19 June 2012

USCCB Unanimously Adopts ‘United For Religious Freedom’ Statement

At its recent General Assembly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reaffirmed by a unanimous voice vote a recent statement of the USCCB Administrative Committee regarding the HHS mandate.

At the end of their hour-long discussion of religious freedom in the United States, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of USCCB, asked the body of bishops if it would be willing to declare its approval of “United for Religious Freedom,” the unanimous statement of the Administrative Committee issued on 14 March. Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, California seconded Cardinal Dolan's motion, which was put to the body by a voice vote and unanimously affirmed.

“United for Religious Freedom” describes the bishops as “strongly unified and intensely focused in . . . opposition to the various threats to religious freedom in our day,” and explains that the HHS mandate “demands our immediate attention.” The document identifies three basic problems with the mandate: “an unwarranted government definition of religion,” “a mandate to act against our teachings,” and “a violation of personal civil rights.”

To access a copy of the complete statement, please visit:

USCCB: Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate

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