Federal government has no place defining religion and religious ministry

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we wind down our “Fortnight for Freedom” and approach our country’s Independence Day, we need to take time to reflect on the task we are engaged in to preserve our religious liberty.

Like all challenges to liberty, this is not something we asked for and it is not something we can walk away from without a struggle or without suffering.

We began the Fortnight for Prayer on the eve of the Feast of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, both martyred in their defense of the Church against the usurpation of King Henry VIII. They both rejected the king’s audacious and presumptuous notion that as king he could also serve as sovereign over the Catholic Church in England. The king had them both beheaded for their unwillingness to deny the pope’s primacy over God’s Church on Earth.

Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More are not the only saints, martyrs and defenders of religious liberty that we recognize during this two-week period. St. John the Baptist, Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Iraneus and St. Thomas the Apostle are also remembered during this period. The fortnight also memorializes the deaths of James Madison (June 28), Thomas Jefferson (July 4) and John Adams (July 4).

Shortly before the start of the Fortnight for Freedom, I—and I’m sure many of you—had the opportunity of viewing the new movie “For Greater Glory” which tells the story of the Mexican martyrs who fought and died for the Church in the 1920s during the Cristero War. During last month’s meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we heard from Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad who made a heartfelt plea on behalf of his country’s Christians and asked that we encourage the American government to safeguard their religious rights.

To be sure, we do not face today the mortal threats that these martyrs endured. We must be mindful, however, that it is not uncommon that rights in this country have often been won incrementally, and no doubt they can be lost in the same manner. The Lord’s prayer has been banned from public forums, God’s Commandments are no longer welcome in public places, respect for life is no longer a policy that government seeks to advance and the list goes on.

We can no longer be sure that George Washington’s words are true when the father of our country said, “We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart.  In this enlightened age and in this land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest offices that are known in the United States.”

We are indeed, dangerously close to abandoning Washington’s view of the country he helped found and establish. Let me tell you why this may be coming to pass.

The mandate issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 21 requires group health plans to pay for Food and Drug Administration approved sterilization procedures and contraceptive methods, which include emergency contraception drugs such as ella, which can cause an abortion when taken to avoid pregnancy.

While the mandate includes an exemption for religious employers, it is a very narrow definition. The exemption only applies to employers who hire and serve primarily those of their own faith. While this “may” protect the Diocese of Corpus Christi and our parishes, it will not exempt the CHRISTUS Spohn Healthcare System, Catholic Charities, the Catholic Communications Network or Catholic schools.

The Federal government has no place defining religion and religious ministry. As the bishops said in their March 14 Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate, “We are commanded both to love and to serve the Lord; laws that protect our freedom to comply with one of these commands but not the other are nothing to celebrate.”

This mandate is not only an intrusion into Church governance; it is a violation of personal civil rights. Individuals who are committed to live a faithful life consistent with the Church’s moral values are now confronted with the unenviable choice of abandoning their faith and betraying their Church’s moral teachings.
Despite the reporting of many of our friends in the secular media, our struggle is not about contraception; the U.S. Supreme Court took that issue off the table years ago. It is not about the religious freedom of Catholics only; our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations and religions have joined us in this struggle.

This struggle is not about being against universal health care; the Bishops’ Conference has advocated for adequate health care for decades. Notwithstanding what you may have heard, this is not a Republican or Democratic issue, nor is it a conservative or liberal issue; it is an American issue.

Indeed, we have focused our efforts away from the political arena. We have urged the faithful to do penance and to pray that this matter will be resolved in an amicable manner.  At the same time we advised the faithful to exercise their rights as citizens. We have asked and continue to ask you to write your Senators and Congressmen in Washington urging them to support our cause. I ask you again to write and to write again.

The bishops and others engaged in this struggle are not naïve. We have made every effort to engage the Administration. We have and will continue to pursue a remedy through the legislative process. We will continue to seek redress from the courts. We will continue to do all what is necessary to reverse this unwarranted intrusion into Church life.

On Aug. 1, the current HHS mandate will go into effect. As a consequence, many employees for Catholic organizations may find themselves without insurance. It could result in the closure of schools, hospitals and other Catholic-run organizations. The challenges we face are very serious.

We in the Catholic Church do not want to coerce anybody to do anything against their will, but neither do we want anyone—including the Federal Government— to force the Church to do anything that is against its teachings.

In an often-quoted parable, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Mk 12:17) Are we not in a similar situation?

Please continue to pray that this matter be resolved prior to Aug. 1. May the Lord’s mercy and justice triumph.

Viva Cristo Rey!