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U.S. Bishops Oppose Senate Health Reform Bill, Clarify Politico Comments

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has reiterated its opposition to Senate health care reform legislation.

On March 5, Politico reported that “he Roman Catholic bishops signaled Thursday that if agreement is reached with House leaders on anti-abortion language, the church would work to get the votes needed to protect the provisions in the Senate — and thereby advance the shared goal with Democrats of health care reform.â€

Responding to questions about the Politico article, the bishops’ conference issued the following statement:

Recently a reporter asked the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops whether, if the House of Representatives sent a health care reform bill to the Senate that includes acceptable pro-life language like the Stupak amendment, the Conference would defend the pro-life language against efforts by members of either political party to strike it from the bill. The staff answered yes. Some took that answer out of context, and misinterpreted it as a commitment by the bishops to endorse an overall health care bill as long as it includes pro-life language. No such position has been taken. The Conference has said the Senate-passed health care bill fails our moral criteria and must be changed; if changes do occur the bishops would study the new bill, then develop a position based on our moral criteria.  ::MORE

 

Irish Bishops Welcome Vatican Statement on Abuse

MAYNOOTH, Ireland, MARCH 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- As the bishops of Ireland continue confronting the scandal of priests' sexual abuse of minors, they welcomed the Vatican's Tuesday statement on the issue.

The Irish episcopal conference reported today on the conclusions of their spring general meeting. Among the many issues on the program, the prominent topic was that of abuse.

The prelates recalled their meeting last month with Benedict XVI -- the Pope called all the Irish bishops to Rome to meet with him and other members of the Curia -- saying it "allowed for a high level of information sharing and discussion around the forthcoming pastoral letter by the Holy Father to the faithful in Ireland."

Referring to the Vatican's statement on the scandals, the bishops said they welcomed "its timely publication and specifically its reference concerning survivors of abuse that 'the correct starting point is recognition of what happened and concern for the victims and the consequences of the acts committed against them' and also that 'the Church exists as part of civil society and shoulders her own responsibilities in society.'"

The bishops' communiqué also noted the Vatican's reference to the 2001 Letter "De delictis gravioribus" [On grave crimes], and its affirmation that the document is "sometimes improperly cited as the cause of a 'culture of silence.'"

The Irish prelates clarified: "It was made clear to the bishops in Rome that the 2001 Letter in no way precluded Church authorities from their civil obligations especially in regards to reporting and cooperating fully with the civil authorities. This important matter has been consistently misrepresented in some quarters."

"De delictis gravioribus" -- a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and thus signed by then prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- explains that the sexual abuse of minors is so grave that the judgement of the cases is reserved to the Holy See.  ::MORE

 

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