CNA Daily News - US

Catholics can decide the 2012 election, expert says

Fri, 25 May 2012 04:15:00 -0600

Denver, Colo., May 25, 2012 / 04:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the presidential election draws closer, political expert Brian Burch is telling Catholics that if they turn out in slightly larger numbers at the polls, they will be “the decisive vote this November.”

Although some Catholics tend to shy away from the political sphere with the mindset that it is unrelated to their faith, Burch said that due to recent developments, “we no longer have the luxury of keeping politics separate from religion.”

“Politics in the state, in our federal government in particular, is coming into our religion and we need to stand up now before it gets any worse,” the founder and president of CatholicVote.org told CNA in a recent interview.

Burch noted that in light of the federal contraception mandate and the president's recent support of “gay marriage,” Catholics have become increasingly aware of how politics are impacting their religion.

The federal contraception mandate, if enacted in its current form, will force employers to purchase insurance which covers sterilization, contraception and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of their deeply held religious beliefs.

On May 21, 43 Catholic organizations across the country, including dioceses, universities, hospitals and private businesses, filed lawsuits against the Obama administration, citing infringement of their First Amendment rights to religious freedom.

“We can't forget that religious freedom and the role of religion was what our founders built this country on,” Burch said, noting that the colonists originally fled England in order to practice their faith “without the intrusion of the state.”

The Catholic vote is not so much about “converting the Nancy Peolosis and the Joe Bidens of the world” as it is about making sure those who “love our faith and want to see it protected” turn out in larger numbers to vote in November, Burch explained.

According to statistics, “it's the people that don't vote that are actually the largest swing vote.” If Catholics turn out in a few percentage points of larger numbers, “we can decide this election.”

Catholic Vote had endorsed Rick Santorum while he was still a contender for the GOP nomination.

The former Pennsylvania senator dropped his campaign on April 10, but has since endorsed his former rival, Mitt Romney, after a meeting in which both men agreed on many issues such as traditional marriage and reining in government spending.

Catholic Vote has yet to formally endorse any other candidate, but Burch said his movement is working with their volunteers and subscribers on the decision and will announce “something very soon.”

Most voters doubt Catholic institutions would shut down over mandate

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:05:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 25, 2012 / 02:05 am (CNA).- A new survey shows that while more Americans are opposing the federal contraception mandate, the majority of voters also doubt that Catholic institutions would shut down rather than comply with the rule.

According to a May 22-23 Rasmussen poll, 51 percent of voters find it unlikely that Catholic organizations would shut down rather than buy insurance to cover abortifacients, sterilizations and contraceptives, as required by the Obama Administration's Health and Human Services mandate.

Although 43 Catholic institutions recently announced lawsuits against the federal government over the mandate, only 40 percent of voters believe it to be “somewhat likely” that institutions would actually close their doors over the issue.

Sixteen percent believe such action to be “very likely” while 17 percent think it would be “not at all likely.”

Despite this doubt, 51 percent of voters disagree that the government should force religious organizations to provide contraception coverage if it violates their beliefs. Thirty-six percent of voters support this policy even if it violates religious beliefs.

Overall support of the mandate has fallen slightly when compared to those surveyed in a Feb. 7 poll. Of those questioned in the most recent poll, only 39 percent of voters favor the mandate as compared to the 43 percent who supported it in an earlier poll.

This new poll indicates a slight rise in women's opposition to the mandate, with female voters now evenly split over the issue. Men still overwhelmingly disagree with the mandate, with 52 percent in opposition and 34 percent in favor.

Religious freedom caucuses planned for every state legislature

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:12:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 24, 2012 / 04:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Advocates of religious liberty have announced plans to launch religious freedom caucuses in all 50 state legislatures in order to fight against the erosion of religious liberty at the local level.

The caucuses will be “a focal point for those who are working on religious freedom in the states to direct and generate their efforts,” said Brian Walsh, executive director of the American Religious Freedom Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Working alongside a wide variety of faith communities and other groups, the American Religious Freedom Program is helping form and support the caucuses, which will allow state legislators to share information and connect with religious and public policy organizations as they focus on threats to religious liberty.

The caucus initiative was announced at the 2012 National Religious Freedom Conference in Washington, D.C. on May 24.

Concerns over religious freedom have escalated in recent months, reaching a peak with the Obama administration’s federal mandate that will require employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

The mandate has been widely criticized as an attack on religious liberty. Catholic bishops from every diocese in the U.S. have spoken out against it, warning that it could force Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable agencies to close their doors.

Organizers of the state caucus initiative said that many threats to religious freedom begin or are found at the state level.

These attacks include attempts to require individuals to perform health care procedures that violate their beliefs, censure of policy arguments that incorporate religious beliefs, and efforts to weaken religious groups’ ability to choose their own leaders.

Concerns have also been voiced over the threat to religious freedom posed by a redefinition of marriage so that it includes homosexual couples. In states that have legalized “gay marriage,” lawsuits have already been filed against those who object to cooperating with them, threatening the conscience rights of adoption agencies, church halls and photographers, as well as other individuals and organizations.

Walsh described the developing caucuses as “a place for religious freedom expertise to reside.”

