COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Monday, January 30th, 2012 | Uncategorized

This past Sunday, a variation of the following letter was read in many Roman Catholic parishes across this country.  This one was read in the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan:

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 federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just been dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Obama Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Obama Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored. Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience,to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Obama Administration’s decision.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
+Alexander K. Sample
Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample
Bishop of Marquette

The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, the church in which I spent the first 48 of my 56 years, recently concluded its meeting in Maryland.  Under the heading Advocacy & Networking in Mission, the Council passed the following resolutions:

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that companies amend their bylaws to allow shareholders comprising at least ten percent of voting stock outstanding to call a special shareholders meeting (A&N038)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requiring that senior executives retain a significant percentage of shares acquired through equity compensation programs until reaching normal retirement age (A&N039)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that companies report on how they are responding to the public policy challenges associated with Bisphenol A (BPA) (A&N040)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that companies adopt and implement a comprehensive sustainable palm oil policy (A&N041)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting reports on policies and plans for eliminating releases of mercury into the environment (A&N042)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that companies create task forces to study the effects of climate change on their business models (A&N043)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions asking companies to disclose the risks associated with the First Nations’ opposition to the Northern Gateway Pipeline (A&N044)

Instruct Treasurer to vote “abstain” on shareholder resolutions requesting that companies report on the risks associated with offshore banking secrecy (A&N045)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that financial-service companies disclose information regarding their activities in the repurchase market (A&N046)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that companies report publicly information regarding their lobbying expenditures and policies (A&N047)

Instruct Treasurer to vote “abstain” on shareholder resolutions requesting reports on the business risks of aggressive tax strategies (A&N048)

Instruct Treasurer to vote in favor of all shareholder resolutions requesting that companies adopt policies prohibiting the use of corporate funds for any political election or campaign (A&N049)

State opposition to any laws that make the teaching of ethnic studies illegal and penalize school districts financially for incorporating ethnic studies in their curriculums (A&N050)

States support of “Letting Girls Be Girls” [Girls Not Brides], a global campaign to end child marriage (A&N051)

Rejoice in the establishment of the independent state of the Republic of South Sudan, while deploring “the great human tragedy” still occurring in Abyei, Blue Nile State, and Southern Kordofan State, call upon the U.S. government “to renew and continue its economic sanctions and diplomatic efforts urgently to secure peace and an end to the egregious human rights violations and ongoing military brutality against the people in all areas of the Sudan,” reaffirm solidarity with the Episcopal Church of Sudan, and remind and urge all Episcopalians to continue in prayer and advocacy for all the people of Sudan, especially those in the war torn regions (A&N052)

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