A timely guide for Catholic voters

A Catholic friend has sent a link to a pastoral letter from Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. That country, like the USA, has elections in the offing, for the highest offices in the land. In his letter, the prelate offers some guidance to help voters choose "God-fearing leaders who are also bravely and stubbornly loyal to the flag and to the people."

To know which candidates are God-fearing and deserving of our vote, Archbishop Villegas says we should use the age-old standards of our Judeo-Christian tradition, as set out in the Ten Commandments. Here are the questions we need to ask them, and ourselves. (The Commandments, in a modern translation, follow the numbering in the Catholic Bible, as it has been since 382 AD.)

I. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me. Do not vote for an atheist or for someone who makes fun of the name of God. A Catholic cannot support a candidate who vows to wipe out religion from public life, or whose ideology binds him or her to make of the country a secular state that has no tolerance for religion in its public life.

II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Do not vote for candidates who have a history of violating oaths they have made. A person commits perjury when he makes a promise under oath with no intention of keeping it, or when after promising on oath he does not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack of respect for the Lord of all speech. Nor should one pledge oneself by oath to commit an evil deed.

III. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. If the candidate professes to be a Christian, how does he or she look at Sunday worship, Sunday rest especially for the poor, Sunday time with the family? Has the candidate fallen to the pursuit of some sort of "ideology of performance" introducing a harsh, impersonal and self-centered attitude, contributing to the culture of heightened anxiety, hyper-activism and success orientation, without God in public policies?

Archbishop Villegas spoke of the trend to "dynastic politics", which is even more apparent in the Philippines than in the USA, when he wrote:

IV. Honor your father and your mother. Do not vote for family members running for the same positions as family members before them to perpetrate the family's hold on public office. Christian voters should prudently choose others who may have equal if not superior abilities and competencies for the position.

V. You shall not kill. A Catholic voter commits a grave sin in voting for candidates who oppose the Lord's teachings on the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death. Please demand that the candidates state in clear terms their position on issues such as abortion, the return of the death penalty, euthanasia and extra-judicial killings.

VI. You shall not commit adultery. The Church’s position on marriage and human sexuality is positive and uplifting. The Christian view of sexuality and marriage presents the dignity and authentic freedom of single and married life that is truly fulfilling, desirable, and fruitful. How does this candidate view marriage and sexuality? How does this candidate live the marriage commitment? What is his position on divorce? Does he mock the institution of marriage?

VII. You shall not steal. Is the candidate committed to the common good? Has this candidate stolen public money and remains obstinate and stubborn in making the required restitution of stolen goods?

VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Lying is the intentional misrepresentation of the truth by word, gesture, or even silence. To deliberately intend to mislead other persons who have the right to know the truth can do real violence to them. For it denies them the knowledge they need to make their judgments and decisions. Beware of liars. Lying is a devil with many faces. Be wise. Watch out. Do not vote for liars.

IX. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Does the candidate treat women with respect? In providing sex education for children, does the candidate promote healthy interpersonal relationships and proper bodily expressions? Does the candidate promote an adulterous lifestyle by his life example? Does the candidate support or promote the ideology of a homosexual lifestyle without respect for modesty and right conduct?

X. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. What has the candidate done for the poor? Have his programs for the poor led to the liberation of the poor from the shackles of poverty or has this candidate promoted a culture of patronage so that the poor may be perennially dependent and hence easier to manipulate? Do we see signs of unjust craving for victory in elections, envy at the success of others? A candidate who spends his time demolishing the reputation and tarnishing the good name of fellow candidates may have nothing positive to offer, and he debases the level of political discourse by calling attention to the shortcomings of his rivals and competitors.

Archbishop Villegas concludes his exhortation thus: You are called to be authentic Catholic voters who decide from prayer and conscience. You are called to take courage and make moral decisions. Your vote can make heaven come down and make our country beautiful and good as God desires it. Be free from the tyranny and pressure of trends and herds. Do it right! Choose what is right according to the Ten Commandments. Lord guide us with your grace. Amen.

VIDEO: Getting down at the Synod - satire by John Vennari

Perhaps, gentle reader, you've forgotten the scandalous Synod of Bishops which unfolded in Rome last fall. If only we (those of us who hold to the Faith of Our Fathers) could forget! This was the "Synod on the Family" at which Pope Francis and his liberal fellow bishops tried to push through changes in the law of the Church which would make it more welcoming to the LGBT crowd.

