“We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law,” Kansas City-Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann wrote in his letter to Sunday Mass congregations about the Obama administration’s health care mandate. “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.”

 
 
They are strong words that he does not use lightly. Here is a list of ways Catholics feel backed into a corner by the …

The sleeping giant has been awakened.
Right now we’re witnessing an unprecedented response to the Obama administration’s decision last Friday to proceed with their new mandate forcing all Americans (including the Catholic Church) to fund birth control, sterilization, and some abortion-inducing drugs.

Since Friday we have been receiving reports from individuals and parishes across the country. Catholics of all stripes, left, right, and center — “political” categories that are not typically helpful — are nevertheless coming together like never before.
We are united as one Church.
Bishops, priests, pastors and …

A judge ruled yesterday that the State of Illinois can cancel its contracts with various Catholic Charities agencies in Illinois, despite his previous decision to halt that cancellation.

In his ruling, available at the Thomas More Society website, the judge did not rule on the Dioceses’ claims of religious discrimination, but instead declared, in only about two pages, that the plaintiffs are not entitled to contract with the state.
The judge seems to have missed the point, possibly in trying to find an “easy” way to resolve this case. It is illegal for Illinois to discriminate against …

An instructor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — dismissed after a student called his explanation of Roman Catholic teaching on homosexuality “hate speech” — is being offered his teaching job back, the university said today.
In making the move, the university also announced it will now pay those teaching Catholic-related courses rather than have them paid by a church group. (Chicago breaking news)
Kenneth Howell was barred last month from teaching two courses in the university’s Religion Department after explaining during class and in an e-mail why the church believes …

“The decision by Rep. Stupak to accept an Executive Order to solve the abortion issues in the health care legislation is unconscionable. The Executive Order fix is a band-aid solution that fails to solve the fundamental problems in this bill, and can be repealed at any time, for any reason, by the President or future presidents.  The Order is likely to be challenged by pro-abortion groups, and could be struck down by the courts.
Regrettably, Rep. Stupak has abandoned those who have stood by him during the recent weeks and months.
The Catholic Bishops along with CatholicVote.org and every major pro-life organization oppose this ‘fix.’  We have defended Rep. Stupak for …

Hot on the heels of the liberal women religious orders thatreleased a statement yesterday in support of the anti-life health care bill, this statement was released today by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (bold parts are mine):
In a March 15th statement, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on behalf of the United States Bishops in opposition to the Senate’s version of the health care legislation under consideration because of its expansion of abortion funding and its lack of …

Stupak as the last hope. See Bart Stupak in Chicago

Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-IL

Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-MN

Illinois Democrat Dan Lipinski told The Weekly Standard that he will not vote for the  Senate healthcare bill unless the pro-abortion sections are removed. When asked if Lipinski was open to supporting the Senate healthcare bill if it lacked the Stupak language, the Congressman’s spokesman Nathaniel Zimmer replied: “No. Congressman Lipinski will not vote for a health care bill that provides federal funding for abortion.”
And Lipinski isn’t the only Democrat willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Bart Stupak.
Minnesota Democrat Jim Oberstar made crystal clear that …

Obama health reform is back, and Catholics have one more chance to prove what is more important to them: being pro-life or being pro-Democratic party.

As CVA explained earlier today, Catholic principles leave only one choice on this issue.  The President’s health reform plan, in violation of his promise, funds abortion insurance.  The US Bishops have forecully directed us that even their decades of support for health reform is decisively trumped by the extremely grave evil of public funding of abortion insurance, and they have told us that such plans must be …