 |
| Archbishop Timothy Dolan |
At a time when the influence of the Catholicism is in decline, there’s nothing like a “war on religion” to rally your troops.
Before Archbishop Timothy Dolan becomes a cardinal next weekend, he will deliver a speech to the Pope and other Vatican luminaries regarding “evangelization and lapsed Catholics.” Back in the United States, Dolan has led the charge against the Obama administration’s decision to require that hospitals, universities, and other institutions that serve the general public but have a religious charter grant their employees access contraception. Dolan’s choice of speech topics in Rome suggests what may really be motivating his decision back home is to stir the contraception controversy. At a time when the scale and influence of the Catholic Church in America is in rapid decline, there’s nothing like a “war on religion” to rally your troops.
None other than Pat Buchanan outlined the decline of Catholicism in America. In 1965, there were 58,000 priests in America. By 2020, it’s projected there will be only 31,000 left, most over the age of 70. In 1965, only 1 percent of parishes didn’t have a priest. In 2002, 15 percent of parishes were priest-less. Almost half of Catholic high schools in the United States have closed since 1965 and parochial school attendance has fallen from 4.5 million in 1965 to below two million in 2002.
And those numbers all came out before the clergy sex-abuse scandal hit the front pages. In a 2010 poll, 58 percent of Catholics (and 66 percent of the general public) said they felt the Church was doing a “poor” job handling the scandals. According to the same poll, one in five Catholics said the Vatican’s handling of the situation left them feeling more negatively about the Church. Only 4 percent felt more positive.
Meanwhile, on February 2, lawyers filed claims representing over 550 alleged abuse victims in the Milwaukee Archdiocese—which had already filed for bankruptcy from the previous inundation of claims. The following day, Dolan and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released one of its first public statements opposing the original contraception mandate. Of course, this is just a coincidence, but one that illustrates the incredible convenience for the Church of stoking this particular controversy at a time when a much more grave controversy keeps threatening the Church’s very existence.
Although deeply misguided, it’s clear why Republicans are trying to score political points by accusing Obama of launching a “war on religious freedom." The GOP has hung its electoral hopes on taking Obama’s widely popular policy measures and economic achievements and misrepresenting through associations with unpopular notions. Catholics, however, generally support Obama. Archbishop Dolan has had a warm, if not always aligned, relationship with the president (for example, see below). So to read the Catholic leadership’s pushback on contraception as merely alignment with party politics is mistaken. It goes without saying that a significant motivation for the clergy are deeply held concerns about the morality of contraception. But the Church has plenty such concerns. Why go to the mat on this one? The Catholic Health Association and Catholic Charities, two of the main Catholic groups that will be affected by the decision, accepted the compromise. Why is the Church still fighting?
As a former community organizer, I can’t help but look at what the Catholics are doing here less through the lens of base building. As an organization, the Catholic Church is in decline. And there’s nothing like feeling (or creating a feeling of being) under attack to revive the bonds of association.
And, citing Pat Buchanan writings on the matter, a majority of Catholics believe that a woman can have an abortion and still remain a good Catholic. And as other studies have shown, 98 percent of Catholic women of reproductive age have used contraception, directly going against Church teachings. And now, by large margins—including a two-to-one margin among women—Catholics support the president’s “accommodation” with religious groups. Through the eyes of the Church, this is not just a threat to the sanctity of life. This is a threat to the authority of the Catholic Church in America.
Maybe instead of preparing a speech lecturing lapsed Catholics about their spiritual infidelity, Archbishop Dolan should examine his faith’s lack of fidelity to the modern needs of its followers. A religion that seems more interested in protecting abstract beliefs about conception than the very real health and well-being of women, that seems far more faithful to doctrine than science, that protects abusive priests while preaching against the sexual freedom of others, might feel marginalized not by any presidential administration but rather by its own narrow theology. The Catholic Church attempting to reassert its authority by hammering on the very sort of antiquated, anti-contraception dogma that has alienated so many people of faith is about as strategic as trying to win an election by alienating women voters.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Obama Woos N.Y. Bishop During Private Meeting At The White House
President Barack Obama sought to smooth over a troubled relationship with the Roman Catholic hierarchy by holding a private meeting with influential Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan recently.
Dolan, the powerful archbishop of New York City, met with Obama at the White House Nov. 8. The two reportedly discussed a range of issues, including the church’s request for broad exemptions from several provisions of the new health-care law, reported The New York Times.
“I found the president of the United States to be very open to the sensitivities of the Catholic community,” Dolan, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said later. “I left there feeling a bit more at peace about this issue than when I entered.”
Dolan and other church prelates have been critical of the Obama administration over several issues, most notably same-sex marriage, legal abortion and the provision of contraceptives in health-care plans.
In August, the Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulations mandating that all health-insurance policies cover contraception at no extra cost. Although the rules include an exemption for religious groups, the bishops say it is too narrow. They are lobbying the White House for a much broader exemption.
But advocates of church-state separation say an exemption that is too broad threatens the rights of others.
Americans United is asking the administration to retain the current proposal. In an alert sent to members and supporters, AU asserted that if the exemption is too broad, it will deny women access to necessary services.
“After meeting with the Conference of Catholic Bishops earlier this month, President Obama is weighing his options and unsure of whether he will ask HHS to create sweeping exemptions that could exempt a huge number of employers from offering their employees insurance coverage for contraceptives,” wrote AU. “If HHS were to greatly expand the exemption, it could easily end up swallowing the rule, denying women access to necessary medical services.”
As this issue of Church & State went to press, the White House had yet to issue its decision on the matter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MY THOUGHTS:
This is yet another example of the destruction of the separation of Church and State. There should never be negotiations about public policy with any religious organization, period.
The only area that must be protected by our constitution is the right of religious people to "practice their faith" as they desire, and that meaning within their temples, chapels, synagogues, mosques, sweat lodges, kivas, and their private homes.
With that said, when such religious organizations enter into the public sector in providing services to the public and they hire people who are not of that faith or adhere to that religion's rules, then the public policy regarding everything from discrimination, minimum wage, safety, and health insurance must be adhered to.
If a religious organization wants to remain pure to their faiths rules, then hire only those who are adhere to those rules as a matter of faith. So Catholics should hire obedient Catholics to work in their charitable organizations, hospitals, universities, and parochial schools. If they do that and do not hire anyone else, then they could receive a conditional exemption for such thing as birth control access. However, as soon as they hire a non observant individual as an employee, that conditional waiver is voided and they must then comply with pubic policy.
It is not fair to the employees who are not followers of that faith to be discriminated against and denied a benefit or other mandate of public policy just because their employer has a religious conflict with the policy.
I also suspect the Timothy Dolan has used this issue to further his move up to Cardinal in the Catholic Church. After all Church organizations are as political as government and corporation cultures.
The entire issue of women's health and reproductive services is no concern of Government to control. It is part of their health care needs and whatever medical services are available to them must be provided to them, no different than any male regarding their much simpler reproductive organs. Men don't die from child birth, or have long term medical problems like Polsy, diabetes, stroke, and many other issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment