Letter to the Faithful Regarding Religious Liberty and HHS Regulations

Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
Archbishop of Louisville
Publication Date: February 01, 2012

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
 
May God bless you!  I write to you about an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States 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 recently 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, some Catholic employers will be compelled either to violate their consciences or to drop health coverage for their employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so).  The Administration’s sole concession was to give these institutions one year to comply.
 
We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law.  People of faith cannot be made second class citizens.  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.
 
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.  I ask of you two things.  First, as a community of faith we should join together in prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice will prevail, and religious liberty will 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.
 
Thank you for your attention to this vital issue.  You and your families are in my prayers.
 
 
 
                                                                          Sincerely yours in our Lord,
 
                                                                                  
 
                                                                          Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
                                                                          Archbishop of Louisville
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