BISHOPS URGE CONGRESS TO ACT ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE BEFORE YEAR’S END

BISHOPS URGE CONGRESS TO ACT ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE BEFORE YEAR’S END

Cardinal DiNardo highlights problems for religious institutions, individuals

Sees Administration policy’s approach to religious freedom most grudging, arbitrary ever

Congressional action defending religious freedom long overdue

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called on Congress to address the crisis in health care sparked by the Obama administration’s contraceptive/sterilization coverage mandate in an August 3 letter to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

            The mandate, which was announced a year ago by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he said, “would forbid Americans to provide or purchase health coverage unless it includes female surgical sterilizations, all FDA-approved prescription drugs and devices for preventing pregnancy – including drugs and devices which can destroy a human life at its earliest stages – and ‘counseling and education’ to promote these to all women and girls of childbearing age.”

          

            Cardinal DiNardo called the mandate “unprecedented and misguided federal policy.” He added that “most of those who initiate or renew employee health plans as well as student plans at educational institutions after August 1 must comply with this mandate, notwithstanding their moral or religious objections, or drop their health coverage altogether as some colleges have now begun to do.” 

            “For our part, the Catholic bishops of the United States continue to advocate for life-affirming health care for all, especially for poor and vulnerable people.  We do not see this policy as a step in that direction,” he said.

            “Despite widespread opposition to this coercive policy by religious organizations, lawmakers and the general public, Congress has still taken no action to counter it.  The time for such action is, to say the least, overdue,” he said.

            “The fundamental importance of the religious freedom issue at stake demands a timely congressional response,” he said. “Through this mandate, the Administration is promoting an approach to religious freedom that is more grudging and arbitrary than any yet seen in federal law.”

           He added that a minority of religious employers – those which, among other things, engage primarily in prayer and preaching – are said to be exempt from the mandate. “By contrast, religious organizations which live out their faith by reaching out to all in need with health care and other humanitarian services are deemed ‘not religious enough’ for the exemption.  Many, though not all, of these organizations will qualify for a one-year delay in enforcement, after which partial control of their health plans will be handed over by the government to others willing to implement the mandate.” 

          Cardinal DiNardo highlighted the plight of employers who may have moral or religious objections to some or all of the mandated services, people who are “devout individuals and families who own and operate businesses, who without any word of protest from employees have been offering health coverage that does not violate their moral convictions.” With the mandate “their longtime practice will be contrary to federal law, punished by a tax of $100 a day per employee and other penalties,” he said. “In court, the Administration has insisted that these companies are entirely ‘secular’ with no claim on religious freedom.  In effect, if an organization is ‘for profit,’ it is not allowed to be ‘for’ anything else.  The owners who have imbued their companies with faith-based commitments to employee well-being, community service and social responsibility strongly disagree.  And at a time of grave concern over business and banking scandals, does anyone think that rewarding businesses obsessed solely with company profits is sound government policy?” 

          Cardinal DiNardo noted several current lawsuits opposing the mandate brought by institutions and individuals.

          “Vindication of the fundamental rights of these individuals and organizations may take years of litigation,” he said.

          “The validity of the religious freedom claim against the contraceptive mandate is clearer than ever – even for those supposedly ‘secular’ companies whose rights are completely ignored under that mandate,” he said. “Yet timely and uniform protection of these rights cannot be expected from the current lengthy judicial process.  Therefore the Catholic bishops of the United States and many others fervently hope Congress will address this urgent and fundamental issue before it completes its business this year.”

Christmas Gifts Anyone? Fair Trade Coffee, Teas and Other Goods

Please consider purchasing Fair Traded goods for gifts for family, friends, neighbors and
colleagues. Consider giving yourself Fair Traded coffee or tea for your daily routine. Your investing in
Fair Traded goods helps to promote international and local economic justice by paying fair wages to
many persons throughout the world that live on less than $2 a day.  Visit http://www.crsfairtrade.org/ for access to fair traded products sponsored or related to Catholic Relief Services.

In the local Youngstown area, economic justice can also be done by utilizing the services of locally cooperatively owned businesses for your needs, like the Beatitude House Green Clean Cooperative, which recently obtained a national grant from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).  This cooperative provides residential and commercial cleaning services.

