23 AM EDT
If you dig deep enough you will find that Dolan both cooked the books in Milwaukee as archbishop, putting the diocese money into funeral trusts rather then paying some restitution to the victims of the molestation. I have a couple websites where it also shows how eg this "cardinal" kept in ministry a known molester priest. Of course he needs the priests to keep the collection plate full. Yes I know there are good bishops, but like the repub party who terrorize and throw out any but their extremist T party members, the church does the same re decent bishops...........This btw is the perfect definition of tyranny.
rugbyplayer | May 26, 2012, 06:39 PM EDT
I am no fan of Timothy Dolan of New York whom I regard as arrogant, pompous and a fascist. I am surprised, however, that the word "moderate" is even applied to any Roman Catholic bishop in the USA and even the world. The late John Paul II and Benedict XVI have engaged in actively ridding any existing prelate with progressive leanings and making sure that any newly appointed bishop follows the dogmatic anti-progressive Vatican line. That being said, I do hope that more moderate bishops reject Dolan's arrogant and partisan anti-Obama tactics. Dolan is no Democrat and I am sure he wishes and will do every sly thing he can to encourage Catholics to vote for Romney and the GOP. The RC Church US hierarchy is playing a dangerous political game and I hope Catholics everywhere will shun and disavow them.
EamonnDublin | May 26, 2012, 04:34 PM EDT
"Eiriamach" - I agree with you that not all, or even the majority of, Catholics who use contraceptives consider that doing so is immoral. Some of them, as you say, would have seriously considered it and, following their own conscience genuinely, will have come to the conclusion that is not immoral for them to use it. There are, of course, others who will indeed consider it immoral, but, for reasons I have given earlier, decide to go ahead and use it anyway. And, by the way, I am most certainly not in any way judging those latter people - as I say, we are all human beings, with human strengths and weaknesses, me well included! Trust you to extract another admission from me! To be honest, I thought you would come back - but I knew it would get past HollowBack because she can't see much through the red mist, plus she has all that ringing in her ears, etc. Have a good weekend! Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.
eiriamach | May 26, 2012, 01:45 PM EDT
let's agree to disagree, Eamonn, on this issue. Consider, though, that if you are right that the 82% believe contraception to be wrong but use it anyway, how much moral guilt Humanae Vitae has generated for Catholic couples over the decades. That's perhaps the "tragedy of historic proportions" that Fox refers to. I still believe those Catholics capable of thinking through and reaching a conclusion that differs from the bishops' yet is logical, informed by medical facts, and morally respectable. Then their alienation from the bishops would be the tragedy. Thanks for the reply and best wishes!
eiriamach | May 26, 2012, 01:30 PM EDT
Sorry, Eamonn, I can't believe 82% of Catholics (not all of whom actually use contraceptives at the time of the poll) think contraceptives are immoral yet they say they approve of them. More likely, many of the 82% conscientiously reject the bishops' teaching, as well as humanae vitae, which lacks any basis in scripture. In "Retreat from Theology's Frontiers" (on the net), Thomas Fox writes, "Yet for more than a generation now our church’s hierarchy has stifled healthy theological give-and-take.... Consider the deep and unhealthy divide that continues between married couples and official church pronouncements on artificial contraception. Why this divide? ... healthy discussions in the field of moral theology have not taken place since Humanae Vitae, pronounced in 1968. This has been a tragedy of historic proportions and it can be traced to a stilted understanding of natural law, and the interplay of faithful Catholics with the world in which they live. Church teachings on matters of sexuality ... simply do not hold up for many faithful Catholics. Our church teachings have become divorced from human experience.... According to a recent Pew Research Center report,... one out of three U.S.-born Catholics has left the church, many of them citing church teachings on sexuality."