They also proposed admitting divorced and remarried Catholics -- objectively living in sin -- to Holy Communion. Understandable though that idea may be from a humanitarian viewpoint, it would fly in the face of the Church's dogma on marriage, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ Himself.

For details and comments, see "Catholic bishops say "interim report" asking Church to welcome homosexuals grossly misrepresented by pro-LGBT media" and "Even a liberal Cardinal calls pro-LGBT Synod report 'worthless'".

In spite of a lot of arm-twisting by the Pope, Cardinal Kasper and other misguided bishops, the proposals to change the unchangeable Dogma of the Church were rejected. But stay tuned, because the modernists -- dare I say heretics! -- in the upper echelons of the Church will bring these novelties back again... and again and again until they succeeded in making Holy Mother Church conform to the wishes of the secular humanists who dominate our formerly Christian Western world.

Next time these ideas come up for discussion, you might refresh your memory by reference to a little satire composed, played and sung by Walt's old friend, John Vennari. Here it is.

UPDATED: Catholic bishops say "interim report" asking Church to welcome homosexuals grossly misrepresented by pro-LGBT media

Much backing and filling at the Vatican Tuesday night over jubilant lamestream press reports that the Synod of Bishops now in progress (if such a word can be used) has recommended that the Church welcome homosexuals and all the "gifts and qualities" they can bring to Her. Before we get to the update, please read Walt's initial reaction, posted here earlier today.

Walt is struck dumb [He means "speechless". Ed.] by this weekend's news from the Vatican. In a preliminary report halfway through their Synod on family life, Catholic bishops in conference assembled are recommending "accepting and valuing" LGBT [He means "queer"... Well, that's what they call themselves! Ed.] faithful and all the "gifts and qualities" they can bring to the Church. I will resist the temptation to make any snide or sarcastic comments, reminding myself that the true teaching of Holy Mother Church is to hate the sin -- see St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, 1:24-29 -- but love the sinner.

Having said that, if homosexuality is to be regarded by the "new, improved Catholic Church" as something better than "disordered", and if homosexuals are to be made welcome in our communities, what about same-sex "marriages"? The bishops' report reaffirms the Church's teaching that marriage is for a man and woman only, but at the same time says the church must recognize the "positive" aspects of civil unions, with the aim of bringing Catholics who live together without benefit of clergy to a lifelong commitment in a church wedding. Would that be regardless of the gender of the partners? Walt awaits a clear answer.

While waiting, Walt remembers the words of Joseph Priestley -- no pun intended -- an English theologian, who said in 1761 that "in all controversies, it is better to await the decisions of time, which are slow and sure, than to take those of synods, which are often hasty and injudicious."

Footnote: Economists and marketers will tell you that the LGBT crowd is one of the most affluent "market segments" of North American society. Not having children -- well, most of them, anyway -- on whom to squander their incomes, they have oodles of money to splash around on nice clothes, entertainment, and so on. I'll leave the "so on" to your imagination. Of course the queers' affluence has nothing whatever to do with the bishops' willingness to embrace them.

And now the "correction", as reported in "Pushback on Synod document" on the Catholic Culture website. As their analysis is a bit lengthy for this space, I'll just copy the key paragrahs.

Controversy sharpened at the Synod of Bishops, as many prelates have complained that an interim report released on October 13 did not accurately represent the thoughts of the Synod fathers, and the Vatican press office hastened to announce that “a value has been attributed to the document that does not correspond to its nature.

The relatio post disceptationem, which was intended to summarize the discussion during the first week of the October synod, "is a working document," the Vatican observed in an unusual statement released on the day after the document appeared. The press office emphasized that the relatio was designed not to be an authoritative statement, but to be the basis for discussion during the second week of Synod deliberations.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, who has been consistently outspoken in his defense of Church teaching regarding marriage, charged that the relatio did not accurately reflect the Synod discussions but "in fact, advances positions which many Synod Fathers do not accept and, I would say, as faithful shepherds of the flock cannot accept." The American cardinal reported that "a great number of the Synod fathers found it objectionable."