"Caritas in Veritate": A Defense of Life

Pontifical Academy President Comments on Encyclical

By Carmen Elena Villa

ROME, JULY 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- "Caritas in Veritate" presents the new face of development, true ethics and human dignity, according to the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, who is also rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, gave his evaluation of Benedict XVI's third encyclical during a presentation Wednesday in Rome.

The prelate noted that with the publication of Paul VI's "Populorum Progressio," the primary exhortation was to rescue populations from illiteracy and misery. Now, Archbishop Fisichella said, without excluding those factors, the concept of development "has a broader connotation."

The academy president lamented the incongruity of those who "defend the environment and yet forget human life and its protection." He instead urged a "balance that does not exalt one and humiliate the other, thus falling into neo-paganism." What is needed, the archbishop affirmed, is "integral humanism."

"Only when people know themselves and maintain a longing for the truth can there be a guarantee that society can have coherent development," Archbishop Fisichella said.

He went on to note how "Caritas in Veritate" illustrates true charity, showing "the path for getting out of the tunnel of generalized emotivity."

More than no's

The Vatican official said the Pope's third encyclical reiterates that the Church's message is anything but a list of "thou shalt nots."

Instead, he maintained, the Holy Father lays out a "courageous project" in which the market, businesses and finance "are called above all to answer to needs that are intrinsic to their nature."

Archbishop Fisichella also reflected on the anthropology presented in the encyclical. He cited Paul VI's idea, taken up by Benedict XVI, that "under-development has a cause that is even greater than the lack of thought: It is the lack of fraternity among people and nations."

In this regard, he affirmed that the current economic crisis is rooted in more than finances: Its true cause is a distorted anthropological base.

The encyclical, the prelate said, "shows the path that the person is called to walk along with perseverance."

An ethical framework that takes into account, among other things, just salaries and security and is committed to "educate people so they don't fall into forms of under-development" is needed, the archbishop continued. Such a system has to regard more than technical aspects; it must include the "social, ethical and human factors."

He went on to emphasize the importance of solidarity always being accompanied by subsidiarity.

"Solidarity," Archbishop Fisichella affirmed," is not sufficient if subsidiarity is lacking," since it runs the risk of falling into a mentality of hand-outs. "This perspective is nothing more than an anthropological demand."

Finally, the academy president noted God's role in development: "The spiritual horizon is not an add-on; it is the essence." He pointed to the encyclical's link with "Gaudium et Spes" from the Second Vatican Council, reflecting that "Jesus worked with human hands, thought with a human mind and loved with a human heart."

The originality of this encyclical, he concluded, is that it shows how the "path taken in the light of reason cannot be fulfilled if it is not made in the light of faith."

US Bishops Support Universal Health Care

Appeal for Reforms That Respect Life

WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 21, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- The U.S. bishops' conference is urging lawmakers to reform the health care system in order to make it accessible and affordable for all, and respectful of human life.

The conference affirmed this in a July 17 letter to U.S. congressmen, signed by the chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York.

The letter, released to the public today, was written to present the conference's policy priorities to all Senators and House Representatives.

The bishops expressed the hope that Congress "will bring genuine life-affirming reform to the nation's health care system."

"As Congress begins debate on health care reform," the prelates underlined their support for these actions and offered criteria for "fair and just" changes.

They asserted, "We have in the past and we always must insist that health care reform excludes abortion coverage or any other provisions that threaten the sanctity of life."

The letter called for a "truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity."

It also appealed for "access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of legal immigrants."

The health policy should pursue the common good and preserve pluralism, the conference affirmed, "including freedom of conscience and variety of options."

As well, it added, costs of health care should be restrained, and applied "equitably across the spectrum of payers."

Morality and politics

Expanding on these criteria, the letter continued: "No health care reform plan should compel us or others to pay for the destruction of human life, whether through government funding or mandatory coverage of abortion.

"Any such action would be morally wrong."

A policy that funds abortions, the bishops asserted, would not pass a vote, and thus "would be politically unwise."

The conference added that another requirement of the duty "to protect the life and dignity of every person" is recalling the principle that "decent health care is not a privilege, but a right."

The prelates stated to the lawmakers, "All people need and should have access to comprehensive, quality health care that they can afford, and it should not depend on their stage of life, where or whether they or their parents work, how much they earn, where they live, or where they were born."

The letter emphasized, "The bishops' conference believes health care reform should be truly universal and it should be genuinely affordable."

The conference explained that "health care is not just another issue for the Church or for a healthy society."

It affirmed that this is "a fundamental issue of human life and dignity" and a "critical component of the Catholic Church's ministry."

The bishops concluded, "We bring both strong convictions and everyday experience to the issue of health care."

They expressed the desire of working with the congressmen "on these priorities as you make important choices on how to strengthen and improve health care, a most important national priority."

--- --- ---

On the Net:

Full text: www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/2009-07-17-murphy-letter-congress.pdf

Pope Benedict XVI: Message to G-20 Leaders

AVOID NATIONALISTIC SELFISHNESS AND PROTECTIONISM



VATICAN CITY, 1 APR 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has expressed his appreciation to heads of State and government who are due to participate in the G20 Summit which will take place in London, England, on 2 and 3 April for the "noble objectives" they have set themselves. These objectives, he writes, arise from the conviction " that the way out of the current global crisis can only be reached together, avoiding solutions marked by any nationalistic selfishness or protectionism".



In his English-language Letter, addressed to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Pope recalls that the aim of the gathering is "to co-ordinate, with urgency, measures necessary to stabilise financial markets and to enable companies and families to weather this period of deep recession, as well as to restore sustainable growth in the world economy and to reform and substantially strengthen systems of global governance, in order to ensure that such a crisis is not repeated in the future".



Pope Benedict mentions his recent visit to Africa , where he was able "to see at first hand the reality of severe poverty and marginalization, which the crisis risks aggravating dramatically".



He also notes the fact that "sub-Saharan Africa is represented [at the meeting] by just one State and some regional organisations". This, he writes, "must prompt a profound reflection among the summit participants, since those whose voice has least force in the political scene are precisely the ones who suffer most from the harmful effects of a crisis for which they do not bear responsibility".



After underlining how "a key element of the crisis is a deficit of ethics in economic structures", the Pope insists that "the same crisis teaches us that ethics is not 'external' to the economy but 'internal' and that the economy cannot function if it does not bear within it an ethical component".



He also emphasises the need for "a courageous and generous strengthening of international co-operation, capable of promoting a truly humane and integral development. Positive faith in the human person, and above all faith in the poorest men and women - of Africa and other regions of the world affected by extreme poverty - is what is needed if we are truly to come through the crisis once and for all, without turning our back on any region, and if we are definitively to prevent any recurrence of a situation similar to that in which we find ourselves today".



The Pope concludes his Letter by expressing the wish to add his voice "to those of the adherents of various religions and cultures who share the conviction that the elimination of extreme poverty by 2015, to which leaders at the UN Millennium Summit committed themselves, remains one of the most important tasks of our time".



Gordon Brown has replied, expressing agreement with the Pope's ideas and indicating the paths to follow in order to implement them.

MESS/.../G20 SUMMIT VIS 090401 (490)






CARDINAL SECRETARY OF STATE TARCISIO BERTONE S.D.B. has sent a message to the labour ministers of the G8 member States (Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, United States, Japan, Canada and Russia) and of a further six nations with the world's largest economies, who participated in the Social Summit, held in Rome from 29 to 31 March. The aim of the meeting was to formulate proposals to ensure that solutions to the world economic crisis take job protection and workers' rights into account.



MSGR. RENATO VOLANTE, HOLY SEE PERMANENT OBSERVER to the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture, addressed the 29th FAO regional conference for Asia and the Pacific, held in Bangkok , Thailand , on 28 March. In his address Msgr. Volante affirmed, among other things, that "the crisis affecting markets, financial activities and food prices calls for agricultural policies to be revised" and highlighted the need "to work with all possible methods and instruments".

.../IN BRIEF/... VIS 090401 (160)

Cardinal Martino Praises G-8 Summit on Crisis

Says it Concurs With Heart of Church's Social Doctrine

ROME, MARCH 30, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- The Group of Eight labor ministers meeting in Rome to discuss ways to help those affected by the global downturn are addressing the heart of the Church's social teaching, says a Vatican aide.

In an article published Sunday by L'Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, expressed his support for the three-day summit, under way in Rome through Tuesday.

The meeting is titled "The Human Dimension of the Crisis," and has as its focus to discuss how to strengthen welfare systems and help put people back to work.

The G-8 meeting was called to prepare for the Group of 20 summit due to begin Thursday in London. It also responds to demonstrations that have been sparked in several European capitals, leading up to the London meeting, in protest of the decreasing job availability and financial stability.