EamonnDublin | May 26, 2012, 06:07 AM EDT
Hi, "Eiriamach" - I was just trying to draw a parallel and, in doing so, yes, I agree that I could have drawn a better one. However, I still consider that the gist of my point stands up. On the other point, where some appear to consider that the fact that 82% of Catholics use contraception means that those Catholics do not consider contraception to be immoral, this argument simply does not stand up. Simply because somebody does something surely does not mean that they consider it to be morally acceptable? It might simply be that the person using the contraceptive uses it for numerical control of their family in order that they can exist more affluently, or because they are single and do not want a baby, or because they are married and do not want a baby, or for whatever reason. I might (and I intend no disrespect to those who use contraception by my use of this, perhaps too strong, example), I might decide that a close friend, or relative, is about to disclose something about me that I would prefer others not to know. I might decide that I will go to any lengths to stop this information being made public. I therefore decide to kill the third party in order to silence them. My decision is made in the full knowledge that what I am doing is not morally acceptable, to me or to anybody else. Yet, I still go ahead and do it. I know I am wrong in doing so, but I have decided on my route. The same decision criteria apply in many other areas, including, as I have said, the use of contraception. "I know this is not right, but I am going to do it anyway". That is human nature. If none of us did anything immoral, or that we felt to be immoral, it would be a perfect world. It is not. Best Wishes, Eiriamach - good to hear from you! Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.
eiriamach | May 25, 2012, 03:11 PM EDT
I'll just add that bishops are notoriously under-schooled in theology. They are appointed for their administrative skills, not their moral wisdom. Perhaps that area of ignorance would not be a serious disadvantage if they read the works of theologians. But the USCCB's recent suppression of Sister Elizabeth Johnson's "Quest for the Living God," together with their instruction to theologians to stick to catechism (!) tells me that the bishops are doing no more than retreating into medieval thinking that rejects science. Galileo is still under house arrest by the USCCB. Can anyone name one theologian of national stature whose work the bishops cite in support of their position? No, because theologians have been silenced since Vatican II, driven from the universities, their works censored because they all urged the pope not to issue the opinion that found its way into the much-regretted Humanis Vitae, universally rejected by the sensus fidelium.
eiriamach | May 25, 2012, 02:52 PM EDT
EamonnDublin, I respectfully disagree. There are no experts in the moral law, which by its nature is universal, unwritten, and timeless, knowable by all who have the gift of reason. Some can reason their way to a moral precept better than others, sure, but these people are not likely to be a "nuclear expert" or a "medical consultant." I would agree with you that their knowledge of relevant FACTS "trumps the opinions of people who are not experts in those fields." But their expertise endows them with no particular MORAL wisdom and sometimes slants their views of the moral/immoral uses of the technologies they understand so well. Facts ain't values. But in the present case, Cardinal Dolan does not have his medical facts right; Notre Dame's lawsuit makes several incorrect and insupportable statements about how contraceptives work. Nor can I agree with their moral reasoning (where you think they are the "experts"?), and 82% of Catholics also disagree with their position that any use of hormonal contraceptives is immoral. That 82% has no less "expertise" in the moral law than the Cardinal has. Are you confusing expertise with authority?
Peggy P | May 25, 2012, 02:14 PM EDT
The Calif. Moderate Bishop Stephen Blaire did not say bishop's oppose Anti-Obama line of Cardinal Dolan. What they said was Church's campaign against mandate is becoming too political and could hurt the church. I did not hear or read where these clergy men as seeking a "compromise" on this mandate when they know there cannot be one. Found your article a bit slanted.
Los Leandros | May 25, 2012, 11:16 AM EDT
I'm alway's amazed at those who argue that the government should stop giving taxes to the Church. Well where does the government collwct it's taxes ?. Answer, from it's citizens, a substantial majority of whom are religious ; Catholic/Protestant. By this logic the government should stop funding public schools, as it is inequitable to the majority religious tax paying public.
EamonnDublin | May 25, 2012, 04:55 AM EDT
"Hollabackgurl" - For the same reason that a nuclear expert's opinion, or a medical consultant's opinion, trumps the opinions of people who are not experts in those fields. QED. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.
