Conscience and Religious Freedom: What the Catholic Church in America Actually Says

The Catholic Church in America is doing something about religious freedom, practical charity, and life. This post is mostly link lists of resources provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):¹

• Catholic Bishops in America, Conscience, and Religious Freedom
• "TAKE ACTION"
• Bulletin Inserts
• Action Alerts
• This is About Religious Liberty
  • USCCB Press release
  • Full statement
• Letters
  • Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan
  • Archbishop Nienstedt
• HHS Mandate, and Why Catholic Hospitals Won't Kill
  • Six Things everybody should know about the HHS mandate
  • White House Misrepresents Its Own Contraceptive Mandate
  • The HHS Mandate for Contraception/Sterilization Coverage: An Attack on Rights of Conscience

America's current administration is trying to tell us what our faith is, and how we should practice it. I think that's a bad idea. More to the point, Catholic bishops in America are saying that the state trying to control the faith of citizens is wrong.

The bishops are providing good leadership. I think we can take a little time and trouble, and learn what we we can do. Speaking of which, there's an election coming up in November.

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Catholic Bishops in America, Conscience, and Religious Freedom

• Conscience Protection
  (www.usccb.org/conscience)
  Religious Liberty, Issues and Action, USCCB
  "TAKE ACTION"
  • Write to Congress urging support for the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179, S. 1467)
    (links to Grassroots Action Center page on NCHLA website)
  • Share Cardinal-designate Dolan's video (bcove.me/ob5itz9v)
    • See "SHARE" options near the the upper right of the video's page
      • Social media
      • E-mail
    • Help others
      • Get informed
      • Take action
  • Download the USCCB's HHS Mandate Bulletin Insert
    • Bulletin Insert (English)
      (February 12, 2012)
      (PDF)
      (from http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/HHS_Mandate_English-Bulletin-Insert_Feb2012.pdf)
    • USCCB's HHS Mandate Volante Para Boletines (en Español)
      (12 de febrero 2012)
      (PDF)
      (from http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/HHS_Mandate_Spanish-Bulletin-Insert_Feb2012.pdf)
  • Read the latest Action Alert from the NCHLA
  • Learn
    • "Backgrounder: Is The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act Overbroad?"
      (March 20, 2012)
      (PDF)
      (from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/Backgrounder-Is-the-Respect-for-Rights-of-Conscience-Act-Overbroad.pdf)
      • Why some are concerned that the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act may be overly expansive
    • "The High Costs of 'Free' Birth Control"
      (July 28, 2011)
      Column by Richard Doerflinger
      • Will contraception really be "free" under this coercive mandate?
    • "The HHS Mandate for Contraception/Sterilization Coverage: An Attack on Rights of Conscience"
      (January 20, 2012)
      (PDF)
      (from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/preventiveqanda2012-2.pdf)
      • FAQ
        • Two pages
        • Quick summary of what the HHS edict involves
    • "BACKGROUND: THE NEW FEDERAL MANDATE FOR CONTRACEPTION/STERILIZATION COVERAGE"
      (January 20, 2012)
      (PDF)
      (from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/preventiveservicesbackgrounder-3.pdf)
      • Inadequate conscience protection in the HHS mandate
    • "CURRENT FEDERAL LAWS PROTECTING CONSCIENCE RIGHTS"
      (February 2012)
      (PDF)
      (from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/Federal-Conscience-Laws.pdf)

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This is About Religious Liberty

• "Bishops Promise To Continue 'Vigorous Efforts' Against HHS Violations Of Religious Freedom In Health Care Reform Mandate"
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops press release
  (March 14, 2012)
• "United for Religious Freedom"
  A Statement of the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  (March 14, 2012)
  (PDF)
  (from from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/Admin-Religious-Freedom.pdf)
  

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Letters

• Letter by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, to all bishops in America
  (March 2, 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/Dolan-to-all-bishops-HHS.pdf
• Archbishop Nienstedt's Letter Against Health Coverage Mandates
  (January 26, 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.archspm.org/_uls/resources/Gen_Ltr_re_US_Dept_of_Health_decision____1-26-12.pdf
• Carta del Arzobispo Nienstedt contra los mandatos de la cobertura de salud
  (Spanish) (26 de enero de 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.archspm.org/_uls/resources/Gen_Ltr_in_SPANISH_US_Dept_of_Health_decision__1-26-12.pdf

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HHS Mandate, and Why Catholic Hospitals Won't Kill

• USCCB: Six Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate
  (February 6, 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.archspm.org/_uls/resources/USCCB-six-things-HHS-regulations-english-2012-02-06.pdf
• USCCB: SEIS COSAS QUE TODO EL MUNDO DEBERÍA SABER SOBRE LA REGULACIÓN DE HHS
  (Spanish) (6 de febrero 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.archspm.org/_uls/resources/USCCB-six-things-HHS-regulations-spanish-2012-02-06.pdf
• USCCB: White House Misrepresents Its Own Contraceptive Mandate
  (February 3, 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.archspm.org/_uls/resources/USCCB-Response-to-WH-Blog-on-HHS-Mandate-2012.pdf
• "The HHS Mandate for Contraception/Sterilization Coverage: An Attack on Rights of Conscience
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  (January 20, 2012)
  (PDF)
  from http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/preventiveqanda2012-2.pdf

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More posts about forcing Catholics to violate our conscience:
The Department of Health and Human Services vs. Conscience

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Other related posts:

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  • "Zambia, America, and Two Millennia of Weaseling"
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  • "Citizenship, being Catholic, and the Rules of Polite Society"
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  • "Living in America and Living a Catholic Life"
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  • " 'Disagreement" is not "Treason,' 'Protest' is not 'Terrorism' "
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  • " Fear of Right-Wing Extremism: Commie-Hunting in Reverse"
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  • "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
    (November 3, 2008)

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¹ This is my third link list of USCCB resources:

• "What the Catholic Church in America Actually Says: Resource Link List, March 16, 2012"
  (March 16, 2012)
• "What the Catholic Church in America Actually Says: Link List of Resources"
  (March 8, 2012)