He explained that the creation process has already begun in a dozen states, including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Utah.

Walsh expects these caucuses to be up and running soon. He said that a total of about 25 caucuses are anticipated by the end of this year, and nearly every state is expected to have a caucus by the end of 2013.

The effort has drawn praise from a diverse group of religious leaders, many of whom will be helping create and support the caucuses.

“Since the founding of our Nation, we have never before witnessed threats of this magnitude from all levels of government,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ religious freedom committee. “Citizens who care about this fundamental American right must take action to protect it.”

“Blessed by two centuries of First Amendment protections in the United States, Jews must speak up when the liberties of conscience afforded their fellow Americans are being threatened,” added Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University.

“The Religious Freedom Caucuses will be a central tool in addressing these threats to religious rights before the courts are left as the only recourse,” said Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Walsh explained that the effort to build caucuses has received strong support at the state level.

This is not “a partisan issue,” but “an American issue,” he said. “Religious freedom is at the core of what it means to be American.”

New organization mobilizes lay Catholics for public square

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:01:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 24, 2012 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As concerns over threats to religious liberty continue to mount, a growing Catholic organization aims to help lay men and women take action to protect conscience rights and religious freedom.

Maureen Ferguson, senior policy adviser for the newly launched Catholic Association, said the group serves as both “a voice for Catholics in the public square” and a way to educate Catholics on important issues.

Ferguson told CNA on May 23 that the association is currently focused on the defense of conscience rights, which she believes are currently facing serious threats in America.

Chief among those threats is a federal mandate issued by the Obama administration to force employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

The mandate has been widely criticized by individuals and groups across the U.S., including bishops from every diocese in the country, who warned that it threatens religious freedom and could force Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable organizations to shut down.

Ferguson cautioned that the mandate will affect all Americans because the Church is the biggest non-government provider of education, health care and social services.

In discussing the mandate, the U.S. bishops “have repeatedly called on lay Catholics to step up to the plate” and work to defend freedom of conscience, she said.

The Catholic Association is trying to respond to bishops’ call by helping the lay faithful to speak out and act in support of religious liberty.

The organization is currently “preparing a campaign” to support the “Fortnight for Freedom” called for by the U.S. bishops from June 21 to July 4 in response to the current threats to religious liberty.

Dioceses across the country will launch initiatives aimed at prayer, education and public action for religious freedom during the fortnight.

Ferguson explained that The Catholic Association will be reaching out through television and internet efforts, as well as a social media campaign, to mobilize Catholics throughout the two-week period.

The campaign will ask the faithful to perform one simple act per day. These acts may include writing to their Congressional representative, sharing the importance of the cause with a friend or praying to St. Thomas More, the patron of religious freedom.

“This is not a conservative or a liberal organization, said Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow for the association.

She explained that the organization is about reaching Catholics “in all walks of life,” encouraging “grassroots action” and emphasizing the “increasing need” for the lay faithful to take up their rightful place with the clergy in defending the most basic American freedoms.

McGuire pointed to a recent survey by D.C.-based public opinion firm QEV Analytics, which found that about half of Church-attending Catholics recall hearing a statement at Mass about the contraception mandate.

The majority of these people agreed with the bishops’ objections to the mandate and its coercion of religious organizations and individuals, she said.

Recent polls show President Barack Obama losing support among Catholics, a voting group that he won in the 2008 election.

McGuire sees this as a sign that Catholics are realizing that his policies threaten their fundamental rights.

As people continue to see the danger of the mentality behind the mandate, they will continue “rejecting this attack on religious freedom,” she said.

In 2012, more Americans identify as pro-life

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:07:00 -0600

Princeton, N.J., May 24, 2012 / 12:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The number of pro-life Americans is near an all-time high, while those who self-identify as pro-choice are at a record low, according to a new Gallup survey.

Results from a poll taken in early May show that 50 percent of Americans say they are "pro-life," an increase of five percent since a 2009 survey.

Forty-one percent, however, identify as pro-choice – down eight points since 2009.

The change is even more dramatic since 1995, when 56 percent of Americans told Gallup they were pro-choice while only 33 percent said they were pro-life.

In 2012, Republicans tend to be the most pro-life, with 72 percent identifying as such. About 34 percent of Democrats are pro-life, as are 47 percent of independents. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats say they are pro-choice, as do 22 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of independents.

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said that the results are "the tip of the iceberg."

"In fact, a growing number of Americans are uneasy with the unfettered, under-regulated and unsavory abortion industry as it exists today," she said May 23.

She pointed to surveys showing that 7 in 10 Americans do not want tax dollars to fund abortion. She said there is "tremendous support for commonsense limits on abortion" such as limits on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Gallup's analysis noted several abortion-related controversies in the past year, such as efforts to ban federal funding for the abortion provider Planned Parenthood to investigate its finances. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure anti-breast cancer foundation also became a newsmaker when it decided to suspend its grants to the organization, before retreating under intense pressure from abortion rights supporters.

The controversy over the HHS contraceptive coverage mandate and its effect on Catholic organizations may also be a factor, Gallup suggested, because it highlighted objections to the morning-after pill.

However, the pollster said it is unclear whether any of the controversies caused the shift in Americans' self-identification.

