Reactions of individual US Bishops to Pres. Obama’s “Plan B” pill

Posted on 10 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Now that I have posted Bp. Slattery’s statement following on President Obama’s “morally obtuse”, “insult to the intelligence”, and “cheap accounting trick”, everyone is going to ask me to post their own bishop’s statements. I can’t do that, though it would be great to try.

“But Father! But Father!”, some are saying.  “Why…”

Bp. Slattery’s people got to me first!  That’s why.

Post them here. No, don’t just send them to me for me to post. You do the work.

I might single out some statements for special attention at my own discretion.

This isn’t a discussion entry.  This is a news and text and link entry.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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11 Comments

  1. Rellis says:
    10 February 2012 at 4:32 PM

    Tobin (Providence): “This is the United States, not North Korea”

    Bishop Tobin’s statement on the health insurance mandate
    2/9/12

    (PROVIDENCE, R.I.)-The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence released the following statement relative to remarks made by President Barack Obama earlier today.

    “At first reading, the so-called “accommodation” offered by the Obama Administration seems to fall short of the requirements of the moral law,” said Bishop Tobin. “Although the discussions about this matter will continue, the bottom line is this: the government cannot require religious institutions or individuals to operate in a way that violates their convictions. Our nation cherishes religious freedom. By what authority does the President of the United States seek to impose this immoral policy? This is the United States, not North Korea.”

    http://www.thericatholic.com/detail.html?sub_id=4762

  2. ipadre says:
    10 February 2012 at 4:52 PM

    Amen to my Bishop! Thank you Bishop Tobin!

    We will not and cannot violate our consciences because our president does not have one! In the words of Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death!”

    Maybe this is what we need to wake up America. See how far we have fallen!

  3. ContraMundum says:
    10 February 2012 at 5:05 PM

    Bp. Bransfield of Wheeling/Charleston (WV) wrote against the mandate today on his blog, but it doesn’t seem to reference Obama’s most recent nuance.

    http://www.dwc.org/bishop-bransfield/bishop-bransfields-blog.html

  4. StJude says:
    10 February 2012 at 5:51 PM

    Bishop Zubik Responds To Obama Compromise On Birth Control

    http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video…birth-control/

  6. ckdexterhaven says:
    10 February 2012 at 7:22 PM

    Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh. He has a short video here:
    http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/news/view.aspx?id=1390

    He also tweeted about his video, and it’s on facebook. Love that the Bishops are using social media and letting us help them get the word out.

  7. andrewnhan says:
    10 February 2012 at 8:19 PM

    H.E. Peter Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte: http://news.charlottediocese.org/images/stories/PressReleases/statementregardinghhscompromise2-10-12.pdf
    He and Bishop Burbidge of Raleigh has been great shepards of North Carolina!

  8. Jayna says:
    10 February 2012 at 10:05 PM

    Not much taking to task, but they’ve said something. From Archdiocese of Atlanta: http://archatl.com/offices/communications/press_releases/2012.02.10-hhsresponse.html

  10. Squishymac says:
    11 February 2012 at 4:18 AM

    http://staugcatholic.org/ImageGallery/Titles/11/Issues/154/960/January26letter.pdf

    Bishop Estévez Joins U.S. Bishops in Vowing to Fight Coercive HHS Mandate

    The following letter, written by Bishop Felipe J. Estévez, was read to parishioners of the Diocese of St. Augustine the weekend of Jan. 27-28, 2012, urging Catholics to take action today:

    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 http://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,
    Most Rev. Felipe J. Estévez, S.T.D.
    Bishop of St. Augustine

  11. mamajen says:
    11 February 2012 at 8:06 AM

    Bishop Cunningham, Syracuse NY “Our voices were heard”. Doesn’t really say what he thinks about the latest development, but I’m worried that it seems to be perceived as some kind of victory, which it is not.

    http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/syracuse_bishop_the_president.html

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