Many prelates observed that the early release of the relatio had triggered an enormous volume of media coverage, much of it inaccurate, conveying the impression that the Church would change her teachings. (BBC provided a vivid example of this sort of analysis, announcing that Pope Francis had "scored a first quiet victory" in the document and saying that the Pontiff had "convinced many Catholic Church leaders to moderate their formerly strongly critical language about gay unions.")

"We’re now working from a position that’s virtually irredeemable," said South African Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, referring to the media coverage. "The message has gone out that this is what synod is saying, that this is what the Catholic Church is saying," he said. "Whatever we say hereafter will seem like we’re doing damage control." [Indeed! Walt]

With a week still remaining before this session of the Synod concludes, it seems clear that critics of the relatio will organize a strong campaign to ensure that the Synod’s final document is very different from the interim report.

That was a close one, wasn't it... But if the bishops think they've dodged a rainbow-coloured bullet, Walt would advise them not to underestimate the power of the LGBT lobby, both in the lamestream media and within the Vatican itself!

Further reading: "The Secret Synod Does What We Expected: Evil", by Christopher A. Ferrara, posted on Monday on The Remnant website.

UPDATED 23/10: Pope Francis consecrates "the world" to the Immaculate Heart. Nothing happens!

Back in April, Walt speculated on whether Pope Francis would be the one to finally obey the request of Our Lady of Fatima, and consecrate Russia by name to Her Immaculate Heart. She asked that this be done solemnly and publicly, in union with all the world's bishops. So far, no pope, from Pius XI through Benedict XVI, has been willing to go that far, although Pius XII and John Paul attempted consecrations of "the world".

So, when the Vatican announced in the summer that on October 13th -- the 96th anniversary of the Blessed Virgin's final apparition at Fatima -- Pope Francis would again consecrate "the world", Catholic believers in the Fatima prophecies began to hope that he would take at least one more step, and mention "Russia" by name. Hopes grew when it was further announced that the original statue of Our Lady would be brought from Fatima to Rome for the occasion.

At the "Path to Peace" conference held in Niagara Falls in September, Father Nicholas Gruner -- head of the the world's leading Fatima apostolate -- urged the Holy Father to do the Consecration as Our Lady asked. He was joined by a score of other speakers, clergy and laypeople alike.

Just today Walt saw "The Consecration of Russia: Even the Huffington Post Gets It!", by Christopher A. Ferrara referring to an article by Noel Irwin Hentschel, a Catholic mother of seven, head of the world’s largest privately-owned travel agency, and holder of a master’s degree in theology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mr Ferrara says Ms Irwin Hentschel's background suggests that she is no "Fatimite", but a Catholic of decidedly non-traditionalist leanings who nonetheless understands what is at stake in the fulfillment of Our Lady of Fatima’s long-unheeded request. Her article on the HuffPost religion page is headed "Pope and Putin: Seize Opportunity, Heed Directive for World Peace and Good, 'Consecrate Russia!'"

Ms Irwin Hentschel makes a connection which never occurred to me before, linking the philosophy of Laozi (aka Lao-Tse or Lao Tzu) with the heavenly directive of the Blessed Virgin. "All under Heaven," wrote the Chinese sage, "have a common Beginning. This Beginning is 'The Mother of the World'. Having known the Mother, we may proceed to know her children. Having known the children, we should go back and hold onto the Mother..."

Ms Irwin Hentschel sees in this proverb a prophetic indication of the need "to take heed and obey the Holy Mother to spawn virtue and harmony for good, confronting the evils of corruption and violence."

Later she asks the same questions posed by Father Gruner and all the others (including Walt) who have begged the Holy Father to do as Our Lady of Fatima asks. "Will the pope and President Putin respect the explicit directive 'Consecrate Russia', which began in 1917 from Our Lady of Fatima, the holy woman they both hold as 'Mother of the World'? Will Pope Francis unequivocally 'consecrate Russia' to Her Immaculate Heart so the maternal promise of world peace and ultimate good may come to fruition?"

Walt has been surfing the Web assiduously for reports of yesterday's ceremonies. So far all I've been able to come up with is the official news from the Vatican's own website: "Pope consecrates world to immaculate heart of Mary". That's exactly what the Holy Father said he would do -- no less and, sadly, no more.

You can read the full text of the Pope's homily in the Vatican News report. In one of the first paragraphs, Pope Francis repeated the Old Testament story of King Naaman.

