Bishop Zubik: Why should Church cede its religious freedom to the government?

CWN - June 08, 2012

Writing for USA Today, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh summarized what is at stake in the debate over the Department of Health and Human Services? contraception mandate.

?Should the Church negotiate more before filing lawsuits? We already have,? he said. ?But what exactly can we negotiate when it comes to religious freedom already guaranteed by the Constitution? Why are we now forced to concede to the government religious freedom that has always been guaranteed by the Constitution??

?Much of the so-called accommodation is just smoke and mirrors, an accounting sleight-of-hand over who directly pays the tab,? he continued. ?There's been no ?accommodation? to broaden the very narrow so-called religious exemption. Church-related institutions will still be subject to the mandate.?

?These lawsuits ask that religious freedoms be recognized and respected as they were before the mandate,? he concluded. ?The Church cannot be forced to violate its own sacred beliefs. To do so starkly contradicts everything we have been taught and know about religious freedom in the United States.?

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