Tippergirl | May 25, 2012, 02:56 AM EDT
Testing,testing 123
hollabackgurl | May 25, 2012, 01:18 AM EDT
Why should the bishops religious opinions trump everyone elses religious opinions?
Tedmiller | May 24, 2012, 11:55 PM EDT
I was baptized a Catholic, not a Republican. I fear that attempts by bishops to influence political elections could jeopardize the tax exempt status of religious institutions.
markday | May 24, 2012, 11:35 PM EDT
Dolan is a blowhard and should not be taken seriously just because of his Irish heritage. Dolan and the Republican bishops are whining about their consciences being violated by the Obama administration over the birth control issue. But many people are asking where the bishops parked their consciences when all the little boys wdere being raped and these crimes were being covered up. Consciences, my ar__! Don't forget, every dime you put into the collection plates is an act of complicity, supporting these clowns. they need to be stopped not only for the good of the church, but for American democracy.
jflanagan | May 24, 2012, 10:01 PM EDT
If the President, as he pretended in his "compromise", can mandate the Insurance Companies have to supply this coverage for the Church Institutions at no cost to them, why doesn't he just mandate they provide it for everyone? Then he doesn't have to prove there is no hidden "premiums" making the institutions pay for the coverage in the background. Then the institutions wouldn't have a leg to stand on, since it is completely removed from their premiums. You won't see it happen, I don't think, because this is really about setting precedent to override the First Amendment. That First Amendment also allows these posts and wouldn't that be a shame to lose if this precedent gets the ball rolling?
Yankee724 | May 24, 2012, 09:33 PM EDT
The only group of whackadoodles more liberal than the editors of "IrishCentral" (really "Irish Left") is the state of California. The lawsuits from Catholic institutions now number 44, not 13, and they all defend the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (Freedom of Religion),something with which Irish Central is not familiar or well-versed. If there is a chance to speak out for dissension against the Catholic Church, IC will certainly be in the lefty fore-front. Why don't you clean up your own Irish issues, such as the child abuse rampant with Irish doctors? "MR"(not President)Obama is the largest Communist, Muslim sore ever to appear in America...and he isn't even an American! All good Catholics will pray that he is gone in Nov 2012. God bless America.
jflanagan | May 24, 2012, 09:29 PM EDT
It is a constitution matter, not a matter of morality or opinion. First they throw out not infringing on the free practice of religion, then they throw out the right to free speech and congregating.
cogwheel | May 24, 2012, 09:29 PM EDT
This is not about contraceptives, but the definition of Religion. H&HS people are telling the Church they can only control their health care to employees if they only deal with people of the Catholic Religion. In other words , they can't hire or give health services or any other aid to anyone not Catholic. Then they compromise by saying the Church dose not have to pay, the insurance companies must. Who do they think pays the insurance companies?
hollabackgurl | May 24, 2012, 08:12 PM EDT
89% of U.S. adults say birth control is moral - including 82% of Catholics. Gallup's Values and Beliefs survey of 1,024 U.S. adults, conducted May 3-6 found 90 percent of non-Catholics agree birth control is morally acceptable. "Catholic leaders are no doubt aware that many of their parishioners use birth control, but these data underscore the divide between official church teaching and Catholics' day-by-day behaviors," Gallup officials said.
irishpjk | May 24, 2012, 07:30 PM EDT
California the location of the outspoken Bishops, and the papers that wrote the stories will always come out in support of the liberal left so nothing new there. Just remember many are called but few are chosen. I do not expect all the bishops to follow the teachings of our catholic religion. It is time for the people in this country to take a good look at where we are heading, do you want a government holding your hand from the womb to the tomb or would you rather have a country where people stand on their own two feet and fend for themselves. We can still take care of the weak and helpless, but let’s make more people helpless by forcing them to pay for lazy people who will not try to help themselves.
