Timothy Dolan: Administration on Wrong Side of Constitution

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has strong words for Obama and his administration.

Dolan states that the Obama administration is stripping away religious liberty and violating the Constitution.

He calls for Catholics to contact their legislators and let them know "we want religious liberty and rights of conscience restored and the administration's [contraceptive] mandate rescinded."

Here's video, from CNSNews:



Transcript

CARDINAL-DESIGNATE TIMOTHY DOLAN: Religious liberty is certainly front and center in conversation these days, and that's very good.

Some days ago, so many Americans of all creeds, or none at all, cheered a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court, remember? The Court ruled that churches have the fundamental freedom to choose their own ministers without government interference. Nothing could be truer. All nine justices of the Supreme Court rejected the administration's incredibly narrow and unprecedented interpretation of religious liberty in that celebrated case. The court's decision was a home run for the 1st Amendment and for our democracy. But I'm afraid the administration is on the wrong side of the Constitution again.

Now it's ordered almost every employer and insurer in the country to provide sterilizations and contraceptives, including some abortion-inducing drugs, in their health plans. And it's requiring almost all Americans, even those with ethical and religious objections, to pay for this coverage.

The administration offered a very narrow religious exemption to some employers such as churches; but the government will still require most Americans to pay for this coverage even if it violates their consciences.

That's a foul ball by any standard. Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience. This shouldn't happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights.

How about letting our elected leaders know that we want religious liberty and rights of conscience restored and the administration's mandate rescinded? We can't afford to strike out on this one.

I admire Cardinal-designate Dolan's leadership.

Too often in the past, U.S. Catholic leaders have been lax when it comes to challenging the dictates of pro-abortion, anti-religious liberty politicians.

Too often in the past, Catholics have been lax as well.