The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 this morning that closely held corporations with religious objections to the “contraception mandate” in President Obama’s health-care law cannot be forced to offer birth control coverage. The answer to our prayers!
Here are a few articles with additional details:
Major kudos to Hobby Lobby for pressing this issue to the Supreme Court!
The courage and persistence demonstrated by Hobby Lobby stands in sharp contrast to the tenacity Cardinal O’Malley has voiced publicly on this same issue. In May of this year, he was quoted as saying the contraception mandate “violated God’s law”, yet when pressed whether Americans should obey it, he hedged, back-pedaled and said it’s up to each person’s conscience. Using language that sounded straight from the mouth of Fr. Bryan Hehir, here is what he said:
CNSNews.com asked: “As an unjust law, should Americans obey it?”
Cardinal O’Malley said: “This is a very complicated issue and it’s something that the church is struggling with right now, and trying to come up with a moral analysis in order to be able to allow people to form their consciences and to go forward.”
He also said the question of whether Catholic politicians could vote for a bill that funded implementation of the regulation was “complicated.”
CNSNews.com asked: “If Congress brings up a government-funding bill that funds implementation of the HHS regulation, and permits the administration to force people to buy coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, can a Catholic member of Congress vote for that bill?”
The cardinal said: “Well, Catholics must always take into account their own faith and their conscience. What we’re asking people to do is to look at the whole consequences of these. It’s a complicated issue because the Church does want people to have health insurance.
This quote is yet another example of Cardinal O’Malley, the pro-life hypocrite. in 2011, he preached to his fellow bishops during their ad liminia visit to Rome about the need for them to have courage:
Peter’s love for the Lord brought him to Rome, the cardinal said, but — according to legend — as persecution grew Peter decided to flee again. Leaving the city, he saw the risen Lord and asked him, “Quo vadis?” (“Where are you going?”), and Jesus replied he was going to Rome to be crucified again. Peter renewed his faith and returned to the city where he met a martyr’s death.
“Each of us has gone through a ‘quo vadis’ moment or two in our vocation as bishops,” the cardinal said. “Hopefully, our being together at the tomb of Peter and close to Benedict will renew us in our generosity, courage and faith in following Jesus up close so that we can say with all our hearts what Peter said, ‘Lord you know all things. You know that I love you.’”
Boston Catholic Insider 
The key issue with “Hobby Lobby” according to Megyn Kelly of Fox News was not “contraception” but abortion. Hobby Lobby accepted the fact of contraception but not the “abortion inducing” morning after pill. Cardinal O’Malley is a very intelligent individual. If I can differentiate, then he should be able to do so on a higher level.
He should be, but remember: “it’s a very complicated issue.” So he leaves the Boston to go to Rome to advise our Holy Father so thank God they are not “complicated issues!”
Whenever our archbishop utters another contradiction I’m reminded of the incident on the South Shore a couple of years ago when a couple of lesbians decided to invade a Catholic school and were denied by the pastor because he rightly felt attending a Catholic school would causes confusion for the children, who would be taught principles contrary to what they were seeing at home.
The Cardinal noted Denver had recently dealt with just such a problem and he thought he should look at how the Denver diocese handled it. THE NEXT DAY!!! Brian Hehir told the Boston Globe, no we won’t look anywhere outside our own diocese. We’ll handle it ourselves. The Cardinal didn’t say a word. From that day there has been no doubt about who is driving the bus in Boston.
Clearly Brother Sean isn’t clearing his public statements with Hehir. Perhaps he should. He’ll save himself some embarrassment (assuming he’s capable of being embarrassed) and we’ll get a better picture of who he is.
Brother Sean, please. We need a Catholic bishop in Boston. Desperately! You know you don’t want to lead a diocese, have not led one here and are incapable of leading one. Please resign.
I think that what makes this issue “complicated” is that the bill not only funded abortion but it provided for some good outcomes as well, such as providing health coverage for the uninsured.
If that’s the case, might “bundling” a piece of legislation that would re-institute slavery be deemed “complicated” if at the same time that bill had money to open soup kitchens? How about legislation that legalized child rape but at the same time provided increased funds for elderly housing?
It would seem to me that slavery and child rape are so horrific that a Catholic politician could never in good conscience vote for such a bill that legalized such things.
So why then is the question of abortion complicated? Isn’t abortion horrific? Isn’t abortion murder?
Venerable Fulton Sheen, pray for us.
If one can imagine a pie chart of corporations, the slice occupied by closely held for-profit businesses — those with at least 50% of stock held by five or fewer people, such as family-owned businesses — in which the owners have clear religious beliefs would perhaps make your “dessert” look very meager.
BCI – you pray that the Cardinal find the courage to “walk the talk.” I say, “Don’t hold your breath.”
I’m one of the Cardinal’s priests. With great sorrow I’ve watched J. Bryan Hehir coopt this diocese for the Demo-Cath agenda for the past ten years, and we’re much the worse for it. Fr. Hehir consistently espouses cooperation (collaboration?) with “the state” as the highest goal of the Church, particularly in the “social justice” arena. Putting ads for condom use in the women’s shelters run in former convents; advocating for gay adoptions; advocating for the gay agenda (PFLAG et al): the list is endless. Hehir has done more to ruin Catholic morality in the Archdiocese than any other person in history – and he drives policy as someone who was merely appointed to his position!
Cardinal O’Malley knows what Hehir is doing; he either doesn’t care or he lives in such fear that he won’t act. As someone who has watched His Eminence up close from the get-go, I’d suggest you place your prayers somewhere they might do some good. Don’t hold your breath waiting for our feckless leader to act like a Catholic bishop.
Please, where are the former convents with condom ads?
DBP, I hope you’ve forwarded your thoughts about the Cardinal to the Papal Nuncio and to the Pope himself. I have no doubt Sean was selected as one of the 8 advisors to the Pope because he wears a brown habit and speaks fluent Spanish. The Pope should know a little more about him, doncha think?
Ferde, the Pope himself is a liberal like O’Malley
The Cardinal always protects the baby killing pols. What is He afraid of in this matter of clear moral obligation? Abortion is MURDER. Why do I have to go on a Catholic blog and have to state this? He and his pal, Pope Francis, should remember the first leaders of the Church were put to death for the truth . Quo vadis Cardinal. Where are you taking the church?
Perhaps he he could rely on some of his priests helping out
on Saturday nights—changing poopy diapers, babysitting
for parents with a special needs child….They would be more inspired! What are priests sooooooooooooooooo busy with
on a Saturday night that they cannot do this? Wouldn’t Jesus?