Catholic Bishops

In arguing the First Amendment right of employers to choose what coverage they should be exempt from providing based on conscience, the Republicans who supported the Blunt amendment (and the three Democrats who sided with them) are guilty of short-sightedness and an absence of humility. The essence of the First Amendment is the right of all to their own interpretation of religion, not just the right to their own convictions. To maintain that order of tolerance, the First Amendment mandates that the government must not establish religion, but rather allow the practices of all people.

With a productive General Assembly session behind him, Gov. Martin O'Malley said Wednesday that he will use the second half of the year to consider whether to run for the White House. "I need to be spending a lot more energy and time giving serious consideration and preparation to what - if anything - I might have to offer should I decide to run for president in 2016," O'Malley said during a wide-ranging interview with editors of The Baltimore Sun. O'Malley has typically demurred from answering questions about his potential candidacy, though it has been the subject of news articles and rampant political speculation both in and outside of Maryland.

I and many other active Catholics, and apparently including many in the clergy, are becoming more and more disgusted with our bishops. If marriage is only between a man and a woman according to natural law, and it is the most perfect way to live in family as human beings, as they proclaim, why have they wasted so many millions on interfering with state law and not working on a real problem in their own backyard. Why don't they have the courage to stand up and campaign against the "mandatory celibacy law" of our own priests - surely this is against the natural law, and it certainly didn't come from Jesus.

I and many other active Catholics, and apparently including many in the clergy, are becoming more and more disgusted with our bishops. If marriage is only between a man and a woman according to natural law, and it is the most perfect way to live in family as human beings, as they proclaim, why have they wasted so many millions on interfering with state law and not working on a real problem in their own backyard. Why don't they have the courage to stand up and campaign against the "mandatory celibacy law" of our own priests - surely this is against the natural law, and it certainly didn't come from Jesus.

Commentator John Gehring asserts that Catholic hospitals and universities would not have to pay for birth control coverage for their employees under an accommodation with the Obama administration that requires insurance companies to pick up the tab ("Finding common ground," Nov. 12). This is not true. Neither the Affordable Care Act nor the finalized implementing regulations contain any such provision. Rather, that arrangement is discussed in the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the Department of Health and Human Services in March, which is not law. It is true that the president held a press conference to announce the proposed compromise, commonly referred to as the "accommodation.

The nation's Catholic bishops approved a broad new document on marriage Tuesday, laying what its writers described as the foundation for the American church's efforts to promote the institution as the joining of one man and one woman. "Thank goodness this is out there, clearly stated, with ample documentation and very reasonably put forward," said Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore, which is hosting the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week.

The argument by Catholic bishops and other conservatives that providing contraception and reproductive health services for all women is a denial of Catholics' religious freedom is without merit ("O'Brien's quixotic fight," Feb. 9). The law is not forcing anyone to use contraception. It is saying it should be available without cost for those who want it, even those employed by religious-run institutions like universities and hospitals. Let's relegate to the past the many women who suffered debilitation or death because of too frequent pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases.

Meeting for the first time since voters in Maryland and two other states legalized same-sex marriage, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Tuesday that they have no plans to soften their position that genuine marriage can occur only between one man and one woman. "Are [the results] concerning? Sure they are," William E. Lori, the archbishop of Baltimore, said between sessions at the organization's fall general assembly in Baltimore, which has drawn about 300 bishops and archbishops to the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Harbor East this week.

WASHINGTON -- When the nation's 300 Catholic bishops gather in Washington for their annual meeting tomorrow, the most controversial topic within the U.S. Catholic church, the role of women, won't be a major point of discussion.The bishops delayed a position paper on women for another year because of opposition from both conservative and liberal Catholics.In controversial areas outside the church, the bishops take clear stands, putting them in direct opposition to recent Bush administration policy on drugs, gun control and the death penalty.

NEW YORK -- In their first meeting since Pope John Paul II "definitively" ruled out the possibility of female ordination, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops are convening in Washington tomorrow for discussions on promoting church leadership and equality for women.Similar issues will confront the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in debates on the use of inclusive -- "gender-neutral" -- language in certain parts of the liturgy, an area in which past efforts have been stymied by the Vatican and by some clerics in the United States.

