The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock, Placido Rodriguez, and the Council of Bishops in the U.S. say religious liberty is under assault by the feds.
"The HHS mandate wants us to tie our hands and make it illegal for us to carry on our mandate of Jesus Christ," Rodriguez said. "This is a threat to religious freedom as well as freedom of conscience. We want to alert people throughout the whole nation."
The Catholic Bishops are encouraging their parishoners to pray and voice their defiance over the next two weeks during a campaign dubbed Fortnight for Freedom. Catholics nationwide have been asked to press for the cause non-stop through Independence Day.
They vowed to never abide by the Department of Health and Human Services mandate for employers to cover contraceptives under insurance provided by the workplace. The mandate, under President Obama's healthcare reform, gives religious organizations an exemption only under what Catholics call a very narrow definition. Bishop Rodriguez said it would force the faithful to violate church doctrine.
