Testifying about the Obamacare contraceptive mandate during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, CNSNews.com reports Senator Hatch asking Ms. Sebelius:
In his statement on Friday addressing the supposed compromise on this mandate, President Obama said "From the very beginning of this process, I spoke directly to various Catholic officials." Now prior to Friday, February 10, did you consult with any individual Catholic bishop or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops about this so-called compromise?Ms. Sebelius responded:
I did not speak to the Catholic bishops.
Why would The Motley Monk consider this admission odd?
With the HHS Secretary having been deeply involved in drafting the Obamacare regulations concerning the contraceptive mandate, in particular, that Ms. Sebelius did not speak to or consult with any bishop prior to the announcement of the regulations is odd. One would surmise that Ms. Sebelius would have consulted with a wide range of the nation's religious leaders, not just Catholic bishops.
Moreover, as a self-professed Catholic and knowing that the announcement of her regulations would quite likely raise objections on the part of the nation's bishops, that the nation's HHS Secretary did not speak to or consult with any bishop prior to the announcement of the regulations is also very odd. After all, as a former Governor of Kansas, Ms. Sebelius knows all too well that coalition building is an important aspect of any politician's job.
Only the insider players know the facts, but it is clear that President Obama was working the HHS regulations through the system.
But, why the President and not his HHS Secretary who is Catholic?
The Motley Monk believes the case likely was that President Obama making a political calculation.
Working the HHS regulations through the system, President Obama is seeking to exploit the split within the U.S. Catholic Church that became evident in the lead up to the unveiling, passage, and signing of the Obamacare bill.
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| Sr. Carol Keehan, President Catholic Health Association |
Using the President of the Catholic Health Association as a prop and presenting her with a pen used to sign the bill, Mr. Obama communicated that he was on the side of those Catholics who believe not only in nationalized healthcare but also in women's so-called "reproductive rights."
Then, meeting with Archbishop Dolan, the President positioned himself as a fair-minded moderator, a President who possessing sensitivity to Dolan's moral and religious concerns. Even the Archbishop was impressed, expressing guarded optimism in an interview.
Get the picture?
This is all about the November 2012 election. The imperative is to keep a sufficient number of Catholic voters from being peeled away to ensure the President's re-election.
White House Chief of Staff, Jack Lew, all but stated the strategy on "Meet the Press." Citing early support for the "compromise" from the Catholic Health Association, Catholic Charities, and Planned Parenthood as evidence that the Obama administration had come up with a fair-minded solution, Lew dismissed objections explaining that "there are a lot of conservatives that don't think that we should guarantee that Americans have access to health insurance....We believe women have a right to all forms of preventive health." Lew failed to mention, of course, that both the Catholic Health Assocation and Catholic Charities USA withdrew their previous statements, siding with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
With abortion less of an issue in this election cycle, the Obama administration is using the HHS regulations to portray conservatives and Catholics who support Church teaching---especially the nation's bishops----as knuckle-dragging Neanderthals who are hell bent on stripping women of their human rights.
That's why the Obama administration's acolytes have been out spewing the 2-Pinocchio statement that "98% of Catholic women have used birth control at some time." They are reminding women---and especially Catholic Democrat women---that the President is on their side, protecting their "rights."
It's a masterful stroke of political savvy. Kudos to David Axelrod who knows how to play voters like a Stradivarius.
In Matthew 6:15, Jesus says:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Let the discussion begin...
To read the CNSNews.com article, click on the following link:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/hhs-secretary-grilled-contraceptive-mandate-i-did-not-speak-catholic-bishops
On the other hand, if most Catholics gave a tinker's damn for the position of Mater Ecclesia on contraception, then it might actually be an issue. My thinking is that anyone who misunderstands (or misstates the facts - yeah, I'm talking to you, TMM) what is going on as an attack on religion wouldn't being voting to re-elect Obama in the first place. Liberal Pilgrim
ReplyDeleteThat is the precise problem, LP. Most U.S. Catholics don't think about matters as Catholics do but as Protestants do. They begin by denying papal authority and Church teaching, based on their view that the Church is a political democracy. They also view "dissent" as an exercise of "informed conscience" when, in reality, most aren't very conversant with the teachings from which they dissent. In the matter of contraception, for example, if they did read Humanae vitae without a jaundiced mind, they'd see that Pope Paul VI prophetically identified the outcomes associated with what later would be called "the contraceptive mentality." (By the way, that's not contraception that is used for real medical problems.)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what is factually erroneous in this post? If it has to do with speculation about motives, how can that be factually erroneous?
A Catholic who does not follow the teachings of Mater Ecclesia or sins in their private life has to take that up with God, their concsience and a Confessor.
ReplyDeleteA Catholic does not have the right to take public stands against the teachings of the Church and claim to be speaking for the Church. The axiom, my personal views and 'the law' are not the same thing is a cop out.
A politician can hold any position, on any topic. It's a free country and we have free will. However, no one says they have to remain a member of the Church.
Politicians like Sebelius, Durbin, the Kennedy's, Pelosi, Biden, etc... can choose to serve Caesar but they should be called out, challenged and told that posing as a Catholic does not make them Catholic.