Cardinal Martino lauded the social summit initiative, as it implies "providing for the person by safeguarding his dignity through the adaptation of the social systems; beginning again from the person, and creating the conditions for the birth of new jobs."

He explained, "These topics are important for the Church and are at the heart of her social teaching."

The Church's social and economic thought, the cardinal continued, "is based on the principle of the dignity of the person" as the "basic pillar of society itself" and as the "goal of all social institutions."

Because of this, the Church's social doctrine states that it is "in times of economic upheaval when systems of social protection must be reinforced, so that the person can enjoy his fundamental rights, put in danger by the crisis," he added, quoting John Paul II's "Centessimus Annus."

Cardinal Martino also noted that the true center of economic activity: "Through work, not money or technology, man is a protagonist of development.

"And because of this it is only through work that the economy can start up again."

Rethinking the system

The cardinal affirmed that the crisis must be an occasion to "rethink the global economic and financial system, which phenomena like globalization, migration and the issue of the environment had already begun to question over the last few years."

It is necessary, he asserted, to articulate "new inspiring principles" based on fraternity between peoples. The cardinal said the first of these principles must be "the universal common good, which was theorized by John XXIII in 'Pacem in Terris,'" and consists in "considering humanity as a family."

Another principle must be the "spirit of international cooperation in the economic and financial areas and in the field of development," which "requires that, beyond the strict logic of the market, there be awareness of the duty of solidarity," he said.

"In fact," Cardinal Martino added, "solidarity is central in the reorganization of the fabric of a world economy, which as the present crisis demonstrates, [though] negatively, is ever more intertwined."

Solidarity also "implies fostering greater participation in the decision-making process by both developed as well as underdeveloped countries, by both international organizations as well as civil society in general," he continued.

Subjects, not objects

The cardinal added a third principle of subsidiarity, "thanks to which it is possible to stimulate the spirit of initiative, fundamental basis of all socio-economic development, in poor countries themselves, so that the latter might be considered not as a problem, but as subjects and protagonists of a new and more human future for the whole world."

The fourth principle on which the world economic system should be reorganized is that of responsibility, he noted, "which is translated into transparency, accountability, consistency and coordination between economic entities themselves and governments and civil society."

Cardinal Martino said it is "very positive" that the International Labor Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have associated themselves with this G-8 summit.

He underlined the necessity of finding "strategies to combat poverty" in order to enhance "social cohesion," which is one of the most serious problems caused by the crisis, given the widening gap between rich and poor.

"Finally," the cardinal concluded, "peace, also social peace, finds its foundation in the rational and moral order of society [...] it is based on a correct conception of the person and requires the building of an order based on justice and charity."

USCCB CONGRATULATES NEW MEXICO ON REPEAL OF THE DEATH PENALTY

New Mexico bishops and advocates worked hard for repeal
Bishop Murphy urged Governor Richardson to sign bill into law
New Mexico becomes one of 15 states to ban death penalty



WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) congratulated the bishops of New Mexico and other advocates on their successful efforts to repeal the death penalty in New Mexico.
“The bishops of New Mexico and many others worked tirelessly to see New Mexico become a leader in turning away from the death penalty in our country,” said Kathy Saile, director of the Office of Domestic Social Development at the USCCB.
On March 18, Governor Bill Richardson signed HB 285 into law making New Mexico the second state to repeal the death penalty since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the use of the death penalty in 1976. In December 2007, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed legislation repealing the death penalty in that state. Fifteen states have now have laws banning the death penalty.
Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development at the USCCB, wrote to Governor Richardson on March 16, urging him to sign the legislation, saying it “would help begin building a culture of life in our country.”

53 rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Statement by H.E. Archbishop Celestino Migliore
Apostolic Nuncio
Permanent Observer of the Holy See



Economic and Social Council





On Item 3 (a) (i):
Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women
and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled
“Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”: Implementation of strategic objectives in
critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives:
the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men,
including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS






New York, 9 March 2009



Mr. Chairman,

My delegation applauds the choice of such an important and timely topic for this discussion: the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.

To consider care as a fundamental aspect of human life has profound implications.

Caregiving involves programs, policies and budgetary decisions, as well as personal attitude and commitment for the wellbeing of others. The interrelatedness between activity and personal attitude is self-evident but not always to be presupposed.

Human beings are not only autonomous and equal but also interdependent creatures, who regardless of their social status and stage of life may need care.

