Letter from Bishop Wester regarding the HHS mandate

Intermountain Catholic

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(Editor’s note: Following is the letter that was inserted in parish bulletins the weekend of Feb. 11-12, with a preface that was added to update the information because of President Barack Obama’s Feb. 10 announcement.)

As you know, the Catholic community and other religious faiths in the United States have pressed vigorously this past week for a reversal of the action by the Department of Health and Human Services to curtail religious liberty in the United States through its new regulations on health care.

On Friday, the President announced a new framework for approaching this issue that may be the beginning of reaching a solution to this difficult issue. Cardinal-Designate Timothy Dolan, the President of the U.S. Conference of Bishops has stated: "Today’s decision (by the President) to revise how individuals obtain services that are morally objectionable to religious entities and people of faith is a first step in the right direction. We hope to work with the Administration to guarantee that American’s consciences and our religious freedom are not harmed by these regulations."

Enclosed in today’s bulletin is a letter from Bishop Wester that he wrote to the Catholics of the diocese earlier this week to inform them about why this issue is so important for the future of religious freedom. Let us pray that a just resolution to this issue is indeed coming into sight.

12 February 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services promulgated a new and radical interpretation of religious freedom last week when it announced that new regulations for health coverage regarding reproductive services will be mandatory for employers in the United States.

For the first time in federal law, the government has determined that religious institutions such as Catholic hospitals, Catholic Charities, and Catholic Relief Services are not truly religious employers because they do not have as their primary purpose "the inculcation of religious values" and do not primarily limit their services to those of their own faith.

In other words, this administrative decision suggests that the religious activities of our Catholic hospitals, our social services to the poor, and our outreach to the hurting and the marginalized in our society are not truly religious activities. Indeed, they are protected by the First Amendment because they enshrine the Catholic belief – shared by virtually every religious community in the United States – that religious communities are called to reach out to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, and heal the sick regardless of the recipients’ religions.

The implications of this insidious new legal and policy principle, if allowed to stand, are chilling. Once it is accepted that religious institutions that serve the poor, the sick and the elderly do not enjoy the full protections of religious liberty, future administrations could compel religious hospitals and service organizations to pay for insurance and other policies that mandate medical procedures at odds with Catholic teaching. In addition, such a principle would likely create crises of conscience for religious institutions of virtually every faith, so that over time they would be forced out of the mainstream of the social fabric.

We cannot – we will not – accept this unjust redrafting of the principle of religious liberty which our Founders so rightly saw as an inalienable gift of God. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. And faith-based service to those in need in our society cannot be classified as non-religious by our national government. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of many other faiths as well as others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Indeed, many journalists across the political spectrum, both supporters and opponents of the present administration, have called for a reversal of this policy.

Therefore, I ask for your help. Please email or write the White House and your representative in Congress to call for a reversal of this new regulation. The addresses are listed below. Finally, please join me in prayer for our Church and for the wider religious community engaged in this struggle.

May God bless you and your family, and keep you always in His loving care.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend John C. Wester

Bishop of Salt Lake City

President and Vice President:

www.whitehouse.gov

The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, D.C. 20500

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Sen. Orrin Hatch:

www.hatch.senate.gov

104 Hart Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: 202- 224-5251

Salt Lake: 801-524-4380

St. George: 435- 634-1795,

Cedar City: 435-586-8435

Sen. Mike Lee:

www.lee.senate.gov

316 Hart Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: 202-224-5444

Salt Lake: 801-524-5933

St. George: 435-628-5514

Rep. Rob Bishop (1st Dist.):

www.robbishop.house.gov

123 Cannon HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515

Phone: 202-225-0453

Salt Lake: 801-532-3244

Brigham City: 435-734-2270

Ogden: 801-625-0107

Rep. Jim Matheson (2nd Dist):

www.matheson.house.gov

2434 Rayburn HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515

Phone: 202-225-3011

South Salt Lake: 801-486-1236

St. George: 435-627-0880

Price: 435-636-3722

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (3rd Dist.):

www.chaffetz.house.gov

1032 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515

Phone: 202-225-7751

Provo: 801-851-2500

West Jordan: 801-282-5502