The story of Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, is remarkable. In order to be healed of leprosy, he turns to the prophet of God, Elisha, who does not perform magic or demand anything unusual of him, but asks him simply to trust in God and to wash in the waters of the river. Not, however, in one of the great rivers of Damascus, but in the little stream of the Jordan. Naaman is left surprised, even taken aback. What kind of God is this who asks for something so simple? He wants to turn back, but then he goes ahead, he immerses himself in the Jordan and is immediately healed (cf. 2 Kg 5:1-4). There it is: God surprises us. It is precisely in poverty, in weakness and in humility that he reveals himself and grants us his love, which saves us, heals us and gives us strength. He asks us only to obey his word and to trust in him.

Anyone who has heard Father Gruner preach knows the story of King Naaman is a favourite of "the Fatima priest". He has said time and again that all the pope has to do to obey Our Lady's request is to humble himself to say a simple, five-minute prayer, and use his power to command all the world's bishops to say the same prayer at the same time.

It appears that Pope Francis has worked up the courage to take himself to the bank of the river, and even to stick his toe in (so to speak), but is not yet quite ready to take the plunge. The world and Our Lady are still waiting.

UPDATE, 23/10/13 - Don't miss "On Pope Francis’ Consecration of the World: A Reply to Jeff Mirus" by Christopher Ferrara, which appeared October 18th in Fatima Perspectives.

US Catholics worshipping Mother Nature or Mother of God?

As if the USCCB (United States Congress of Catholic Bishops) didn't have enough to do -- defending the Faith against the godless Democrats and their (possibly) Muslim leader -- they took a break last week to hold a conference on "the moral and religious implications of global climate change and environmental justice". I'm not making this up.

The anonymous writer of the Traditio website comments: When your New Order sect is drowning in the worst immorality, when your New Order doctrine has become worse than Protestant, when your New Order Sunday service has become some kind of irreligious and invalid "rave," what do you do?... Solution: give up religion and go into politics!

Walt agrees. Nothing deterred by nearly empty seminaries, mere scores of worshippers attending dumbed-down masses, and the phenomenon of Catholics voting to elect a president hell-bent -- literally! -- on destroying Christianity, the Church's "leaders" are embracing the "New Age" religion of environmentalism and its goddess, Mother Earth.

Traditio suggests, with tongue (or pen) planted firmly in cheek, that the Catholic bishops propose to rewrite Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, as follows:

Blessed are the environmentalists, for they shall save your soul.

Blessed are the carbon credits, for they shall save the world.

Blessed are the those who drive the Volt, for they shall be electrified.

Blessed are those who carpool, for they shall speed to salvation.

Blessed are they who ride the bus, for they shall inhale spiritual diesel.

Blessed are they who freeze in winter, because they shall become one with the icebergs.

Blessed are they who phony up scientific data, because they shall receive a Nobel Prize.

Blessed are they who worship the Environmental Protection Agency, for they shall have the hand of justice imposed upon them.

And Walt can add a new motto for the mainstream American Catholic Church. The motto has to be in English, of course, because even one of the most powerful bishops in the USA -- Cardinal Timmy Dolan -- stated publicly that he can't understand Latin [God's language. Ed.]. Anyway, here's the motto: Never mind your souls; save the whales!

Catholic voters must put Church teachings ahead of politics, say US bishops

The Church ordinarily tries not to interfere in "the democratic process", we are told, but these are extraordinary times, and America faces an extraordinary crisis -- not just a political crisis and/or an economic crisis, but a moral crisis. That being so, good Catholics should pay close attention to statements made by three American bishops this weekend.
Most Rev. Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, called on Catholic voters to "stand united" on the issue of abortion. The killing of innocent children before they have a chance to take their first breath outside the womb is "a big issue today," the prelate said, "and I think what it requires of Catholics is a loyalty to the Church prior to their political party. We’re Catholics before we’re Democrats. We’re Catholics before we’re Republicans. We’re even Catholics before we’re Americans, because we know that God has a demand on us prior to any government demand on us. And this has been the story of the martyrs through the centuries.

"If we don't stand united on this issue, we're bound to failure," Abp. Chaput continued, "not only in the area of protecting unborn human life but in maintaining our religious freedom."

Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, who also serves as apostolic administrator of his former Diocese of Portland (Maine), issued a statement on the upcoming election, in which Maine voters will be asked to permit same-sex marriage.


"Maine citizens have the right and obligation to cast their votes for federal, state and local candidates for office, as well as to make decisions on various referendum issues, including the referendum that would attempt to redefine marriage as something other than the union of one man and one woman open to children,” the bishop said.

But he reminded Catholics that "we do not scrutinize a candidate’s positions or other issues within a vacuum, but within the context of an educated conscience formed through scripture and the teachings of the faith. For us, the sanctity of life from conception to natural death is non-negotiable; euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are never to be sanctioned; embryonic stem cell research and experimentation are considered nothing short of the taking of human life; marriage between a man and a woman must be valued and protected as the foundation of family and society; religious freedom must always be protected, and the care and nurturing of the poor is not simply a kind act, but a societal obligation…

"A Catholic whose conscience has been properly formed by scripture and Church teaching cannot justify a vote for a candidate or referendum question that opposes the teachings of the Church. The definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, open to the birth of children, is a matter of established Catholic doctrine. Any Catholic who supports a redefinition of marriage -- or so called “same-sex marriage” -- is unfaithful to Catholic doctrine."
A third bishop, Most Rev. Thomas Paprocki of Springfield IL, has explained his recent statement that "a vote for a candidate who promotes actions or behaviors that are intrinsically evil and gravely sinful makes you morally complicit and places the eternal salvation of your own soul in serious jeopardy."

"Some who try to navigate this labyrinth of moral analysis simply rationalize their way to a desired conclusion, for example, by saying that voting for a pro-choice candidate is justified by their support for other 'social justice' causes," said Bishop Paprocki. "But such people should apply the Golden Rule by placing themselves in the shoes of the people who are going to be killed by abortions. Would these voters really think it is more 'just' to vote for the 'pro-choice' candidate if they or their own children or their brothers and sisters were going to be deliberately killed -- along with 1.3 million others?"

Good Catholics, as we are so often told by the President who wants to destroy our Faith and our freedom, let us be clear! As these three American bishops have told us, the key question is whether we love God more than a political party or candidates that promote intrinsic evils and serious sins. The First Commandment is that we not worship false idols. That means God comes first and his moral law trumps politics. Vote your faith on November 6th!

This post is an adaptation of articles in CatholicCulture, for which Walt and Ed. thank God.

Benedict XVI calls freedom of American Catholics gravely threatened

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has sent a deeply disturbing message to American Catholics on the occasion of the 130th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus, which opens tomorrow in Anaheim CA.

In a letter signed on his behalf by Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone -- well known for his tolerance of Protestantism, Freemasonry and heresy even within the walls of the Vatican -- the Holy Father warned of the "unprecedented gravity" of threats to the religious freedom of Catholics in the USA.

In the letter, the Pope praises the American tradition of freedom, especially freedom of religion. But he notes "the responsibility of each new generation to preserve, defend and advance those great ideals in its own day".

Pope Benedict repeats the theme his January Ad Limina Address to the American bishops, in which he said the demands of the new evangelization and the defence of the Church’s freedom in our day call for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society.

Click here to read the full text of the Pope's message, "Proclaiming liberty in the USA".

"Catholic" Premier of Ontario caves, allows "hug-a-queer" clubs

Dalton McGuinty, the Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario, claims to be a practising Catholic. (About half of Ontarians who identify themselves as "Christians" are Catholic, at least in name.) He is obviously a heterosexual, with a beautiful wife and numerous kids, and never hesitates to proclaim his belief in "family values". But when it comes to following the teachings of Holy Mother Church, he constantly proves himself one of those "cafeteria Catholics" who takes a pass on any Catholic principles that might cost him votes.

Latest case in point: McGuinty's government's continued pushing of the LGBT agenda in the Ontario educational system. The proposal of former Education Minister Kathleen Wynne -- a proud lesbian -- to start teaching kids as young as 8 or 9 that it's OK to be queer was quietly shelved after cries of outrage from parents (i.e. voters) of all faiths.

But the "gay community" keeps pushing, while at the same time working to hide their agenda under the cloak of something more innocent-sounding. Like anti-bullying legislation. No-one can defend bullying in schools or workplaces, right? And who gets bullied more than homosexuals? Everyone knows that queer-baiting goes on all the time in playgrounds and locker rooms across the province...nay, the nation!