kaydog1 | May 24, 2012, 06:59 PM EDT
"EIRIAMACH", if someone's connection to a health insurance company is solely through their employment, then it is sheer sophistry to claim that their contraception is being paid for by the insurance company alone. Setting aside for the moment the way the Obama "Executive Order" that "the insurance companies pay" violates the "taking" clause of the Constitution (maybe next time Obama will Executive-Order YOU to pay for seanomelbourne's psychotherapy meds...), the Health Insurance company ONLY has money because they get this money from the businesses and individuals that contract with the insurance company for service. Any money, therefore, that the insurance company spends on contraception services for an employee of a Catholic employer necessarily DERIVES FROM THAT EMPLOYER AND OTHER SUBSCRIBING EMPLOYERS. To pretend that RELABLED money is somehow DIFFERENT money is akin to me relabling 'your car' as 'my car', and then driving it away - would you fall for that? Of course not - only an IDIOT would accept that line of reasoning - but that is the reasoning Obama is offering here.
milfordmama | May 24, 2012, 06:27 PM EDT
Come November, I hope that all people of faith, be it Catholic or another religion, vote to make Mr. O a one term president. The separation of church and state means that citizens cannot be forced to join a particular religion or church. It also means that the government cannot dictate policies contrary to the beliefs of a particular religion and force that religion or church to comply, (unless of course it was a church who was breaking the law). Forcing any Catholic operated facility ie hospital, shelter, school, to pay for birth control and/or abortion meds is just plain wrong and I pray that every Catholic who voted for Mr. O last time has come to realize how he has waged a war on Catholics since he took office. As for Mr. Dionne, it is no surprise that he sides with Mr. Obama, you can tell by watching him (Mr. D) on TV that he "adores" him, especially now that Mr. O has come out in favor of gay marriage.
mayoman | May 24, 2012, 06:25 PM EDT
seanomelbourne: Thank you, Sean. You are a rare sane voice here, and I'm in agreement with you entirely. If Cardinal Dolan wants to weigh in so heavily in politics, he can do so without all the tax-exempt benefits the Church has been so generously granted. That should cool him off a bit. I should also add that it now seems to me that Cardinal Dolan is intently running for Pope. The fatuous Dolan as Pope: God help us all!
seanomelbourne | May 24, 2012, 06:10 PM EDT
The Catholic hierarchy is now a branch of the GOP,stifling debate and vilifying those priests and nuns who disagree with their right wing agenda. All churches should pay their due taxes after all the billions they save on their tax free status could go to the poor and the dispossessed and give health care to the middle classes. Now would that not be the Christian thing to do!!
windrider48 | May 24, 2012, 05:49 PM EDT
Remember in grade school when we went to religious educations classes? Yes, I was one of tnose "bad" Catholics who went to public school. My penance was Friday afternoons in religions classes. We learned way back then that the Catholic Church had centuries upon centuries of establishe dogma and tradition. I was also impressed upon us that it was never "easy" being a Catholic. I'm amazed at all those "Catholics" who think those centuries of practice will simply change at the whims of modernity. I would be shocked had Bishop Dolan NOT taken the stance he has. For those "moderate" Bishops and other "moderate" Catholics there IS an alternative...become a Protestant. God Bless All Here.
seanomelbourne | May 24, 2012, 05:47 PM EDT
As I have stated before the extreme right have taken over the running of the church stifling debate and vilifying those who object.They (the church) are now an arm of the teahadist GOP and all tax benefits should be revoked.
HorsesInMdstrm | May 24, 2012, 05:15 PM EDT
A couple of earlier posters have pointed this out, but I'd like to expand it a bit. Catholic (and all other churches) receive government subsidies. Most clergy pay no income tax at any level. Donors to churches get a tax deduction for their contributions. Churches pay no property tax and no taxes on any investment income. When churches purchase goods and services, they pay no sales tax. Churches can benefit from faith-based initiatives, receiving payments from the government. There are other subsidies. Churches perform valuable charitable tasks, and this is exemplary. Catholic churches, in particular, do not ask whether the recipient is Catholic or not. But there is no doubt that all of us, whether we are believers or not, that we are subsidizing Cardinal Dolan and his like-minded people. If I use the same argument, I should be outraged that such a man should receive a dime in aid from the government for anything except charitable functions that the government would have to perform if the church did not. So let the good Cardinal eschew such subsidies, and then he might have cause to file such a lawsuit. After he made sure that all the children in the care and influence or the church are safe from predators. That's HIS job #1.