There are also questions about whether changes in Americans' self-labeling will have consequences.

"While Americans' identification as 'pro-choice' has waned over the past year, their fundamental views about the morality and legality of abortion have held steady," Gallup said.

The survey found that 51 percent of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong, while 38 percent say it is morally acceptable. These results are "nearly identical" to a May 2011 survey.

Only 20 percent of Americans said that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, 52 percent said it should be legal only under certain circumstances and 25 percent said it should be legal in all circumstances.

The Gallup poll surveyed 1,024 U.S. adults aged 18 and older from May 2-6. It claims a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Bishops say HHS lawsuits represent broad Catholic interest

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:18:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 23, 2012 / 04:18 pm (CNA).- Bishops nationwide have voiced support for a wave of recent lawsuits against the federal contraception mandate, explaining that the dioceses that did not take legal action are represented by those that did.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta explained that the lawsuits “represent a concerted effort to exemplify the broad spectrum of Catholic institutions that are directly impacted by the HHS mandate.”

He said that while many other Catholic organizations “would certainly seek to join this legal action,” the most important actions are prayer and support for initiatives to protect religious liberty.

In a May 23 statement, Archbishop Gregory emphasized his full support for several recent lawsuits challenging the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.

Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country announced legal action against the federal government on May 21.

The lawsuits, which are being filed in 12 dozen different jurisdictions across the country, challenge a federal regulation that will require employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

Bishops from every diocese in the U.S. have spoken out against the mandate, warning that it poses a serious threat to religious liberty and could force Catholic schools, hospitals and charitable organizations to shut down.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta is not one of the plaintiffs in the new lawsuits, but Archbishop Gregory made it clear that he supported the efforts of his brother bishops.

A member of the religious freedom committee for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he explained that the conference “has tried negotiation with the Administration and legislation with the Congress. No resolution has been made as of this date.”

Now, he said, the bishops must turn to the court “to protect our valuable ministries and fundamental right to practice religion without government interference.”

Known for his work in the African American community and for the critical leadership he provided in developing the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Archbishop Gregory served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2001 to 2004.

As the archbishop of Atlanta, he will be hosting the bishops’ upcoming Spring General Assembly in June.

Pat Chivers, communications director for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, explained that while the archdiocese is not being legally represented in the newest wave of lawsuits, its interests are being represented by the dioceses that are filing the suits.

Archbishop Gregory has written a letter that will be read at all Masses next weekend “to show that we are in support” of the legal action taken by several dioceses across the country, she told CNA.

Chivers explained that Jones Day, the law firm that is filing the lawsuits, has an office in Atlanta, and the archdiocese has therefore been “part of the legal strategy” behind the effort.

The goal was not to have every diocese in the U.S. to file a lawsuit, she said. Rather, the dioceses that did file them offer a broad and diverse representation of the concerns, situations and interests of dioceses across the country.

Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio agreed.

“The particular plaintiffs in this lawsuit were chosen by legal counsel at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” he explained. “They are representative of dioceses and Catholic institutions across the nation.”

Bishop Murry explained that his diocese “unambiguously supports” the legal action to defend religious freedom, which “is a cornerstone of basic human rights and is necessary for the flourishing of a just society.”

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati echoed his remarks. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has not filed a lawsuit, but it is unnecessary “for every diocese to join the suits in order for them to be effective,” he said.

“The various plaintiffs reflect a broad cross-section of Catholic institutions, and together they represent the wide variety of issues, impacts, economic consequences, and divergent facts that exist among Catholic organizations nationwide,” Archbishop Schnurr observed.

He voiced support for the recently-announced lawsuits, saying that litigation has become “the only way left to fight for our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion.”

Ave Maria drops student health insurance over HHS mandate

Wed, 23 May 2012 04:02:00 -0600

Naples, Fla., May 23, 2012 / 04:02 am (CNA).- Ave Maria University has become the second Catholic college to announce it will discontinue its student health insurance plan due to the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.

In a May 21 statement, university president Jim Towey called the mandate “an affront to our core values.”

“Ave Maria University will not offer or pay for health insurance plans that violate our deeply-held religious beliefs,” he said.

The announcement comes amid continued controversy over a federal insurance mandate that will require employers and colleges to offer health care plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs.

The mandate has been widely criticized for the threat that it poses to religious freedom. Catholic schools, hospitals and charitable agencies have warned that they will be forced to consider closing their doors rather than comply with the mandate and act against the beliefs.

In choosing to cut its student health insurance plan, Ave Maria is following in the footsteps of Franciscan University of Steubenville, which also recently announced that it would be dropping its student policy to avoid participating in a plan that violated Catholic teaching.

Towey said it was “regrettable” that the “long-standing tradition” of protecting religious freedom was being fiercely attacked and that college students at religious institutions would be among the “first victims.”

He explained that since its founding, Ave Maria University has offered its students an inexpensive health insurance policy, which specifically excludes coverage of products and procedures that violate Church teaching.

However, that changed when the university was recently notified by its insurance carrier that coverage of these objectionable “preventive care services” would soon be required despite the school’s religious opposition to them.

