By Kathleen Naab
WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 31, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Less than two weeks after the Obama administration ruled that Catholic institutions must pay for health care plans that include abortifacient drugs and sterilization, already some 65% of the nation’s bishops have voiced a public outcry in defense of religious freedom.
The author of the American Papist blog, Thomas Peters, has a running list of the bishops who have issued public statements, many of which were read at last weekend’s Masses.
At the time of publication, Peters had 126 bishops on the list, with links to their statements. There are 197 dioceses in the United States.
«The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,» Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan said the day of the decision.
«The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation,» the New York archbishop, who is also president of the U.S. episcopal conference, affirmed. «We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.»
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On the Net:
List of bishops’ responses: www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=25591
On ZENIT’s Web page:
A commentary on Cardinal-designate Dolan’s reaction: www.zenit.org/article-34161?l=english