The solution? "Gay-straight alliances". That's what the LGBT crowd wants us to call "hug-a-queer" clubs. And they want every school to have one, with a dedicated space in which gay boys and girls (or those who haven't made up their minds yet) can meet to... errr... do whatever it is they do. [Didn't it used to be the washrooms? Ed.]

Ontario's public school boards, generally dominated by liberal humanitarian "educationists" had no problem with this latest wheeze, but some Catholic boards -- Ontario has a separate, tax-funded "Catholic" school system -- and Catholic school principals drew a line in the sand. They were spurred on by a rare reminder from their bishops of the Church's teaching that homosexuality is morally and physically disordered -- contrary to God's law and natural law. "No gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools!" they said.

You might expect a government led by a Catholic to say it's up to the schools, and they didn't have to have GSAs if they didn't want to. But nooooo... The McGuinty government is a minority government, which means it could fall at any time, precipitating an election. And the queers have a lot of money and a lot of votes. So, better not offend them.

Hence a sudden (but not unexpected) flip-flop on the issue. At a student conference yesterday, Education Minister Laurel Broten announced the Liberal government’s Accepting Schools Act (sic), which gave schools a veto on names for any student club, would be amended, so that all schools — including those in the Catholic system — will not be able to stop students from calling "anti-homophobia clubs" "gay-straight alliances".

"Let’s remember these are student clubs and student voices matter in the naming of a student club," Ms Broten told reporters. A Mississauga student activist was thrilled.
"Our school forced a name on us," said Leanne Iskander, a self-described "queer" who goes to St. Joseph Secondary School, and belongs to the "Open Arms Club" that members hope to re-name.

And you thought Walt was being homophobic to use a word like "queer". That's pretty much what the light-in-the-loafers crowd call themselves. So, no more hissy-fits please.

Will there be a court challenge to the amended legislation, if it passes? Tom Collins -- the cardinal, not the drink -- will make a statement Monday.

Further reading: "Analysis of the Catholic Bishops of Ontario's response to the GSAs demanded by Dalton McGuinty", from Campaign Life Coalition.

Committee formed to fight Obama's plans to curtail religious liberty

We all know that President O'Bama is a true democrat. Right? And those rumours that Al is really a Muslim are just BS. Right? So why does his administration -- particular the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) -- keep forcing pro-life Christians, especially those in health care, to follow their evil agenda on contraception, abortion and forced sterilization?

That's the big question that Cardinal Francis George and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan have asked in a number of letters to the Prez. Have they received any answers? About as likely as the sudden revelation that the Pope is a Mason. [Errr...let me check on that. Ed.]

In a letter to other bishops, Archbishop Dolan stated that “I have offered to meet with the President to discuss these concerns and to impress upon him the dire nature of these actions by [his] government.” Having received no answer, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), of which Msgr. Dolan is President, is forming an Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

“This basic right, in its many and varied applications for Christians and people of faith, is now increasingly and in unprecedented ways under assault in America,” Archbishop Dolan said in his letter.

“The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued regulations that would mandate the coverage of contraception (including abortifacients) and sterilization in all private health insurance plans,” he continued. “HHS is also requiring that MRS [Migration and Refugee Services] provide the ‘full range of reproductive services’ to trafficking victims and unaccompanied minors in its cooperative agreements and government contracts —and we all know what that means.”

“Catholic Relief Services is also concerned that USAID, under the Department of State, is increasingly requiring comprehensive HIV prevention activities (for example, condom distribution), as well as full integration of reproductive health activities including provision of artificial contraception, within a range of international relief and development programs,” Archbishop Dolan added. “The federal Department of Justice has ratcheted up its attack on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as an act of bigotry.”

“The establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee is one element of what I expect to be a new moment in the history of our Conference. Never before have we faced this kind of challenge to our ability to engage in the public square as people of faith and as a service provider. If we do not act now, the consequence will be grave.”

Christians, let us pray that this initiative yields real and visible positive change for religious liberty in the USA. And while we're at it, how about saying a prayer for a change in administration next year. Of course that would presuppose that one of the putative Republican candidates would actually have the courage to stand up for freedom of religion. Walt is waiting for one of them -- any one -- to say as much.