dwilson94 | May 24, 2012, 05:00 PM EDT
It has nothing to do with Freedom From Religion as one person mentioned. Don't work for Catholics if you don't like their healthcare packages. Find a doctor that works out of a different hospital if you don't like the services a Catholic hospital provides. Don't send your kids to Catholic school if you want them to get free condoms. It's as simple as that.
pilib04 | May 24, 2012, 04:45 PM EDT
eiriamach, some pretty well-reasoned posts there. Go raibh maith agat.
Gearoid4 | May 24, 2012, 04:44 PM EDT
Catholic dioceses, religious organizations and lay-groups have been galvanized, right across the US and are presenting a united front against the insidious insurance policy legislation in Obama's Healthcare mandate. This article is slanting the argument in favor of so-called "moderate" bishops who supposedly have not entered the lawsuit instigated by the indefatigable Cardinal Dolan. But the reality is somewhat different from that propagated by Liberal ideologues. 191 U.S bishops or 100% of dioceses have voiced their very firm opposition to the objectionable parts to the Obamacare legislation, from a religious point of view. Iconic Catholic Institutions of higher learning, like Notre Dame have joined up with a multiple number of other religious bodies and groups of ordained and laypeople, to partake in lawsuits against the same legislation. With a concerted effort, the objectionable parts or the whole legislation can be struck out at the Supreme Court level.
pilib04 | May 24, 2012, 04:43 PM EDT
It took a while, but the voices of moderation are beginning to rise to the surface within the Church. I imagine attacking the Girl Scouts and the Sisters is not scoring a lot of points among Catholics. Start denying communion to anyone who does not sign an oath regarding artificial birth control and the Church would save millions on wafers. It's so sick, that it really is funny.
PiperMac52 | May 24, 2012, 03:42 PM EDT
Moderate Bishops???? They either support the teachings of the church...or they don't. In which case the are abrogating their duties. Obama's mandate is a historical first in American history eroding the first amendment freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution to every Religion.
sgrotzky | May 24, 2012, 03:11 PM EDT
I can't believe so many people are myopic about what the Constitution states. It's not only freedom of religion, but freedom FROM religion. No religion may force it's beliefs on another. And that is precisely what the Bishops are trying to do. Any employee of a Catholic hospital or university can be forced to follow their tenets unless they choose to go outside their insurance and purchase a rider to cover birth control. If that person is Jewish, how can you consider that the church is not enforcing it's beliefs on others? The answer is simple, but they'll never support it since 62% of the Church in the US's revenues come directly from federal funds. So basically, the church wants it both ways. Give us your federal funds and we'll force those of other faiths who work for us to support our tenets. This is wrong on so many levels.
McNamara31 | May 24, 2012, 02:59 PM EDT
“I think there are different groups that are trying to co-opt this and make it into [a] political issue, and that’s why we need to have a deeper discussion as bishops,” Bishop Stephen E. Blaire ***The Jesuit's have it right again
peterson | May 24, 2012, 02:56 PM EDT
attaboy hermittalker--you are right on !!
redhand32 | May 24, 2012, 02:53 PM EDT
Why are any "moderates" or "liberals" (I hate labels as a right wing substitute for actual independent thought) so surprised ? The hierarchy has as long as I can remember been on the wrong side of history. Didn't the Catholic bishops bless the Blue Shirts at Dun Laighoire as they martch off to fight for Franco and his Nazi allies ? In the US Wild Bill Donohue, coat holder for the US bishops, wants even hetero couples "shacking up" to be jailed ! He dismisses much of the pedo-enabling as some vague gay agenda left-wing conspiracy ! We reasonable THINKING Catholics must conclude that Herr Ratzinger and his coven threw the Church laity under the bus yet again in order to maintain their criminal right wing conspiracy of silence interrupted by anti-Obama rant.
