Friday, March 29, AD 2024 7:05am

Bishops: Biden Lied

 

 

Indicating the seriousness with which our Bishops view this electoral contest, they wasted no time in taking Biden to task for his lie about the HHS Mandate in the debate last evening:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the following statement, October 12. Full text follows:

Last night, the following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees:

“With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any          insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact.”

This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain “religious employers.” That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to “Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,” or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.

HHS has proposed an additional “accommodation” for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as “non-exempt.” That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation “to pay for contraception” and “to be a vehicle to get contraception.” They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.

USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate.

For more details, please see USCCB’s regulatory comments filed on May 15 regarding the proposed “accommodation”: www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/rulemaking/upload/comments-on-advance-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-on-preventive-services-12-05-15.pdf

Mercifully, the days when “Catholics” in public office like Biden, who routinely spit on Catholic teaching, could assume that the Bishops wouldn’t say boo, are coming to an end.

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PM
PM
Friday, October 12, AD 2012 7:44pm

If only USCCB could speak to faithful in terms such as your post title – very soon. A Pastor, away for a few days from MSM etc., said something like he heard Biden did OK.

anzlyne
anzlyne
Friday, October 12, AD 2012 8:44pm

I am glad the Bishops got right on this. I wish CNN or FOX would cover the attack on religious freedom more. I wish Christian and Catholic TV would too. This administration is not just anti Catholic, but anti Christian. I wish the Bishops would make a joint statement with Dr. Richard Land or Liberty University — I guess that’s my three wishes for today.

Joseph Valenti
Joseph Valenti
Saturday, October 13, AD 2012 5:54am

We should all be pleased that the USCCB issued the statement. Did your bishop issue a statement? I doubt it. Mine didn’t. Did you see the USCCB statement reported anywhere – after Biden brazenly lied through his teeth before fifty million Americans? Did any fact-checker challenge Biden’s “facts?”

trackback
Saturday, October 13, AD 2012 6:01am

[…] U.S. Bishops: Biden Lied – Donald R. McClarey, The American Catholic […]

anzlyne
anzlyne
Saturday, October 13, AD 2012 7:14am

yes if each local bishop would press a statement RIGHT AWAY it would make a wonderful chorus that would be hard to ignore…

Paul W. Primavera
Saturday, October 13, AD 2012 12:48pm

The Bishops need to make a public example of Biden, excommunicating him and letting the nation know they did that. Same for Pelosi, Kerry, Leahy, Sebelius, Cuomo and every other pro-abort, sodomy sanctifying Katholyck politician. Otherwise, all their protestations about what Biden said mean nothing.

Guitar Man
Guitar Man
Monday, October 15, AD 2012 2:09pm

What’s sad is many Catholics NEED the bishops to tell them that Biden was incorrect. We are all called to be knowledgeable on our faith– after all, our very souls depend on it.

The very fact that Biden and other so-called Catholic politicians can mis-represent the faith and not be challeneged by their Catholic brethren is very sad indeed.

Jeremy
Jeremy
Friday, October 19, AD 2012 2:52pm

Tomorrow, October 20, Americans will rally against the HHS mandate in more than 140 cities around the country.

http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/locations/

Let’s all make our voices heard!

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