The HHS Mandate: People of Faith be Damned

5 FEBRUARY 2012. Spurred by Archbishop Wenski's letter read at mass today, I looked back to reflect on whether the Obama administration has somehow changed course on social and moral issues, or whether the new HHS mandate, unconscionable and unconstitutional as it is, dangerously, is consistent with the long-developing approach to these issues from the Administration. A complete review of President Obama's Note Dame remarks can be found here.

Sadly, there is no change that is positive; if anything, the President's position has only gotten less respectful to people of faith. Consider these words from President Obama at Notre Dame.

In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse.

But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.

This doubt should not push us away from our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, and cause us to be wary of self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open, and curious, and eager to continue the moral and spiritual debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works, charity, kindness, and service that moves hearts and minds.

It appears that in implementing the new healthcare overhaaul legislation, HHS (certainly with the approval if not at the direction of the White House) has steered far clear from the Truth as being far to "parochial." Instead, the government would have us follow "universal principles"--we disagree, so everyone's views must be given equal weight, after all, there is no real truth--that give nothing to humanity, but license. License to do whatever--licentiousness. Licentiousness is acting with reckless disregard for good and evil: I want it, therefore I will do whatever I want. However, freedom--found in the free will given to us by the Creator--comes with the obligation to act with responsibility, indeed to act with justice. Justice can only be found in truth, which here has been ignored.

Besides the greatest injustice of U.S. government law and policy that maintains the legality of abortion and access to abortion as being within a concocted right to privacy, the Administration is now telling people of faith that their religious and moral beliefs do not count because they are opposed to the "universal principles" recognized by the White House. There is nothing that could hardly be more parochial, more disrespectful, more evil than this.

Any hope rooted in the President's words at Notre Dame "to continue the moral and spiritual debate" has been slammed by the closing door.

Please take note, Catholics that supported President Obama in the last election, that door has just been slammed on you as well.

The Archbishop Speaks: We cannot--we will not--comply with this unjust law.

5 FEBRUARY 2012. Today in all parishes in the Archdiocese of Miami, which includes all of the State of Florida, the following letter was read to the faithful from Archbishop Wenski, Archbishop of Miami and Apostolic Adminsitrator of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

The Archbishop's letter could not be more direct; the recent HHS mandate that would require Catholic institutions to provide employee health coverage that includes abortifacient, contraceptive, and sterlization coverage is unjust, unconstitutional, and untenable. Here are the words of Archbishop Wenski:

January 26, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith.  The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people—the Catholic population—and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

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

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty.  And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so).  The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law.  People of faith cannot be made second class citizens.  We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom.  Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights.  In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties.  I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same.  Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things.  First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored.  Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible.  Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience, to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Administration’s decision.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Thomas Wenski
Archbishop of Miami

Florida's Personhood Amendment: Not the Answer, But Don't Shy from Preaching the Gospel of Life

TALLAHASSEE, 5 FEB. 2010 (AS). For those currently uninformed of Florida politics (aside from that little dangling chad issue that the folks in South Florida had during the 2000 election cycle), there is a hot debate going on in Tallahassee over the proposed, so-called “Personhood Amendment” to the state constitution. The text of the amendment is as follows:

SECTION 28. Person Defined.--

(a) The words “person” and “natural person” apply to all human beings, irrespective of age, race, health, function, condition of physical and/or mental dependency and/or disability, or method of reproduction, from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.

(b) This amendment shall take effect on the first day of the next regular legislative session occurring after voter approval of this amendment.

The purpose of the Personhood Amendment, it appears, is to make all forms of abortion at any stage of development and in any circumstance illegal.

However, in the oddest pairing of political bedfellows, Planned Parenthood and Florida’s Catholic Bishops agree, although for vastly different reasons, that the Personhood Amendment is bad and should not be enshrined into the Florida Constitution.

Here is the statement of the Florida Catholic Bishops:

While we sincerely respect the goal to amend the Florida Constitution so as to acknowledge full human rights for every human being, after careful consideration we do not support the currently proposed amendment. It is our opinion, and that of the legal experts with whom we have consulted, that passage of this amendment would not achieve the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade.

If such an amendment were to pass, a feat more difficult in our state due to the requirement to achieve support by 60% of voters, we are convinced that a federal district court would strike it down based on Roe. This decision would undoubtedly be affirmed by an appellate court, and the case would either not be granted further review by today’s U.S. Supreme Court, or worse, lead to a reaffirmation of Roe. The unintended effect would very likely jeopardize current protections in state law and cause a loss of momentum in the ultimate goal of establishing full legal protection of the unborn from the moment of conception.

We remain of the view that it will be more prudent to pursue incremental measures that add to existing protections in law and help change hearts and minds. Thus, we continue our ongoing efforts with parental notice, clinic regulation, informed consent, partial birth abortion ban, requiring ultrasound before an abortion and funding for Pregnancy Support Services. Finally, it is our earnest hope that all people in the state who respect the great gift of human life will respect each other's efforts, and not let differing views over strategy overshadow our common heartfelt support for building a culture of life.