In addition, the insurance carrier said that university students would face both a 66 percent increase in their premiums and an increase in their deductible as a result of requirements under the Affordable Care Act.

“It is a sad day when Ave Maria’s students are forced to choose between enrolling in a health insurance plan that is both costly and offers morally objectionable benefits, and having no coverage at all,” said Towey.

Ave Maria filed a lawsuit seeking relief from the mandate in February. Towey said he is confident in the favorable outcome of the suit and applauded the other Catholic groups that have joined in the effort of “taking this battle to the courts.”

On May 21, a wave of new lawsuits against the mandate was announced. Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country are filing lawsuits in 12 different jurisdictions.

Bishops from dioceses across the country have warned that the contraception mandate could threaten the valuable contribution offered by Catholic education, health care and social services in the U.S.

Towey also addressed this point, explaining that Ave Maria University offers scholarships and strives to make its education as affordable as possible for students.

“At a time when the issue of the affordability of college education is at the forefront of the public debate, the Federal government’s mandate is hurting the cause, not helping,” he said.

African American leaders blast NAACP 'gay marriage' support

Wed, 23 May 2012 02:03:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 23, 2012 / 02:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The NAACP's recent endorsement of “gay marriage” drew harsh criticism from within the African American community for misrepresenting civil rights and undermining families.

Pastor Derek McCoy, executive director of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, said that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's “unfortunate” stance on the issue will contribute to the “further demise of the family.”

McCoy told CNA on May 21 that the NAACP is “endorsing an epidemic” of fatherless households, a “tragic” phenomenon in the United States and particularly in the African American community.

On May 19, the association released a statement in support of redefining marriage to include gay couples. The announcement came ten days after President Barack Obama announced his unprecedented support for “gay marriage.”

McCoy said that despite its long record of important work, however, the NAACP's latest move does not reflect the views of its constituents.

According to an April 2012 survey by Pew Research Center, only 39 percent of African Americans are in favor of redefining marriage. Voters across the country have consistently affirmed measures to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

McCoy said that redefining marriage is redefining the family in a way that is “hazardous” for children.

“Gay marriage” teaches that fathers and mothers are both dispensable, he explained, and “this is absolutely going to harm the family.”

The absence of a father has been linked to higher rates of crime, poverty, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy throughout the U.S.

In his 2011 Father’s Day proclamation, President Obama noted the importance of fatherhood and said that his administration was making support of fathers a priority. “A father's absence is felt by children, families, and communities in countless ways, leaving a hole that can have lasting effects,” he said.

Statistics show that more than half of black children live in single-parent households, often lacking the presence of a father.

Support for “gay marriage,” McCoy underscored, reiterates the message that “one of the parents is no longer valid.”

Both fathers and mothers become “optional” in a society where having one father is viewed as no different from having two or none at all, he said.

The pastor explained that government has always recognized marriages in order to “look out for the best interest of the child.” Studies clearly show that a family with a mother and a father “is the best place for kids to be raised,” he noted.

McCoy also said that the effort to redefine marriage “does not compare to civil rights.”

He dismissed attempts to compare people who reject “gay marriage” to those who oppose interracial marriage.

“That’s not the same issue at all,” he said, reflecting that racial differences are irrelevant to marriage, but sexual complementarity is at the heart of marriage by its very nature.

“The core essence of a marriage is the two sexes coming together,” he said.

Other African American leaders have also criticized the NAACP’s endorsement of “gay marriage” in recent days.

Dr. Alveda C. King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said that neither her grandfather nor her uncle “embraced the homosexual agenda that the current NAACP is attempting to label as a civil rights agenda.”

“We who marched with Rev. King did not march one inch or one mile to promote same-sex marriage,” agreed Rev. William Owens, founder and president of the Coalition of African American Pastors.

He explained that redefining marriage is counter to Dr. King’s work because it is a political attempt to “declare that an act contrary to God's law and to the natural law is a civil right.”

“We call on all Americans to respect the legitimate civil rights of gay people to be free from violence, harassment, to vote, to hold jobs,” Owens said. “But none of us has a moral or civil right to redefine marriage.”

Two Philadelphia priests removed from ministry after abuse claims

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:08:00 -0600

Philadelphia, Pa., May 22, 2012 / 08:08 pm (CNA).- As a part of his ongoing effort to address cases of abuse in the Philadelphia archdiocese, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has found two priests unsuitable for ministry after reports that they each sexually abused minors.

Monsignors Hugh P. Campbell and George J. Mazzotta were determined to be unsuitable for ministry, the archdiocese announced May 20.

The announcement is not connected to the recent resolution of eight cases of priests who were placed on administrative leave after a February 2011 grand jury report alleged that the clergymen sexually abused minors or behaved inappropriately.

Msgr. Campbell, a 77-year-old retired priest of the archdiocese, self-reported in December 2011 that he had sexually abused a minor. The claim was reported to law enforcement and the priest was placed on administrative leave at the time of his report.

His most recent assignment was St. Maximilian Kolbe parish in West Chester, Pa. He retired in 2007 and moved to a private residence.

Msgr. Mazzotta, 73, was the object of a "substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor" in May 2010, the archdiocese said. The archdiocese reported the charge to law enforcement.

