Despite the Catholic Church’s mission to help the poor which took expression in their recent report blasting the idolatry of global markets, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops remains little more than Republican-front organization.
The latest dispute centers on a decision by the Department of Health and Human Services in late September to end funding to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help victims of human trafficking, or modern-day slavery. The church group had overseen nationwide services to victims since 2006 but was denied a new grant in favor of three other groups.
The bishops organization, in line with the church’s teachings, had refused to refer trafficking victims for contraceptives or abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union sued, and HHS officials said they made a policy decision to award the grants to agencies that would refer women for those services.
The bishops conference is threatening legal action and accusing the administration of anti-Catholic bias, which HHS officials deny.
The fight further sours an already difficult relationship between the government and some Catholics over several issues. The bishops fiercely oppose the administration’s decision in February to no longer defend the federal law barring the recognition of same-sex marriage. Dozens of Catholic groups also have objected in recent weeks to a proposed HHS mandate — issued under the health-care law — that would require private insurers to provide women with contraceptives without charge.
I do not like to mix religion with politics. But that is precisely why I get frustrated with the Bishops. Why are they seeking government contracts in the first place? Is the Catholic Church short on funds? Their desire to confront human trafficking and sex-slavery is admirable. Their decision to try to make it our government’s policy to deny contraceptives and abortion to sex slaves? Abominable.
I don’t like how the Bishops inject themselves into our political debates, telling Catholic politicians how to vote. That’s precisely what people feared about John F. Kennedy. We don’t want politicians who are beholden to Big Oil or Wall Street. Why would we want politicians who are beholden to the teachings of any particular religious leader or leaders? And they always seem to weigh in heaviest on abortion or contraception or gay rights. Where was the pressure on Republican lawmakers to support the health care law or the crackdown on credit card companies?
I know a lot of Catholic people and the only ones I’ve ever met who oppose contraception are old ladies. If you talked to them when they were of child-bearing age, they probably were singing a different song. Or, maybe, they’re just old enough to be a little old-fashioned. My point is, the Bishops can complain all they want about losing a government contract, but they weren’t ever going to support the Democrats because they’ve placed their reproductive dogmas over their mission to the poor. That’s their right, but let’s not pretend that the Obama administration has caused a rift. They just decided that any group that would deny a sex slave contraception doesn’t deserve a government contract.