keltyeire | May 24, 2012, 02:42 PM EDT
We need more like the good Cardinal it goes to what happened to division of church and state I believe the church can interpet its own beliefs without interference vote gathering efforts from either party
eiriamach | May 24, 2012, 01:52 PM EDT
The Obama administration has not violated the First Amendment. Obama and Sebelius are making certain that all Americans, not only Catholic bishops, can exercise their religion freely and live according to conscience. Even the Notre Dame lawsuit acknowledges that "President Obama issued an executive order providing that no executive agency would authorize the federal funding of abortion services. See Executive Order 13.535 (Mar 24, 2010)." Catholic businesses will NOT PAY for contraceptives or insurance for contraceptives; the insurance firms take full responsibility, contact the employees, and use no employer money and no public money to pay such claims. And once again-- how many times do we have to repeat it?-- the Affordable Care Act specifically excludes abortions and abortifacients. To continue to claim that business owners would be paying for abortifacients is TO LIE insidiously and repeatedly, with no regard for readily available facts, with no regard for truth, and with no regard for the integrity of other people posting here. Shame on you, hermitTalker!
hermitTalker | May 24, 2012, 01:23 PM EDT
Each bishop has to make a prudential judgment about whether to join in a lawsuit but none could possibly agree with this administration clearly violating the First Amendment which prohibits a dictator from butting into a Church's ministry and freedom to be itself according to its own internal compass. This - to repeat the obvious is not about federal dollars or birth control, it is about forcing any business owner to pay for insurance she does not morally agree with, abortifacients and sgterilisatiom, even if she agrees with BC as such. It is so wonderful to see the comments on here from those who avoid political labels of Right and Left and identify the broad principles of social concerns with the GOP or Demos. The Gospel of Christ is above that street fight in principle. Read if you have not seen Mr Paul Ryan's social budget numbers, he does not take add or steal from any group, he wants to give a block to the House chair-persons whose responsibility it is to decide how to slice the pie- Obama has already raided the SS Fund so get the facts corectly and avoid the sound-bytes of Left or Right, IF your concern is Jesus' agenda, not push Mr Obama's or equate "right " wing politics with the Church's leadership.
eiriamach | May 24, 2012, 01:16 PM EDT
Dolan says, "a bureau of the federal government seems to be radically intruding on what the term of a church is.” All he needs to do is open a DICTIONARY to see that a church is a church and that a university, a social service agency, and a hospital are NOT "a church." His churches are exempt from the HHS mandate; his tax-free, federal-grant-receiving, money-making colleges and hospitals, which employ more than a million people-- Catholic and NON-Catholic-- are not exempt. Is Dolan playing dumb, or is he willfully blind to the truth?
FastEddy | May 24, 2012, 01:15 PM EDT
Mike: "More left wing anti-Catholic garbage from the always liberal Irish Central. ..." Mega dittos to that!
mikehoulihan | May 24, 2012, 01:09 PM EDT
More left wing anti-Catholic garbage from the always liberal Irish Central. This isn't journalism it's propaganda. Niall, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Scrivner | May 24, 2012, 12:47 PM EDT
Jason, you have it right! Chicago politics were Obama's finishing school of hardball tactics, and here every move is for advantage and power. Concerned about the poor? Give them someone else's money, if that someone else objects, demonize them until they slip you some money or favors. If you want to understand, don't read The Republic, read The Prince.
dev4 | May 24, 2012, 12:34 PM EDT
remember the lessons of Europe in the 1930 first they came for the disabled and the retarded and i did nothing next the came for the Jews and i did nothing then they came for me.
EamonnDublin | May 24, 2012, 12:19 PM EDT
"Irish Central", "left leaning"?? I'd say it's going around in ever diminishing circles to the Left. As for the subject of this article: "Many Moderate Bishops Oppose anti-Obama Line of Cardinal Dolan" - so what? For the record, isn't Obama on record as stating that if an "aborted" baby is actually born alive, the baby may be left, legally, to die without any attempt at keeping it alive. Nice guy, that president!! Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.