The priest's two most recent assignments were Stella Maris Parish in Philadelphia and St. Madeline Parish in Ridley Park.

Since the reported abuse against them, both priests have been barred from exercising public priestly ministry, wearing clerical garb, or presenting themselves publicly as priests.

Both have agreed to accept a supervised life of prayer and penance.

Announcements about the allegations were made at the parishes where the priests were most recently assigned. Counselors were present during the announcements.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has asked any victims of sexual abuse who need support or assistance to contact the archdiocese's Victim Assistance Office. The archdiocese said allegations of sexual abuse should be referred to local law enforcement agencies and the Archdiocesan Office for Investigations.

Most Americans support religious rights, health care exemptions

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:58:00 -0600

New Haven, Conn., May 22, 2012 / 08:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A new survey found that the majority of Americans support religious rights whenever they are in conflict with other laws, as well as the right to opt out of providing drugs, services and procedures for religious reasons.

The Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll, found that nearly three in four Americans, 74 to 26 percent, say that freedom of religion should be protected, even if it conflicts with other laws. Most Americans would also protect the First Amendment conscience rights of hospitals, health care workers and insurers.

“This survey reveals that the American people are fundamentally dedicated to protecting the First Amendment conscience rights of everyone,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson.

“Allowing people to opt out of these procedures or services which violate their faith is the right thing to do. It is also key to protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans and enjoys strong public support as well.”

The poll was released on May 22, a day after 43 dioceses and Catholic organizations around the country filed lawsuits in 12 different places to protect their First Amendment rights from the government’s health care mandate.

The survey also found that when asked about specific health care policies in relation to the First Amendment, strong majorities – 58 to 38 percent – would let individual health care providers and organizations opt out of providing abortion and abortion-inducing drugs (51 to 44 percent).

Analysis also showed that Americans believe health care providers should be allowed to opt out of providing in-vitro fertilization treatments that could result in the death of an embryo – 52 to 41 percent – and birth control pills, 51 to 46 percent. Those polled, 55 to 41 percent, also said medical organizations should be permitted to refuse to medication to speed the death of a terminally ill patient.

According to the pollsters, “the number supporting the right to opt out of providing birth control is particularly interesting given the fact that more than almost 9 in 10 Americans (88 percent) believe contraception is morally acceptable.”

Overall, the survey found that half – 50 percent – of Americans have heard of the debate over the government’s health care mandate. The mandate, announced by the Obama administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, requires employers – including organizations that are religiously affiliated – to provide free insurance coverage to women for services including sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and birth control.

The poll also showed that majority of Americans, 52 to 31 percent, believe that laws in the United States have made it more difficult to follow one’s religious beliefs in recent years. Nearly 9 in 10 Americans, 88 percent, also agree that religious leaders should speak out on issues of religious freedom.

Also, an overwhelming majority of Americans, 72 to 27 percent, said that forcing health care workers and doctors to provide abortion – when they object for religious reasons – is morally wrong.

Majorities also said that abortion, 58 to 40 percent, and same-sex marriage, 52 to 45 percent, were morally wrong.

The Knights of Columbus-Marist poll surveyed 1,606 adults from May 10 through May 14 of this year. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the continental United States were interviewed by telephone with live interviewers. Numbers were selected based upon a list of telephone exchanges from throughout the nation.

The exchanges were selected to ensure that each region was represented in proportion to its population. To increase coverage, this land-line sample was supplemented by respondents reached through random dialing of cell phone numbers. The two samples were then combined. The results' margin of error fell within plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Signs of hope one year after Joplin tornado

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:08:00 -0600

Joplin, Mo., May 22, 2012 / 04:08 am (CNA).- As the residents of tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo. mark the one-year anniversary of the disaster that hit their community, a diocesan spokeswoman says they are seeing it as an opportunity for hope and continued recovery.

“We’re looking forward to just getting past the anniversary and continuing on our journey of recovery,” Renee Motazedi, development director for Joplin-area Catholic schools, told CNA on May 21.

“As a faith community we are looking forward to what lies ahead, to the opportunities that may come from such a disaster,” she added. “There’s a lot of hope there.”

The Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011 killed 161 people and was America’s deadliest single tornado in six decades. It destroyed thousands of buildings including Joplin High School and St. Mary’s Catholic Church and School.

St. John’s Regional Medical Center, a nine-storey building, took a direct hit from the tornado. Severe damaged forced the facility to be abandoned. Remnants of the Catholic hospital still stand, but they will be dismantled through the summer.

Today, the destruction area is “dotted” with houses and businesses that have rebuilt or are being rebuilt.

“In some areas, it’s a blank canvas,” Motazedi said.

Many public schools that are rebuilding will break ground on the anniversary of the storm, while plans for a new Catholic church are underway.

“That has become one of the bishop’s priorities so that we can better serve the Catholic faithful of the area,” Motazedi explained. “We’re all worshiping in one church where we used to have two.”

On May 22, Bishop James V. Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau will join Joplin Catholic schools students, staff and faculty, as well as parishioners, at the foot of the cross that was at the former St. Mary’s Church to pray the Rosary.

Motazedi said the cross has become an “icon” of the disaster.

