U.S. Bishops Submit Formal Comments on HHS Mandate

Comments submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by the General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on the controversial birth control mandate say the rules still force religious employers to provide services they find morally objectionable, and urge the administration to resolve “in favor of more, not less, religious freedom.”

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Will Catholic Social Institutions Become Extinct?

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago is warning that the HHS mandate, which will force Catholic institutions to either violate their conscience by providing services that are against Church teaching or close, says that unless it is rescinded, Catholic social services may become a thing of the past.

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California Couple Fined for Hosting Bible Study in Home

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

In a country that values religious freedom as much as the right to vote and bear arms, national outrage is growing over a California couple who was fined by the city of San Juan Capistrano for holding Bible studies and religious gatherings in their home.

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New Envoy Will Defend Religious Freedom Overseas

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

An end to the debt limit crisis isn’t the only battle being fought in the U.S. House these days. Lawmakers are also taking on the fight to protect religious minorities around the world by creating a new diplomatic post that will be charged with defending religious freedom overseas.

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Vatican and Bishop of Islamabad Mourn the Murder of Catholic Minister in Pakistan

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

Church authorities are expressing shock and sadness over the killing of Shabhaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s lone minister for minorities, who was gunned down in a hail of bullets as he left his mother’s home in Islamabad yesterday morning.

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