Mandate’s Common Thread

Regarding your coverage of the HHS mandate:

The common thread is the Obama administration’s anti-Catholic law.

I have a 27-year-old son who hasn’t been to church in years. He refuses to, because “the Church isn’t what it used to be.” He refers to the Church’s leadership role in society.

As I read the Register, I learn that many are incensed at the HHS ruling that all insurance carriers must cover contraceptives and abortifacients (abortion-inducing drugs), free of charge, no less. The president’s voting record before he was elected was always for abortion, even to the point that he was the only one voting for an abortion or infanticide law that the other lawmakers rejected. This was known before he was elected, so why the surprise? After all, wasn’t it Catholics who made sure that he was voted in?

Why wasn’t his voting record published in every Catholic publication? While there seems to be some reason for not coming out for or against a candidate, there is nothing that says publishing the voting records of all the candidates will get you in trouble with whatever public entity that controls you by saying yea or nay to your eligibility for various funds you might want.

I think that this is a great thing to happen. Now all Catholics will be informed that the Church forbids contraception. They sure weren’t hearing the news from the pulpit, from their bishops, pastors and parochial vicars, although I did hear one of our deacons mention it a few times. Now is a great teaching moment! I suspect that it will not be taken advantage of though.

Susan Lamperty

Alpharetta, Georgia

 

The Catholic Church, and every person in this country, regardless of religion, has been forced to stand against President Obama and his administration because of the health-care bill.

Our forefathers came here because of persecution on all aspects of their lives, including religion. We have all seen or heard what happened in Russia to the Catholic Church. I hope every member of every church will stand against government intervention and control.

President Obama shouldn’t have to find a way to win the election through exemptions on the health-care bill. Encouraging abortion: It’s wrong.

Priscilla Veld

Northborough, Massachusetts

President Barack Obama’s HHS mandate, which forces Catholic institutions to provide their employees with free contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients, is a sinister ploy designed to drive a deep wedge between Catholics.

He is hoping that Catholics in the mold of Nancy Pelosi, Kathleen Sebelius and Sister Carol Keehan will further ditch the Church and follow him in his bid to get re-elected to the White House. It’s a simple case of divide and conquer.

Four years ago, Obama campaigned for the “audacity of hope,” appearing as an “angel of light.” Since becoming president, he has militantly and forcefully fought to establish and entrench in the minds, hearts, souls and behavior of Americans the dark evils of abortion, sterilization, homosexuality, contraception and embryonic stem-cell research.

He has gone so far as to promote these atrocities in other nations.

Now that his mask is off, Americans can no longer sit on the sidelines and allow themselves to be ruled by a president drunk with power. They must engage Obama’s challenge. They must take up the good fight to ensure that he is not given another term in which to destroy the very soul of America with his anti-life, anti-family, anti-religious policies.

Obama especially wants to see the death of the Church, because he knows she is the last bastion of hope against a materialistic world that craves immorality at every step.

Our Catholic bishops’ prime objective now must be to convince all Catholics — especially those on the fringe who do not practice their faith — to unite together and end this reign of terror being imposed by Obama and his black sheepdogs.

Pope John Paul II reminds us, “In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God, who is Truth” (Ut Unum Sint, 18). In Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life, 82), he further states: “In the proclamation of this Gospel, we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world’s way of thinking” (Romans 12:2).

Paul Kokoski

Toronto, Ontario

I will not support the stipulation that Obamacare requires Catholic employers to provide free contraception and abortion drugs such as Ella. I will not support Obama’s war on our liberties.

Making any Catholic person or organization financially support contraception is simply a violation of the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise” of religion. Mr. Obama has no authority to overrule the Constitution. I, one citizen, do not want the Bill of Rights ignored.

Fearing his re-election was in jeopardy, Obama now says that Catholic organizations will not have to pay for the coverage. Insurance companies will provide it for free. Anybody want to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

No private insurance company will bear a mandated cost and let it reduce their bottom line. The cost of this “free” birth control will be buried in expenses and be covered by premiums.

I trust that the leaders of the Church and fellow citizens will recognize this parlor trick for what it is. Mr. Obama and big government are taking our liberties away bit by bit.

There is clarity here. Obama must not be re-elected. Do what you can to stop the re-election of this administration. Write or call your senators and representatives, and demand the reversal of this violation of our beloved Constitution.

Charles Caliri

Northborough, Massachusetts

Join the Battle!

Regarding “EWTN Files Suit to Block Contraception Mandate” (Feb. 9, NCRegister.com):

God bless EWTN and the Becket Fund in their efforts to challenge the HHS mandate! Thank you for your courage to be one of the first to defend our rights and consciences.

I pray that many more will join this effort until the flood of lawsuits, letters and protests drown this un-American and anti-Catholic mandate. Let’s pray for the conversion of those responsible and those who enabled and encouraged this evil mandate.

Lia Gutierrez

via email

Axiom Proven True

In the column “Recipe for a Rights War” (In Depth, Jan. 29), H.H. Ambrose writes of the attacks on the Defense of Marriage Act and the pursuit in this country of the “right” of homosexuals to marry.

There is an axiom that states that laws based on exceptions make bad laws. The truth of this axiom is proven in the fact that divorce used to be the exception. Laws were made based on divorce, and now divorce is fast becoming the rule.

Abortion also used to be the exception. Laws were made based on abortion, and now abortion is also fast becoming the rule.

Homosexuality is now the exception. Laws are being made based on homosexuality. History teaches us that homosexuality will also become the rule.

Modern human beings seem to be incapable of learning the lessons of history. It has become apparent that we have the power to close our minds and to retard our own intellects.

Beverly Thewes

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Where’s the Moral Courage?

Pertinent to “Who Is Sister Carol Keehan?” (March 11):

Thank you for your excellent article, which demonstrates the lack of moral courage of Catholic Health Association board members in avoiding any comment on Sister Carol’s contrary position to the principles of Catholic moral teaching, as expressed by the magisterium.

What is just as bad is that Sister Carol does not see the action of Obamacare and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as a direct infringement of the First Amendment for freedom of religion and the prohibition to not interfere with the exercise of that religion.

The administration, which Sister Carol supports, is trying to separate the liturgy and worship of the Church and its teachings from its actual mission to the poor, the sick and the imprisoned, as outlined in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 25. The next step of this slippery slope will be to have Catholic educational institutions and ministries stop speaking against same-sex “marriages” or sex outside of marriage.

This Obama mandate is not about birth control, but control of the Church and its beliefs.

Deacon John M. Edgerton

Tarpon Springs, Florida

Clarification

In our “Colleges Week” section (Feb. 12 issue), it was stated that Blessed John Henry Newman founded the Oxford Oratory. Although he founded the Birmingham Oratory in 1848 and wanted to start an oratory in Oxford, the Oxford Oratory was established in 1900 after his death, which was in 1890. The Register regrets the error.