Saturday, April 14, 2012

U.S. Bishops: 'Our First, Most Cherished Liberty'

If Obama thought his war on the First Amendment, focusing on Catholics, was going to be forgotten, he was wrong.

Catholic bishops are refusing to accept the Obama administration's assault on religious liberty and our Constitution.

"Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," a 12-page statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spells out the concerns of Church leaders.

From FOX News:

[M]any are claiming that religious liberties are under attack at home and abroad. U.S. bishops are now issuing a call to action to defend those liberties. They are saying that the campaign goes far beyond the birth control debate that was sparked by the Obama administration.

[Father Jonathan Morris] talked about the 12-page document called “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” that explains how bishops and priests see these actions of the Obama administration as violations against not only the natural law for religious liberty, but the Constitution. He described some specific violations against religious liberty.

Morris explained that that the bishops and priests are calling for all Americans who support their views to attend a meeting called “Fort Night for Freedom.” This meeting will take place during the two weeks leading up to July 4th and include two weeks of prayer to protest these “egregious laws.”

Video.



From Catholic News Service:
American Catholics must resist unjust laws "as a duty of citizenship and an obligation of faith," a committee of the U.S. bishops said in a new statement on religious liberty.

Titled "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," the 12-page statement by the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty also calls for "a fortnight for freedom" from June 21, the vigil of the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, to July 4, U.S. Independence Day.

"This special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action would emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty," the committee said. "Dioceses and parishes around the country could choose a date in that period for special events that would constitute a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty."

As a lifelong practicing Catholic, I don't recall anything like this ever before.

I can't think of a call to organize like this and rise up against the government's attack on us.

I suppose that's because our religious liberty hasn't been threatened the way Obama is threatening it.

Obama is waging a war on Catholics, but it's not just Catholics. He's waging a war on religious liberty and the First Amendment.

It's appalling.

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The full text of "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty" is available here.

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