What Florida’s bishops are saying is this: The Personhood Amendment is not the right way to stem the availability of abortion on demand, and could have the unintended consequence of strengthening, politically or legally, the position of those who argue that “choice” is a right that cannot be derogated. The Bishop’s are making a political calculation that the breadth of the Personhood Amendment will give the pro-choice movement the great political opportunity to characterize those in favor of protecting life as “extreme,” but at the same time will fail, because of its breadth and vagueness, to achieve the actual end of making abortion illegal. As to failing in its ultimate end, legally, I agree with our bishops.

However, I would strongly urge the bishops not to shy from being called extreme. Do not settle for slowly eroding the false right of privacy that courts have recognized in the United States as the basis for abortion on demand by only legislating restrictions like parental consent, greater regulation of clinics, and outlawing the most heinous and infanticidal abortion methods. The faithful and the Church must stand for the morally-prevailing right to life in all cases and in all circumstances.

This message has been impressed upon us in the words of the great and Venerable Pope John Paul II to the bishops of the Church in 1991:

In the context of the numerous and violent attacks against human life today, especially when it is weakest and most defenseless, statistical data point to a veritable "slaughter of the innocents" on a worldwide scale. A source of particular concern, however, is the fact that people's moral conscience appears frighteningly confused and they find it increasingly difficult to perceive the clear and definite distinction between good and evil in matters concerning the fundamental value of human life.

However serious and disturbing the phenomenon of the widespread destruction of so many human lives, either in the womb or in old age, no less serious and disturbing is the blunting of the moral sensitivity of people's consciences . . . [I]t seems more urgent than ever that we should forcefully reaffirm our common teaching, based on sacred Scripture and tradition, with regard to the inviolability of innocent human life.

The church intends not only to reaffirm the right to life — the violation of which is an offense against the human person and against God the Creator and Father, the loving source of all life — but she also intends to devote herself ever more fully to concrete defense and promotion of this right. The church feels called to this by her Lord. From Christ she receives the "Gospel of life" and feels responsible for its proclamation to every creature. Even at the price of going against the trend, she must proclaim that Gospel courageously and fearlessly, in word and deed, to individuals, peoples and states.

All of us, as pastors of the Lord's flock, have a grave responsibility to promote respect for human life in our dioceses. In addition to making public declarations at every opportunity, we must exercise particular vigilance with regard to the teaching being given in our seminaries and in Catholic schools and universities. As pastors we must be watchful in ensuring that practices followed in Catholic hospitals and clinics are fully consonant with the nature of such institutions. As our means permit, we must also support projects such as those which seek to offer practical help to women or families experiencing difficulties or to assist the suffering and especially the dying. Moreover, we must encourage scientific reflection and legislative or political initiatives which would counter the prevalent "death mentality."

(Venerable Pope John Paul II, Letter to all the Bishops on the principle of the intangibility of human life, 19 May 1991.)

Bishops of Florida and everywhere, we the faithful implore you, be strong in your advocacy for the protection of life in the public sphere. Provide moral leadership on the issues of abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, abortifacient contraceptives, and the death penalty. Preach the Gospel of life—the saving message of Christ that is sent to be victim for the innocent and most vulnerable. Stand strongly and firmly for life!

IMAGE: The logo of the Florida Catholic Conference.

What was wrong with Catholics voting for Obama?

Looking forward on the calendar, the next few days are relatively quiet. So I decided I would share some thoughts I have on President Obama, and the fact that it appears a good number of otherwise faithful Catholics supported him in last year's election.

The Notre Dame commencement address was a moment of clarity as to President Obama's views on the social and moral life of the country. Reading the text of his address that day, and having watched the video, it is heartbreaking to me that a Catholic university, in an effort to engage our secular society in dialogue (assuming the best intentions), was the backdrop for the President's message which is very much opposed to the teachings of the Church.

President Obama's message is this - each of us has his or her own truth which we are individually entitled to follow, and where those truths differ we as a nation should engage in debate that is respectful (using "fair-minded words"), but our nation's policies and laws should embrace only that which is universal, empathy, and reject a truth that is restrictive, dogmatic, or imposes a moral standard.

This should not be a surprise. Indeed, it is a position consistent with what Mr. Obama said in the campaign; he made clear that anything more would be, in his words: "above my paygrade."

Here are snippets from the Notre Dame speech:

[O]ne of the vexing things for those of us interested in promoting greater understanding and cooperation among people is the discovery that even bringing together persons of good will, men and women of principle and purpose, can be difficult.

* * * *

Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved.

* * * *
How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?

* * * *
Nowhere do these questions come up more powerfully than on the issue of abortion.

* * * *
[After reciting a story about criticism his senatorial campaign website received from a doctor because the website painted pro-life supporters generally as "right wing idealouges who want to hurt women," which Mr. Obama says he took to heart and prayed about.] Fair-minded words.

* * * *
Understand - I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. No matter how much we may want to fudge it - indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory - the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words.

* * * *
In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse.

But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.

This doubt should not push us away from our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, and cause us to be wary of self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open, and curious, and eager to continue the moral and spiritual debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works, charity, kindness, and service that moves hearts and minds.