“It’s a huge large steel cross that at this point looms over the landscape,” she said.

Fr. Justin Monaghan, the former pastor of St. Mary’s, has received “several poignant letters” from survivors who were trapped in the rubble of the tornado but could see the cross.

“The cross was the thing that gave them hope that they would get out,” Motazedi recounted.

An electric utility has purchased the St. Mary’s Church land to build a power substation, a significant act in a “grieving community.”

However, the church has retained ownership of the area around the cross and the cemetery property.

A 6 p.m. Mass will be said at Joplin’s other Catholic church, St. Peter of the Apostles.

Other community events include a 3.7-mile walk with several stops along the way, including groundbreaking at Joplin’s new public high school.

“Those stops all mark the future of Joplin,” said Motazedi. “They are significant events that show we are moving forward.

The elementary school attached to St. Mary’s Church reopened at a warehouse next to the area’s Catholic high school. Plans to rebuild the school, for preschoolers through the fifth grade, are on hold until plans for the new church can be made.

“The good things that have always happened inside the schools are still happening,” Motazedi said.

“My kids are students there and they have had a great year.”

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri reports that its Repair/Rebuild Office has helped contribute to the rebuilding efforts, repairing more than 100 homes. It has helped rebuild two homes completely and nine houses are currently under construction.

The charity has nine case managers to help storm victims and has received a grant to hire another.

Gabe Tischler, the disaster coordinator for Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, recently told a disaster preparedness seminar in Baton Rouge, La. that local Catholic churches stepped up to help their neighbors.

The providential arrival of supplies and the support of volunteers has “reinforced my faith even more,” he said, according to the Baton Rouge newspaper The Advocate.

“When I first started this I was worried every day how we were going to pay for it and now I no longer lose sleep on it. It’s going to happen and it just happens.”

Chen arrives in US as family, friends remain vulnerable in China

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:05:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 22, 2012 / 12:05 am (CNA).- Chinese pro-life advocate Chen Guangcheng and his family have arrived safely in the United States, but reports indicate that his supporters may still be facing violence at the hands of Chinese government.

“America welcomes this extraordinary family with open arms,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who greeted Chen upon his arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 19.

Smith, who has held multiple hearings to raise awareness about Chen’s plight, said that after years of torture and imprisonment, he and his family will finally have the chance “to rest, recuperate, and recover.”

“His children can now begin the process of healing from emotional trauma no child should ever endure,” he added.

A self-taught human rights lawyer who was blinded by a serious illness in his youth, Chen had attracted the ire of Chinese officials by speaking out against the government’s one-child policy, which is often enforced through coerced abortions and sterilizations.

After spending more than four years in prison, Chen was placed under house arrest with his family in Sept. 2010. He was held without formal charges and said that he and his family were violently assaulted and refused medical treatment during this time.

Chen made headlines when he escaped from house arrest and was taken in by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on April 26.

On May 2, he left the U.S. Embassy and was transported to a hospital in Beijing, amid promises by the Chinese government to treat him and his family humanely and allow them to live and study in peace.

However, he quickly voiced fears that China would not keep its promises to him and his family. He told American reporters that he wanted to come to the United States to rest in safety.

After being offered a fellowship to study law and learn English at New York University's law school, Chen was permitted to travel to the U.S. with his wife and two children. Unlike most Chinese families, Chen was allowed to have a second child because he is blind. Chinese policy includes an exception to the one-child policy for some disabled individuals.

Rep. Smith said that Chen is “among the bravest defenders of women’s rights in the world.”

"Not all the Chens are free and safe, however,” he warned.

Since his escape, Chen has expressed deep concern for the safety of his extended family members, including his 78-year-old mother Wang Jinxiang, who remained in the village after he and his immediate family had left. Wang is reportedly now being allowed to leave the family’s home without being escorted by a guard.

Chen’s older brother, Chen Guangfu, told reporters that he had been beaten and interrogated by government officials for three days.

He said that more than two dozen men broke into his house and began to attack his wife and son, Chen Kegui, who defended himself with a knife and was subsequently arrested.

Chen Kegui has been charged with “intentional homicide” and could face the death penalty. He is being held by authorities in Shandong province, where he has reportedly been prohibited from seeing his lawyers.

Although Chen Guangfu was eventually released, he is reportedly still under close surveillance and prohibited from making phone calls or leaving his village.

His wife, who was also detained, is being charged with “harboring a criminal.”

Reports also indicate that Chen’s cousin, Chen Guangcun, was taken into custody with his son on April 28. No information on their current status is available.

Chen’s friends and supporters have also reportedly been targets of government retaliation.

Several of Chen’s supporters were detained during “investigations” by authorities in the days following his escape, including He Peirong, who played a pivotal role in moving Chen to Beijing after he had escaped, and Beijing-based human rights advocate Hu Jia.

Hu’s wife, Zeng Jinyan, is reported to have been placed under house arrest by authorities.

Other supporters of Chen have reportedly been expelled from Beijing, including Teng Biao and Jiang Tianyong, both lawyers who advocate for human rights in China. Jiang had previously said that he was beaten by security personnel when he tried to visit Chen in the hospital, resulting in damage to his hearing.