Jason McClain | May 24, 2012, 11:55 AM EDT
I'm so amused by people that want to argue this is about "birth control" and that Obama is some middle of the road moderate that is just trying to do what's best for America, and not in any way pandering to his radical left base. I don't recall a time that Catholic bishops have ever been silent when governments, going back centuries, have tried to impose their will on the Church. Why should they be silent now? Of course, with the liberal Madison Avenue spin machines in a full court press, I understand why so many people are confused, and don't see the larger Constitutional issues at play. And yes, the Church should stop accepting Federal tax dollars, but when they do, who is going to pick up the slack of feeding millions of poor in America each day. NO ONE comes close to what the Church does every day in this country to help the poor, with food, shelter and clothing. That's what makes the whole pedophilia scandal so horrible and tragic. There are more victims than meets the eye here folks. Yes, the children are the greatest victims, but so are countless people across the country that may not receive services through Catholic Charities and other Church related organizations. President Obama doesn't do anything that isn't politically motivated...not one thing...and guess what, neither did any other president. So, please, stop saying Obama isn't doing this to pander to the feminist agenda. Anyone that says or thinks that is really duped and miss informed. This is all about politics and his reelection. He wants this fight with the bishops so he can show women he is on their side. It's all part of his grand strategy to get reelected. The economy is a mess folks...and he doesn't know how to fix it...do you really think he wants us talking about that?
Robbie69 | May 24, 2012, 11:42 AM EDT
If Dolan and the right-wing bishops want to write their own rules, maybe they should stop accepting federal dollars. After all, the person who pays (and in this case most of the money is coming from the federal government), should have a say in how the money is being spent. I understand that some 40% of Catholic Charities funds is also from the federal government. If the federal gov't is so involved in all these efforts, they should have a say on the rules. The adoption services are almost entirely paid by the federal gov't, and yet some right-wing bishops refuse to follow the "non-discrimination" rules and so they have opted out or terminated their adoption services. This is not an issue about religious freedom. It is an issue of living in a civil society, where there can be no discrimination and everyone is treated fairly. If the big Catholic institutions don't want to follow the rules, they should turn back the federal cash.
Robbie69 | May 24, 2012, 11:35 AM EDT
Dolan and the right-wing bishops are being hypocritical again. They have invited right-wing politicians to speak at Georgetown, including Rep. Paul Ryan, who would like to see assistance to the poor terminated or drastically reduced. Where is the Christ's mandate to assist the sick and the poor? Rep. Ryan wants deep cuts in Medicare. And Dolan made a fool of himself on the gay marriage issue in the state of New York. Some 75 percent of priests are gay, and Catholics have never had a problem with this until the fundamentalists made it a big issue. This is a CIVIL RIGHTS issue that involves all Americans. If Dolan wants to follow the teachings of Christ, why doesn't he crack down on those who have had a divorce? After all, Christ said nothing about gay relationships, but lots about divorce. Dolan and the right-wing bishops are hypocrites, who forgot that Christ told us to love everyone.
jane thomas | May 24, 2012, 11:33 AM EDT
JCP says that this website is very left-leaning. If the issue of birth control is considered "left leaning," then most Americans (and a preponderance of Catholics) are "left leaning." There are some issues that simply are not politically motivated. This is one of them. It is far too easy to assign this issue to a political party in an effort to score points for one and against the other. That is a low-rent trick. Face the issue: should bishops be initiating lawsuits on an issue that most of the folks in the congregations they represent are currently supporting? The issue of hypocrisy crawls all over this one and the faithful appear to not have the courage to stand up to their church hierarchy. And that is not political. It is simply hypocritical and sad.