Focusing on care and sharing responsibility between women and men in coping with pressing issues such as prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, child-rearing, housework and support for older family members, leads us to think of the relationship between man and woman in society as interdependent.

The overcoming of the dilemma between autonomy and dependence also favors a new vision of the work of care that can no longer be attributed only to certain groups, such as women and immigrants, but must also be shared between all women and men, in households as well as in the public sector.

In particular, it is more and more untenable that there continue to be attitudes and places - even in health care - where women are discriminated against and their contribution to society is undervalued simply because they are women. Recourse to social and cultural pressure in order to maintain the inequality of the sexes is unacceptable.

Mr. Chairman, since our debate mainly focuses on sharing responsibilities and caregiving between women and men in the context of HIV/AIDS, the very first thought goes to the primary and best meaning of care, namely taking care, protecting and promoting the wellbeing of others. In this context, HIV/AIDS calls into question the values by which we live our lives and how we treat, or fail to treat, one another.

Community-based care and worldwide support for those suffering from this disease remain essential. Home-based care is the preferred means of care in many social and cultural settings, and is often more sustainable and successful over the long term when based within communities. In fact, when many members of a community are involved in care and support, there is less likely to be stigma associated with the disease.

Unfortunately, community- and home-based care is largely unrecognized, and many caregivers face precarious financial situations. Very little of the funds spent every year on providing assistance to those who are suffering as well as on much needed research to combat the disease go to supporting them. Studies have shown that community and home-based caregivers actually experience more stress than medical personnel; so better support must be provided for these persons, particularly women and older persons who are caregivers.

My delegation would also like to focus on some aspects of the globalization of caregiving which are affecting in particular poor and immigrant women. In societies characterized by important demographic transformations, familial and occupational and inadequate welfare systems, immigrant women respond to the demand to care for children, the sick, severely disabled people and the elderly. In many parts of the world, a true market has emerged in the area of home-based caregiving, in which women above all are found in situations of vulnerability due to non-regularization, social isolation, difficult working conditions and at times exploitation of every kind.

Governments should properly recognize that the budget and organization of public institutions are somewhat relieved by family-based caregiving and should thus adopt migration laws aimed at creating social integration and full protection of immigrant caregivers and fostering social integration. Likewise, supporting an appropriate professional formation that offers to home-based caregivers basic knowledge of health and psychology would upgrade their invaluable activity and eventually shield them from easy and reprehensible types of exploitation.

Developing countries are suffering from brain drain, as many of their educated, talented and skilled human capital – especially in the health sector – leave their places for better economic opportunities in rich countries. Market-forces get the blame for this, but this is an area where countries of origin, transit and destination need to work together to help developing countries retain, or at least readmit, these skilled members of their workforce, providing suitable incentives to recognize and better remunerate them so that caregivers may more easily be able to stay at home.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, too many cultures hold that care is to be restricted to the private sphere and presupposes that it is provided in the domestic realm.

Care in itself must become a topic of public debate and take on an importance capable of shaping political life and giving men and women the ability to be more concerned for the needs of others, more empathetic and able to focus on others.

Care, in this sense, has the capacity to create a process of democratization of society and to foster a public awareness aimed at social and effective justice and solidarity for all women and men.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Vatican: Anniversary of Human Rights

VATICAN CITY, 13 NOV 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, presented the programme of events planned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The initiatives, organised by his dicastery, are due to be held in the Vatican on 10 December.


Cardinal Martino explained that the aim of the initiatives is, “on the one hand, to celebrate that famous United Nations document and, on the other, to highlight its perennial value, underlining once again its importance as an educational tool and a guide for building a more just and united world.

“The Church”, he added, “holds that human rights express the transcendent dignity of human beings, the only creatures to be loved by God for themselves, the end and never the means; and she believes that the 1948 Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man was a moment of fundamental importance in mankind’s development of a moral conscience that accords with human dignity”.

The cardinal reiterated the fact that “the Church has made her own contributions, both through reflections on human rights in the light of the Word of God and of human reason (such as the treatment of the subject by Blessed John XXIII in his ‘Pacem in Terris’), and through her commitment to announce and denounce which has made her such a tireless paladin of the dignity of mankind and human rights in the sixty years since the 1948 Declaration”.