In addition, at least two of Chen’s other supporters have recently been told that their passports were invalid, apparently in connection with their ties to Chen.

"Over the last several days, several of Chen's relatives and supporters have been arrested and brutally beaten as part of the Chinese government's refocused retaliation,” said Congressman Smith. “They can't beat him anymore, but they are beating his relatives and friends.”

“The Chinese government must immediately end its deplorable retaliation against Chen's family and friends who remain in China,” Smith urged.

Notre Dame files legal challenge to HHS mandate

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:45:00 -0600

South Bend, Ind., May 21, 2012 / 02:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The University of Notre Dame filed its own lawsuit against the HHS mandate on May 21, with its president warning that the mandate’s religious freedom violations could mean “the end of genuinely religious organizations” if they are allowed to stand.

“We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others; we simply ask that the government not impose its values on the university when those values conflict with our religious teachings,” University of Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., said in a May 21 letter.

The lawsuit, filed against leaders of the Obama administration in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, denies that the government has the right to “force the University of Notre Dame to violate its own conscience by making it provide, pay for, and/or facilitate those services to others, contrary to its sincerely held religious beliefs.”

“This lawsuit is about one of America’s most cherished freedoms: the freedom to practice one’s religion without government interference,” it said.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction against Department of Health and Human Services rules requiring health plans to cover sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs, as “preventive care” for women. The mandate also requires health plans to pay for education and counseling related to those procedures and drugs.

Although the mandate has a religious exemption, it would not apply to many Catholic universities, health systems, and charities even though Catholics consider the use of these procedures and drugs to be sinful.

The exemption applies only to organizations with a primarily religious purpose which serve and employ mainly people of its own religion.

The Obama administration has proposed an accommodation to require insurance companies, rather than employers, to provide this coverage but many religious leaders say this is still morally unacceptable.

Notre Dame’s lawsuit said the mandate applies to the university’s health plans for both its employees and its students.

At least 43 Catholic dioceses and organizations filed suit against the Obama administration May 21. Notre Dame filed its lawsuit separately from the others.

The university’s lawsuit charged that the mandate and its “narrow exemption” for religious employers, is “irreconcilable” with the First Amendment, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and other laws.

“The government has not shown any compelling need to force Notre Dame to provide, pay for, and/or facilitate access to these objectionable services, or for requiring Notre Dame to submit to an intrusive governmental examination of its religious missions,” it said.

The lawsuit charges that the federal regulations substantially burden religious freedom, cause “excessive entanglement” between religion and government, and discriminate between different types of religious entities based on their religious beliefs or practices.

It also characterizes the mandate as an example of unconstitutional “compelled speech” for forcing an organization to use its money to support a viewpoint that conflicts with its religious beliefs.

Fr. Jenkins said that the lawsuit is about “the freedom of a religious organization to live its mission.”

He also questioned the Obama administration’s use of the religious exemption. He warned that if the university concedes the government’s right to decide which organizations are sufficiently religious to have a religious freedom exemption “then we have begun to walk down a path that ultimately leads to the undermining of those institutions.”

Allowing one presidential administration to “override” the university’s religious purpose will allow another administration to do the same for another different set of policies, he predicted.

This process will result in religious organizations becoming “mere tools for the exercise of government power, morally subservient to the state, and not free from its infringement.”

“If that happens, it will be the end of genuinely religious organizations in all but name,” Fr. Jenkins said.

The lawsuit echoed Fr. Jenkins’ concerns.

“If the government can force religious institutions to violate their beliefs in such a manner, there is no apparent limit to the government’s power,” it said.

Fr. Jenkins maintained that the lawsuit is not about “preventing women from having access to contraception” or about preventing the government from providing such services. He said that many Notre Dame Catholic faculty, staff and students, Catholic and non-Catholic, have made “conscientious decisions” to use contraceptives.

“As we assert the right to follow our conscience, we respect their right to follow theirs,” he said.

Forty-three Catholic organizations file lawsuits against HHS mandate

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:39:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 21, 2012 / 10:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country have announced religious liberty lawsuits against the federal government to challenge the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.

The announcement was applauded by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who called it “a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty.”

“We have tried negotiation with the Administration and legislation with the Congress – and we’ll keep at it – but there's still no fix,” said Cardinal Dolan, who is the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now,” he explained in a May 21 statement.

The bishops’ conference is not a party to the lawsuits, although several individual dioceses across the country are.

Cardinal Dolan praised the “courageous action” as “a great show of the diversity of the Church's ministries that serve the common good and that are jeopardized by the mandate.”

The lawsuits argue that a federal mandate issued by the Obama administration violates their fundamental religious liberty. The controversial mandate will require employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

The mandate has drawn heavy criticism from bishops in every diocese in the U.S. They warned that the regulation could force Catholic schools, hospitals and charitable agencies around the nation to close down.

At least 11 previous lawsuits have already been filed against the mandate by states, colleges, private employers and organizations throughout the U.S.

Now, 12 new lawsuits are being filed by 43 dioceses, hospitals, schools and church agencies in a dozen different jurisdictions across the country.

