Catholics are less than 4% of the population in the state of Alabama but that is not stopping them from rallying all people of faith to stand for religious liberty. Our friend Quin Hillyer writes today at National Review Online about the ecumenical gathering taking place in Mobile, Alabama tomorrow night.
Churches Stand Together
Mobile, Ala., forum shows: Opposition to the HHS mandate is Catholic, and catholic.
For all those keeping watch during the Virtual Vigil for Religious Liberty, we have one small request today: Join us in praying the Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty today.
O God our Creator,
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be “one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
© 2012 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Over 2,000 People of Faith have joined virtual march on Washington, D.C. during first two days of ‘Fortnight for Freedom’
We at Catholic Advocate are answering our Catholic Bishops’ call for a “a time of prayer, education, and action in support of religious liberty” during a “Fortnight for Freedom” with the launch of the “Virtual Vigil for Religious Liberty.”
“The bishops have urged us all to consider the ‘Christian and American heritage of liberty’ during this time, and we think participating in our virtual vigil is one great way for people of faith from across the United States to come together,” said Catholic Advocate President Matt Smith.
During the 14-day “Fortnight” period, Catholic Advocate is encouraging a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty through joining people in prayer, contacting Congress, sharing facts on Facebook, and more. We will also let vigil participants know about other important ways they can participate in the “Fortnight for Freedom” within their own communities.
The “Virtual Vigil for Religious Liberty” is hosted at a special website:
http://fortnight.catholicadvocate.com
“Our goal is to unite those standing for our liberties in a national way by their attendance at the virtual vigil in Washington, D.C.,” added Smith. “We also encourage participation in the various activities being hosted in dioceses across the country but for those unable to attend an event they can be a part of the fortnight through the vigil.”
Participants are able to join the vigil through Facebook or by entering basic information. They will then choose an avatar, including an option for priests and women religious, to represent them at the vigil. Participants will receive daily updates on activities to join with others during the fortnight. There is also a section entitled “Got 5 Minutes – Do More to Help” where vigil attendees can take further steps to engage in additional prayer, educational, and action activities.
Here is some of the coverage we have received since the launch:
Catholic News Agency
Catholic group launches ‘virtual vigil’ for religious freedom
LifeNews.com
Fortnight for Freedom Campaign Against HHS Mandate Starts Thursday
Christian Broadcasting Network
As thousands gather for religious liberty rallies around the country today, we wanted to share the video footage from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s weekly press conference.
Adding to the ever-growing file of “there she goes again…”
NEWS FLASH Nancy Pelosi is only Catholic one day a week. Unfortunately, it is the other 6 days that are problematic.
This is the same Catholic politician who has repeatedly misrepresented the teachings of the Catholic Church, now she claims Bishops in the diocese involved with the recent lawsuits are not speaking for the Catholic Church. Time and again, Popes and Bishops have affirmed Catholic politicians have a moral obligation. We would encourage Leader Pelosi to be Catholic 7 days a week…not just on Sunday. Unfortunately, her voting record and public position on settled issues of the Church just confirm what she said today.
The Washington Examiner reports this afternoon following her weekly press conference that “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a Roman Catholic, refused to say whether she supported her church’s teaching that contraception is immoral.”
“I do my religion on Sundays, in church, and I try to go other days of the week; I don’t do it at this press conference,” Pelosi said curtly as a reporter asked about her view of the church position on contraception. (more…)
Today, Catholic Advocate joined with the Media Research Center and other Catholic leaders to raise concerns about the media’s coverage of the unprecedented lawsuits filed earlier this week to defend our religious liberties.
The text of the press release follows:
Alexandria, VA – Nine prominent Catholic leaders have joined the Media Research Center to voice outrage over the broadcast networks deliberately withholding news of the momentous 43 Catholic entities suing the Obama administration for violating their religious freedoms. They represent major organizations including the Acton Institute, Cardinal Newman Society, SBA List, the Catholic League and others. More are coming in every hour. (more…)
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, talks to CBS This Morning’s Charlie Rose and Erica Hill about the lawsuit filed by 43 Catholic organizations over the Obama administration violating our religious liberties.
Then White House Press Secretary Jay Carney responded to Cardinal Dolan’s comments by continuing to misstate how the mandate affects Catholic institutions omitting the impact on self-insured entities and how policies are written.
Catholic Advocate President Matt Smith appeared on MSNBC this morning to discuss the 12 lawsuits filed yesterday defending our religious liberties.
In this morning’s Wall Street Journal, former Ambassador to the Vatican and Harvard Law School Professor Mary Ann Glendon explains:
“The main goal of the contraception mandate is not to protect women’s health. It is a move to conscript religious organizations into a political agenda.”
This week Catholic bishops are heading to federal courts across the country to defend religious liberty. On Monday they filed 12 lawsuits on behalf of a diverse group of 43 Catholic entities that are challenging the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) sterilization, abortifacient and birth-control insurance mandate. (more…)
The news in the Catholic Church today centers around the 43 entities filing lawsuits against the HHS mandate announced earlier this year. In an unprecedented move, diocese, organizations, and universities from across the Catholic spectrum filed 12 different lawsuits in federal courts around the country defending our religious liberties.
This move is not surprising. The unity of Catholic institutions is encouraging. In response, Cardinal Dolan issued the following statement praising the coordinated response:
Cardinal Dolan Applauds Church Agencies As They Challenge HHS For Violating Religious Freedom
With time running out, dioceses, agencies resort to the courts
Church united in defense of religious liberty
Diversity of church ministries at stake
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in a May 21 statement applauded 43 dioceses, hospitals, schools and church agencies for filing 12 lawsuits around the nation saying the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate violates religious freedom.
His statement follows.
“We have tried negotiation with the Administration and legislation with the Congress – and we’ll keep at it – but there’s still no fix. Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now. Though the Conference is not a party to the lawsuits, we applaud this courageous action by so many individual dioceses, charities, hospitals and schools across the nation, in coordination with the law firm of Jones Day. It is also a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty. It’s also a great show of the diversity of the Church’s ministries that serve the common good and that are jeopardized by the mandate – ministries to the poor, the sick, and the uneducated, to people of any faith or no faith at all.”
Recent Comments