Return to Rome Special Posting: Catholic Bishops-only internal briefing on the HHS regulations “compromise”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

The Whispers in the Loggia blog (WITL) has obtained a bishops-only internal briefing that was circulated soon after President Obama’s announcement of his HHS regulation “compromise.” According to WITL, what follows “is the text of tonight’s internal, bishops-only briefing, obtained by Whispers and signed by the aforementioned quintet: the conference president, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, and the bench’s committee chairs for Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston; Doctrine, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington; Domestic Policy, Bishop Stephen Blaire of... Read more

USCCB Response to HHS “Compromise”: Unacceptable

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Here’s the text: Bishops Renew Call To Legislative Action On Religious Liberty February 10, 2012 Regulatory changes limited and unclear Rescission of mandate only complete solution Continue urging passage of Respect for Rights of Conscience Act WASHINGTON – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued the following statement: The Catholic bishops have long supported access to life-affirming healthcare for all, and the conscience rights of everyone involved in the complex process of providing that healthcare. That is... Read more

HHS “compromise” is Unacceptable, says former Vatican ambassador, Catholic University of America president, and others

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

(HT: Catholicvote.org) The following public letter was issued today by Mary Anne Glendon (former United States Ambassador to the Vatican), John Garvey (President, Catholic University of America), Princeton scholar Robert P. George, Notre Dame law professor Carter Sneed, and Yuval Levin of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. Right now the letter is being circulated and in the process of acquiring many more signatories. I am proud to say that I signed it only moments ago when it was sent... Read more

Best explanation of the HHS “compromise”: it’s a shell game

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

It is the intellectual version of being short-changed. Here’s what Ace says at Ace of Spades HQ: So here’s how this works. I’m an insurer. Here were your two options, before Obama’s brilliant solution: I could cover your employees for x dollars. If you want birth control/abortifacient coverage, we’ll add that rider for y dollars. So this option is x + y dollars. Obama’s genius solution is: Hey, we’ll cover your employees for x + y dollars as a baseline. But... Read more

Not a Good Argument for the HHS Birth Control Mandate

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

In response to the new HHS regulations, about which I have written several entries (see below), some have responded by pointing out that most Catholics practice birth control in defiance of the teachings of their Church. I’ve got news for you: Catholics also commit adultery, lie, cheat, steal, and sometimes even become Protestant. I suspect that there are also Mormons who drink coffee, Orthodox Jews who sneak bacon bits on their salads, and Southern Baptists who make the occasional visit... Read more

Planned Parenthood’s Hostages

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

That’s the title of a piece that was published in this morning’s Wall Street Journal. It is authored by two friends of mine, Robert P. George and O. Carter Snead. Robby is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Carter is professor of law and the incoming director of the Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. You can read it here. Read more

The New Anti-Catholicism: Occupy the Vatican

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

That’s the title of my latest column over at The Catholic Thing. Here’s how it begins: The old anti-Catholicism found its expression in the mid-nineteenth century when the first large wave of Catholic immigrants arrived in the United States. Some of these immigrant groups had set up their own private religious schools. Many non-Catholic Americans, however, believed that Catholic schools indoctrinated students in superstitions that were inconsistent with the principles of American democracy. Therefore, in order to make sure that... Read more

Francis Schaeffer at 100, and Edith Schaeffer’s wonderful note to me

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Today, January 30, 2012, is the 100th birthday of Francis A. Schaeffer. He was an important influence on my intellectual formation while I was in college. Although given my return to the Catholic Church I would now part ways with Schaeffer on several philosophical and theological questions, I still retain a healthy appreciation of the role he played in making American Evangelicals aware that the Christian faith is a rational knowledge tradition that simply cannot be relegated to the realm of... Read more

Too Many Ironies in the Fire

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Newt claims that Mitt has character issues, and now Herman Cain is endorsing Newt. Looks like Newt has too many ironies in the fire. Read more

The Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas – January 28

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

The following was issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 on the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas (28 January): Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today the liturgical calendar commemorates St Thomas Aquinas, the great Doctor of the Church. With his charism as a philosopher and theologian, he offered an effective model of harmony between reason and faith, dimensions of the human spirit that are completely fulfilled in the encounter and dialogue with one another. According to St Thomas’ thought, human reason,... Read more

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