The Archdioceses of New York, St. Louis and Washington, D.C, are part of separate lawsuits against the measure, as are Catholic Charities organizations in several dioceses and the Catholic publishing group Our Sunday Visitor. Other dioceses filing lawsuits include, Rockville Centre, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Fort Worth, Jackson, Biloxi, Fort Wayne-South Bend, Joliet, and Springfield, Ill. -- all in their respective districts of federal court.

An editorial in “OSV Newsweekly” explained that the organization “stands proudly with our fellow Catholic apostolates and with our bishops in resisting this challenge.”

It called on readers to support the effort, knowing that “whatever sacrifices we bear and whatever challenges we endure, we are only doing what is our responsibility as American citizens practicing our faith in the public square.”

The editorial recalled the spirit of Our Sunday Visitor’s founder, Fr. John Noll, “who resisted the power of the Ku Klux Klan when it was such a powerful political force.”

It explained that “it is in his courageous spirit that we invoke as we engage in this great struggle today.”

Several Catholic universities around the country also joined in the lawsuits, including The Catholic University of America, the University of Notre Dame and Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., said the lawsuit was filed “neither lightly nor gladly, but with sober determination.”

“We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others,” he explained in an email to Notre Dame employees.

Rather, he explained, “we simply ask that the Government not impose its values on the University when those values conflict with our religious teachings.”

According to Fr. Jenkins, the lawsuit is about “the freedom of a religious organization to live its mission, and its significance goes well beyond any debate about contraceptives.”

He cautioned that when the government decides “which religious organizations are sufficiently religious to be awarded the freedom to follow the principles that define their mission,” the nation has started down a path that could lead to “the end of genuinely religious organizations in all but name.”

Updated at 4:14 p.m. MST. Includes expanded list of plaintiffs in paragraph 11.

Catholics nationwide preparing 'Fortnight for Freedom' events

Sun, 20 May 2012 17:45:00 -0600

Washington D.C., May 20, 2012 / 05:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Various initiatives are planned throughout the country in response to the U.S. bishops’ call for a “Fortnight for Freedom” June 21-July 4 to encourage prayer, education and public action about religious freedom.

The initiative was created in response to several moves by the Obama administration that are threatening the Church’s religious freedom. The most well-known action is the Health and Human Services mandate that requires employers to cover birth control and other services that Catholics and other believers find morally objectionable.

At Baltimore’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Archbishop William E. Lori will offer a special June 21 Mass at 7 p.m. to open the fortnight. June 21 is the vigil Mass for the feast of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More.

The close of the two-week observance will feature a July 4 Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which will be concelebrated by Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. Archbishop Chaput will serve as the homilist at the 12:10 p.m. liturgy.

Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, Maine will celebrate a July 2 Mass at Portland’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

“Religious liberty is not only about our ability to go to Mass on Sunday or to pray the Rosary at home. It is about whether we can continue to make our contribution to the common good of all Americans without violating our deeply-held moral beliefs,” Bishop Malone said. “This issue affects all Americans — it is not a Catholic issue, a Jewish issue, an Orthodox, Mormon, or Muslim issue. It is an American issue.”

In Arlington, Va. Bishop Paul S. Loverde will celebrate a Holy Hour for Religious Freedom at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More on June 21 at 7:30 p.m.

“In many ways, this struggle is more a marathon than a sprint. I ask you to join me and prayerfully embrace this challenge not only as a vital struggle over Catholics’ right to full citizenship in this great country but as a teaching moment for us all,” Bishop Loverde said in a May 2 letter to his diocese’s priests.

Bishop Loverde has encouraged Arlington priests to host talks on religious freedom, educate the faithful on the issues at stake, and urge them to pray a Novena for religious freedom.

Priests should provide a “tangible focal point” for the faithful to learn about religious freedom, he said. He advised a place near the sanctuary entrance where parishioners can obtain prayer cards and educational materials.

“With God’s grace, much good will come of this,” the bishop said.

In the Archdiocese of Denver, archdiocesan administrator Bishop James D. Conley will ask Catholics to fast and pray on each of the fortnight’s two Fridays. Parishes have been invited to hold Holy Hours for religious liberty.

“The most important thing is the invitation to Catholics to pray and fast for religious liberty,” archdiocesan chancellor J.D. Flynn told CNA May 18.

The archdiocese has invited political science professor Robert Kraynak of Colgate University to speak about religious liberty on June 21 and 22.

An essay contest on religious liberty for high school students, with a scholarship as a prize, is also in the works.

Other events in the Denver archdiocese include gatherings for college-age students at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish in Boulder and Bl. John XXIII Parish in Fort Collins, and an event for Hispanic Catholics at the archdiocese’s Centro Juan Diego.

The Archdiocese of Louisville has encouraged parishes to incorporate a prayer for religious liberty at “liturgically appropriate” times on the weekends of the fortnight. The archdiocese is planning a package of electronic resources for parishes to publish on their websites.

In an April 12 statement, the U.S. bishops’ ad hoc committee for religious liberty called for a “fortnight of freedom” from June 21 to July 4. The period includes a series of feasts of “great martyrs” who faced political oppression.

Their statement was an “urgent summons” to U.S. Catholics, stressing the need for prayer, fasting, and public action for religious freedom.