He continued: “The latest powerful testimony to the value of the Universal Declaration was that of the Holy Father Benedict XVI on 18 April this year when he visited the Untied Nations and declared: … ‘The merit of the Universal Declaration is that it has enabled different cultures, juridical expressions and institutional models to converge around a fundamental nucleus of values, and hence of rights’.

“On this basis, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, together with the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, will organise a celebration to take place in the Paul VI Hall on 10 December. The initiative will be divided into two phases. The first, at 4 p.m., will consist in a commemorative meeting dedicated to reflection and study, attended by heads of dicasteries of the Roman Curia and by members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. Contributions on the value and importance of the Declaration will be forthcoming from Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.; Juan Somavia, director general of the World Labour Organisation, and Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

At 6 p.m. that evening, Benedict XVI will attend a public concert by the Brandenburrgisches Staatsorchester of Frankfurt, led by the Spanish conductor, Inma Shara.

Shortly before the concert, the St. Matthew Foundation’s annual prizes in memory of Cardinal Van Thuan will be presented. Among this year’s winners is Cornelio Sommaruga, former president of the International Red Cross.

USCCB Statement: Hope/Obstacles for Obama Administration

Cardinal George Voices Hope for Obama Administration, Points to Possible Obstacles to Our Desired Unity



BALTIMORE—Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), voiced hope for the Obama Administration but pointed to possible obstacles to our desired unity, in a Nov. 12 statement at the end of the annual fall assembly of the USCCB.

"The bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all," he said.

He said that "the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve," if the administration's policies increase abortions.

"Aggressive pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion."

"We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation," he added. "The common good is not the sum total of individual interests: it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all."

Cardinal George's remarks follow.



STATEMENT of the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
"If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil." (Psalm 127, vs. 1)

The Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all. Because of the Church's history and the scope of her ministries in this country, we want to continue our work for economic justice and opportunity for all; our efforts to reform laws around immigration and the situation of the undocumented; our provision of better education and adequate health care for all, especially for women and children; our desire to safeguard religious freedom and foster peace at home and abroad. The Church is intent on doing good and will continue to cooperate gladly with the government and all others working for these goods.

The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself.

In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any "interference" in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.

Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.

FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.

On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted.

The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.

This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.

Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected "watchman." (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.

Prelates say both social and political steps needed to protect life

ABORTION-STATEMENT Oct-21-2008

Prelates say both social and political steps needed to protect life

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholics are required to oppose abortion on demand and to provide help to mothers facing challenging pregnancies, the chairmen of two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in an Oct. 21 statement.

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, also urged Catholics to study church teaching on matters pertaining to abortion rather than rely on statements and materials from outside organizations.

The prelates' statement was released in response to two arguments that have surfaced in the abortion debate during the run-up to the Nov. 4 election.

The first maintains that the Catholic Church should accept the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision on abortion as a "permanent fixture of constitutional law" and the only way to reduce abortions is through broader government support for pregnant women. The second holds that the church should focus solely on restoring recognition for unborn children's human rights and that proposals to provide life-affirming support for pregnant women distract from that effort.

"We want to be clear that neither argument is consistent with Catholic teaching," the prelates wrote. "Our faith requires us to oppose abortion on demand and to provide help to mothers facing challenging pregnancies."

In issuing their statement, the bishops signaled both sides of the abortion debate that efforts to protect life must take place both in the social and political realms.

"Providing support for pregnant women so they choose to have their babies is a necessary but not sufficient response to abortion," they said. "Similarly, reversal of Roe is a necessary but not sufficient condition for restoring an order of justice in our society's treatment of defenseless human life.

"Both approaches to opposing abortion are essential. By protecting the child's life to the maximum degree possible, improving life-affirming support for pregnant women and changing the attitudes and prejudices imposed on many women to make them see abortion as an acceptable or necessary solution, we will truly help build a culture of life," they said.

Overturning the court's decision would not automatically grant legal protection to the unborn, Cardinal Rigali and Bishop Murphy said.

The prelates also cautioned Catholics about the numerous materials that have surfaced recently that attempt to "interpret Catholic teaching" or imply that such resources "represent the teaching of the church." They affirmed that the year-old "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" document is "the teaching that has been approved" by the bishops to help guide Catholic voters.

They also encouraged Catholics to review documents issued by local bishops and state Catholic conferences for guidance prior to the election.

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Editor's Note: The full text of the joint statement can be viewed online at www.usccb.org/prolife/Rigali-Murphy-Joint-Statement.pdf.