I expect the Catholic bishops to hold the line on abortion and contraceptives. No surprise. ("Catholic bishops vow to hold line," Nov. 14.) Too bad, over the years, the bishops did not speak out as fervently about the "unjust war" the United States waged on Iraq where thousands of military, civilian men, women and children died. Too bad, that the bishops were not as fervent in exposing and excommunicating the pedophile priests in their midst. Too bad the bishops did not send letters to all the churches about the slanderous, vitriolic, unfounded accusations about President Barack Obama.

Commentator John Gehring asserts that Catholic hospitals and universities would not have to pay for birth control coverage for their employees under an accommodation with the Obama administration that requires insurance companies to pick up the tab ("Finding common ground," Nov. 12). This is not true. Neither the Affordable Care Act nor the finalized implementing regulations contain any such provision. Rather, that arrangement is discussed in the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the Department of Health and Human Services in March, which is not law. It is true that the president held a press conference to announce the proposed compromise, commonly referred to as the "accommodation.

WEATHER: Sunny, high near 51 . Tonight is expected to be mostly clear, low around 37. TRAFFIC: Check our traffic updates for this morning's issues. TOP NEWS City moving to overhaul zoning code : The city is working on a far-reaching piece of legislation, "Transform Baltimore," that would replace the city's decades-old zoning law. The new law is designed to be more understandable and speed up the zoning process. MTA driver suspended after fight with passenger : A Baltimore bus driver has been suspended pending a police investigation into an altercation between her and a young female student on the No. 40 bus line, according to a MTA spokesman.

Meeting for the first time since voters in Maryland and two other states legalized same-sex marriage, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Tuesday that they have no plans to soften their position that genuine marriage can occur only between one man and one woman. "Are [the results] concerning? Sure they are," William E. Lori, the archbishop of Baltimore, said between sessions at the organization's fall general assembly in Baltimore, which has drawn about 300 bishops and archbishops to the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Harbor East this week.

More than a few Catholic bishops spent this election feverishly warning their flock that voting for Barack Obama put their souls at risk and posed a grave threat to religious liberty. Now that the president has been re-elected with a majority of Catholic voters, leaders of our nation's most influential church have some self-reflection to do at their national meeting in Baltimore this week. Bishops should take pause at recent national headlines ("Catholic bishops make last-minute pitch for Romney")

Roman Catholic bishops convening in Baltimore joined students and volunteers Sunday to transform a Harbor East hotel corridor into a food-packing operation to benefit West African orphans and battered women. Measuring out thousands of plastic bags of dry soy protein, rice, vitamins and dried vegetables, enough to feed six people, the volunteers worked alongside the humanitarian effort's sponsors, Catholic Relief Services and Stop Hunger Now, as well as the bishops. "This is so much more fun than sitting in meetings," said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., who is also Catholic Relief Services board chairman.

The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have delayed action on a pastoral letter concerning women after widespread criticism of it and demands that it be dropped.The National Conference of Catholic Bishops had been scheduled to vote in November on a final draft of the policy-setting pastoral letter on women's concerns, but the conference's administrative committee postponed the vote yesterday after the Vatican requested that they consult their fellow bishops in other nations on the matter.The pastoral letter has sharply divided Catholics who want more change in church practices regarding women and those who uphold traditional restrictions.

WASHINGTON -- The nation's Roman Catholic bishops wound up their annual meeting yesterday with a tense discussion of a pastoral letter on women, indicating that the role of women in the church is almost sure to be a matter of violent controversy for years to come.In their four-day meeting, the bishops dealt with women in a statement on sexuality, in the new guidelines for the use of gender-neutral language in some church readings, and in a proposed pastoral letter condemning sexism in society and in the church.

Your editorial on Vice President Joseph Biden's debate performance against Rep. Paul Ryan seems to have somehow ignored several factual errors by the incumbent ("Biden connects," Oct. 13). For starters, Mr. Biden claimed "we weren't told they wanted more security" in answer to a question about the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on the anniversary of 9/11. In doing so, Mr. Biden was contradicting the sworn congressional testimony of State Department officials last week, prompting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to say the next day that the vice president was "doubling down on denial.

Executive Director for Catholics United James Salt says the Catholic bishops' "Fortnight for Freedom" initiative is a "political attack" on President Barack Obama and that the bishops are playing "sexual politics" ("Catholics challenge U.S. health policy," June 22). Baloney! The Catholic bishops did not seek a confrontation with the administration; it was thrust upon them by the Health and Human Services mandate requiring religious institutions to include contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations, all contrary to Catholic teaching, in their employees' health plans.