President Obama first observes that it is difficult to bring people together, even people of good will--those who he says are people of principle and purpose. There is no doubt that in a pluralistic society we often have to compromise for the common good, and there is some accuracy in Mr. Obama's observation, but from the beginning he intimates a rejection of the categorical--of one truth.

All Christians are united in the love of Christ, and the belief that he is the Son of the Living God and the salvation of the world! It seems as though President Obama begins from a position of giving all believers (and all beliefs, including non-beliefs) an equal footing. Each believer has his or her own truth, and if they are people of good will interested in promoting greater understanding and cooperation among people, it will be at times difficult to bring such principled and varied people together. It is difficult, for Mr. Obama, because each person's view of truth is equal. The vision, from the outset, appears to be that Jews, Christians, Muslims, and other believers and those committed to being non-believers are all on equal footing with regard to having a claim on truth, i.e., being people of principle.

This equality of views is exemplified in his speech. He goes so far as to equate those who believe in the absolute sanctity of human life, and are opposing embryonic stem cell research, with those who would advocate taking some human lives to improve the conditions of other lives. Mr. Obama says that all views of truth are equal in value.

Not true! There is a universal truth. Christ is truth. However respectful of another's differing beliefs we may be, we cannot stand by mute as other beliefs are given the same prominence and respect as Christ. There is but one truth. Those who have different beliefs are, then, in some degree separated from the truth. We are not all on the same level.

In attempting to be respectful (I assume), Mr. Obama denigrates the Christian faith in Christ as the Word incarnate. By placing the beliefs of others, indeed even non-beliefs, on a equal footing with the truth of Christ, Mr. Obama deeply injures our Blessed Lord.

To further the acquiescence to those who may have different beliefs, then President Obama goes on to extol the virtue of using "fair minded words." Certainly, he says, this is necessary in the public discussion of abortion. Mr. Obama says we should not "[reduce] those with differing views to caricature." In attempt to appeal to his concept of fair minded words, however, Mr. Obama has reduced Christianity to such a caricature.

Christianity, for President Obama, is just one of many faith paths that can be taken. Which to him makes sense, because now he says: "I do not suggest that the debate surround abortion . . . should go away." Of course not. Mr. Obama, standing as a recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame, says that abortion should be debated because the faithful of the Church are wrong to impose our "parochial principles" on others. Again, Mr. Obama, albeit with a great deal of linguistic charm and eloquence, reduces the position of the Church and the faithful to caricature--mere parochialism.

President Obama then moves on to the virtue of faith. He says: let your faith guide you. "Stand as a lighthouse." Do not be afraid to "speak your mind." But, he continues, faith also necessarily involves doubt. I would disagree that to be faithful one must have doubt. I would also disagree with Mr. Obama's next point that it is impossible to know what God asks of us. The Church has been, in her magisterial teaching, proclaiming our duty to live the Gospel message for two thousand years. Christ Himself, through the Gospel, gives us our task: to love as He did. Our Lord's message of radical love is not impossible for us to understand.

It is also unacceptable, on the one hand, to encourage steadfastness in faith and, on the other hand, promote an inability to really know God and truth. Such a position reduces faith to just one of many options. Which is exactly Mr. Obama's point. He believes the Church is wrong on its teaching with regards to the sanctity of unborn life. However, he is admonishing his listeners to understand that the Church does not have the right to be categorical about such a teaching, because each of us has to decide what truth is. And, because there are many truths in the world of views, it is difficult work to reconcile the views of principled people to achieve common ground. So, according to President Obama, the best way to approach this task is through the use of careful, tempered, and respectful language in the debate. As he says: use "fair minded words" to "persuade through reason." At the very surface, this might sound acceptable even to believers (it certainly appeared to get a favorable reception from those in attendance). After all, the tone and delivery of the speech was pleasant enough.

But, Mr. Obama concludes (as to abortion) on this point: appeal to "universal rather than parochial principles." In other words, the weakest moral link--that point on which everyone in the debate can agree--should guide our Country's social policies. We are to avoid any absolutes. After all, for President Obama, there are none. So, Mr. Obama says that we all agree that abortion is a "heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions." That is it. The only universal truth that Mr. Obama can point to about abortion. His empathy for women is not without merit. However, he raises that empathy to the level of a super-truth--universal in a world of competing relative truths. This empathy, then, in Mr. Obama's view, blots out THE ABSOLUTE AND ONLY TRUTH--the Gospel, the Word incarnate.

So, in the end, that is exactly what was wrong with Catholics voting for Mr. Obama. In a Catholic institution, after receiving an honorary degree, he tells us that the faithful are wrong to believe in the categorical truth of the Gospel. He says we are wrong to believe in the universal truth of Our Lord. Instead, we should strive to find a universally understood point of empathy for those who need it, and act on that empathy. Mr. Obama reduces our faith, indeed the Church, to merely "parochial caricature"--the big bad institution that tells others how to think and what to do. How terribly sad that this message received Catholic support in the campaign, and continues to receive that support.

Please pray for President Obama, for our civic leaders, and for our country.