Bishop of Pittsburgh: Obama Says “to Hell With You”
An earthquake rolled through the Catholic Church today about Obamacare, and the significance cannot be understated. Clarice Feldman has this piece at PJ Tatler describing one part of the seismic event. The Catholic Church seems poised to defy the parts of Obamacare which conflict with Catholic teaching. This is nothing new for the Catholic Church, which was essentially illegal in England for centuries. But there is more.
The Bishop of Pittsburgh, David A. Zubik, has this must read statement – “To Hell With You.”
It is really hard to believe that it happened. It comes like a slap in the face. The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, “To Hell with you!” There is no other way to put it.
Let’s be blunt. This whole process of mandating these guidelines undermines the democratic process itself. In this instance, the mandate declares pregnancy a disease, forces a culture of contraception and abortion on society, all while completely bypassing the legislative process.
This is government by fiat that attacks the rights of everyone – not only Catholics; not only people of all religion. At no other time in memory or history has there been such a governmental intrusion on freedom not only with regard to religion, but even across-the-board with all citizens. It forces every employer to subsidize an ideology or pay a penalty while searching for alternatives to health care coverage. It undermines the whole concept and hope for health care reform by inextricably linking it to the zealotry of pro-abortion bureaucrats. . . .
On January 20, 2012, the Obama administration answered you and me. The response was very simple: “To Hell with You.”
Kathleen Sebelius announced that the mandate would not be withdrawn and the religious exemption would not be expanded. Instead, she stated that nonprofit groups – which include the Catholic Church – will get a year “to adapt to this new rule.” She simply dismissed Catholic concerns as standing in the way of allegedly respecting the health concerns and choices of women.
Could Catholics be insulted any more, suggesting that we have no concern for women’s health issues? The Catholic Church and the Catholic people have erected health care facilities that are recognized worldwide for their compassionate care for everyone regardless of their creed, their economic circumstances and, most certainly, their gender. In so many parts of the globe – the United States included – the Church is health care.
Kathleen Sebelius and through her, the Obama administration, have said “To Hell with You” to the Catholic faithful of the United States.
- To Hell with your religious beliefs,
- To Hell with your religious liberty,
- To Hell with your freedom of conscience.
This is a dangerous fight to pick for the Obama administration. The prospect of millions of Americans participating in civil disobedience by defying the federal requirements of Obamacare is not a fight the government can win. Mightier powers have fallen in the face of committed and conscientious resistance. (UPDATE: Details on the letter that was read in church today across the United States.)
Father Pfegler declined comment.
I’ll be standing with the Catholic Church on this one.
Be interesting to see if they do anything to impinge on the rights of Jews or Muslims. Mormons and Catholics are easy targets.
– your diocese did for him!
If people get sufficiently incensed by this roodness, it might be the start of a mass movement.
–FINEST double-wordplay ever on PJM. You are an honorary Jesuit! And now in all seriousness, please PJM, keep following this story. It could be important in the general election; will be interesting to see if Romney says anything.
– wordplay!!
The majority of American Catholic voters supported Barack Obama in 2008
54% — Ye suckers!
Obama could learn from Admiral Yamamoto (even if it is disputed whether or not he ever really said this famous quote): “I fear we have awakened the sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
makes me think of the time when Pope John Paul II kissed the quran..
It looks like the ‘Nativists’ are restless in this thread.
This will cause some Social Justice Jesuit heads to explode. Think of how many freedom based movements Obama has incited – the TEA Party, gun owners, now Catholics. He may go down in history as the best thing to happen to Libertarians since Milton Friedman.
Alas, Republicans will always view Libertarians as “crazy left wingers” because they don’t want to start any wars and want to cut the military by bringing home troops from overseas, like Korea, Japan, Germany, etc.
Isn’t the head of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, nominally a Catholic? Nancy Pelosi too, IIRC. Seems to me that there should be sanctions imposed by the Catholic Church for their participation. For instance, Kathleen Sebelius, might be told to come in line with Catholic Doctrine or be excommunicated. Same for Pelosi.
+
omg~abo,
Sandy
Let there be Disharmony
Thank you for posting these letters.
I repeat what I said yesterday : the subversives have crossed a line in the sand.
At the conclusion of Mass on Sunday, our pastor read the letter from Bishop Lynch, Diocese of St Petersburg. On the drive home, I had a discussion with my wife and my teenager about what it really meant. Thank you, thank you Mr. President, for casting the scales from their eyes. My teenager thought that the Big Won may have some redeaming value, but after the Sunday discussion he is going to register to vote when he turns 18, and vote for anyone but O!
You don’t have to wait until you turn 18 to register to vote; you merely have to be 18 in time for the election (in some states, you can vote in the primary if you’ll be 18 by the general election, but in others you must be 18 before the primary to vote in the primary).
You know, there’s a meme that’s been going around the Internet called College Liberal.
This entry seemed particularly appropriate.
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/35thoj/
Didn’t the church come out and support the health care bill? I know they had no problem with the mandates, didn’t affect there pocket. You laid down with these dogs, now you got there flea’s! Dumber than a bag off hammers!
When I read the comments in BusinessInsider I was more than a little shocked:
“Stunning, really visceral dislike of Catholicism. I picked this up at PJMedia and I didn’t expect this level of rancor. I’m fascinated by the irony of a “pro-choice” administration denying the right for Catholic institutions, hell, the Catholic FAITH, to assert ITS choice. No one has yet mentioned that a Catholic on an insurance plan has a right to leave Catholicism if they so choose, if the importance of having “family planning” on the plan trumps their religious pieties, for pieties is all they are. I am not catholic, but I am with them, utterly, on this.”
The impulse to freedom will cross boundaries which will surprise us. The rational, the spiritual, or simply the truth-loving will find themselves closing ranks more and more.
More and more, this administration removes the scales from our eyes. NINE MONTHS (or so) and counting, the irony is just too good.
The Church supported this abomination all along. They deserve what they (we, I guess – I’m a Catholic also) are getting.