EdMahoney1 | May 24, 2012, 11:26 AM EDT
When are you far left wing bishops & other clergy going to get it right? This is not about birth control. It's not even about the church having to adopt abortion & late term abortions as required by Obama's plan. It is about a guaranteed, constitutional right of freedom of religion. Obama has no right to flagrantly disregard our constitution in order to gain votes by having our church be forced to be responsible for supporting & paying for the prpopsed legislation. You left wing bishops & clergy MUST support the teaching of your church. If you do not, then renounce your rolls in the Roman Catholic Church & go find some religion to follow. There you might be able to make up own rules/laws & change them as soon as & as often as you wish, depending on which way the wind blows!!! IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT THEN GET THE HELL OUT OF THE KITCHEN...
porkheaven | May 24, 2012, 11:18 AM EDT
Cardinal Dolan is correct; this president feels he like a god he is always right. Sad to say he has to go he is a pox upon America and if he gets a 2nd term we will be no better than Greece.
BulldogMania | May 24, 2012, 11:16 AM EDT
Unfortunately, this website leans VERY left, while pretending to be, like other media sites, neutral and balanced. It is not. One article, by a liberal newspaper, The Washington Post, written by one of their most liberal and biased reporters, E.J. Dionne, does not point, in any way, to a division among the bishops on this issue. Most honest Catholic observers have expressed surprise at the singular purpose the bishops are showing on the issue. I've never seen one article on this website saying the Catholic Church does any good in the world...not one. That tells me there is a bias. Personally, I doubt the lawsuits will do any good. I also think the Obama administration is a far left radical administration, no matter how many times we are told they are moderate, etc. We are all tired of the argument that anything against the radical liberal left is close-minded, and that their do anything social agenda is moderate, open-minded, fair and balanced. We are simply not that stupid.
tdker | May 24, 2012, 11:06 AM EDT
The law of the land, like it or not, allows access to contraception and abortion services. If you don't like that, change the law, but abide by it in the meantime. Should Mormons decades ago have been able to practice bigamy in the name of "religious liberty"? The law of the land said otherwise.
dickmac | May 24, 2012, 10:33 AM EDT
It is more than obvious that the Catholic Church is in no way unified. Their dogma and teachings are not being followed even by the so called clergy at all levels.
mcbreen | May 24, 2012, 10:30 AM EDT
I agree with Bishop Dolan. Government must stop supporting these Catholic Hospitals and schools with billions of our tax-dollars, and as a result, now we see that government makes demands on the same.
Murph46 | May 24, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT
If there is to be separation of church & state then why does the state enact laws that force church to go against it's beliefs-can it be any simpler than that? The left cannot have it both ways!
PhlutiePhan | May 24, 2012, 10:08 AM EDT
I personally have a letter in hand from Cardinal Dolan in which he struck the stand of Bishop Stephen Blaire. This was a year ago just after he had met with President Obama in the White House in regard to the respect of Mr. Obama for religious conscience in the market place. I had written Cardinal Dolan from St. Louis from whence he came to say that the president was against religious beliefs. Cardinal Dolan assured me that I was wrong and that he felt that Mr. Obama was sincerely trying to work with various religious groups. Within a month, Mr. Obama released his "contraception mandate" and Cardinal Dolan felt that he had been doublecrossed. Therefore, Bishop Blaire is "way out of the loop" and "way out in the dep water" without his little "floatie". He should stick to the kiddie pool if, in the words of Jack Nicholson, he can't handle the truth. In addition, it has recently been related that Bill Daley arranged the meeting between Dolan and Obama. He was subsequently forced out by Valerie Jarret who has an inordinate amount of influence on Mr. Obama. It also must be stated that she was born in Iran and also the niece of Vernon Jordan.
Los Leandros | May 24, 2012, 09:33 AM EDT
Cardinal Dolan is absolutely correct. The Church has tried it's best to give the Government an opportunity to respect a proper understanding of the concept of separation of Church & state. It appears that the Obams regime does'nt do compromise ; they appear to be extremist ideologues. The diocese's/Bishop's that are simply rolling over & fawning to the regime are reneging on their leadership responsibilities.