February 27, 2012
Dear Parishioners:
We Catholics who live in the United States have a kind of dual citizenship. We are citizens of the U.S., but also citizens of the world-wide Body of Christ, the Catholic Church. Sometimes these dual citizenships are in harmony with one another, and at other times there are tensions or conflicts between them. Our U.S. Constitution foresaw the possible tensions, and the First Amendment was ratified as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791, four years after the approval of the Constitution. It reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
There has been much publicity lately regarding the decision of the Obama Administration to decree by executive order that all employers must offer health insurance that includes contraceptive services, including drugs that can serve to end the life of a child in the womb, and sterilization. The Catholic Church for many sound reasons opposes these practices. Now, with a very few exceptions, they will be mandated throughout the United States, without consideration of an institution's or an individual's right of conscience based on religious beliefs, thus, in effect, "prohibiting the free exercise" of our religious convictions. After protests were made that this is a violation of one of our Constitution's first freedoms, the freedom of religion, the Obama Administration announced some "accommodations."
Sadly, here in Hawaii, because of the pre-paid health care law which has been in effect for over a dozen years, the Church has not been given any choice about accepting abortion, contraception, sterilization, and in vitro fertilization in the insurance package. We cannot legally deny our employees health insurance coverage, nor would it be just to deny it, so these objectionable services are included. It is important to remember, however, that we still hold fast to our teachings that prohibit these practices. We need to be ever more diligent in explaining them to our faithful, so that understanding them; they will not be motivated to take advantage of them.
Because of the latest national controversy, however, we now have an opportunity to assure that our conscience rights are secured and our religious freedom protected.
We urge you to contact your Hawaii Congresswomen to urge the passage of H.B. 1179 (Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011): Mazie Hirono (808) 541-1986 or http://hirono.house.gov; Colleen Hanabusa (808) 541-2570 or http://hanabusa.house.gov. We also urge you to contact your Senators regarding a similar Senate Bill, S. 1467: Daniel Inouye (808) 541-2542 or http://inouye.senate.gov; Daniel Akaka (808) 522-8970 or http://akaka.senate.gov. For more information, go to www.usccb.org/conscience, on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. More information on these bills is also available on-line.
Health insurance plans are the current issue regarding freedom of religion. There are other issues about which we need to be vigilant and exercise our faithful citizenship as Catholics and as Americans. For example:
1. With Civil Unions now legal in Hawaii and same-sex marriage being proposed, we have recently had to revise our employment norms and our facility use norms, so that, while we obey the law we still exercise our rights of conscience and our belief that true marriage can only be between one man and one woman.
2. A complaint already has been filed with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission alleging that our diocese unlawfully discriminated against an individual by denying him use of its facilities. He had contacted the diocese about use of facilities, including a chapel, in connection with same-sex union ceremonies.
3. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that churches have the right to select certain employees according to their own criteria (the ministerial exception), but the fact that the case went to the Supreme Court indicates that there are some who question our right to hire employees for certain positions whose beliefs conform to the beliefs of our Church.
4. Some jurisdictions are requiring that school text books present same-sex unions as a legitimate option for our youth to consider. While no such movement has been presented for Hawaii, it is an issue we will need to watch.
Besides our duty as Catholics to live our faith fully in the public square, it is also our duty to preserve our democratic principles, which seem to be eroding. For example, in every state that has put the matter to a vote of its citizens, the citizens have voted to reserve marriage as a union of one man and one woman; yet many legislators and court decisions have contravened them. We must not only be vigilant for our religious freedom, but for the integrity of our democracy as "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Finally, we have heard in recent publicity that the majority of Catholics do not live by the teachings of the Church. Sometimes we who are charged with teaching have not done a good job in presenting these rich and humanly liberating teachings. We pledge to work on this, especially in the upcoming Year of Faith. Some of these teachings seem archaic to many, but if we truly take the time to study them and to understand the reasons for them, we will see that they are indeed a blessing.
As we exercise our dual citizenship, let us pray that we will always do so in love, trusting in the Lord to help us overcome tensions and conflicts, but knowing that sometimes commitment to the truth will lead us to the cross. It is the Lord Jesus who alone can give us the wisdom and courage we need, since he himself stood for the truth, was rejected and crucified, but was raised up to forever shine his Truth on all the world.
Blessings for this Lenten season!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Larry Silva
Bishop of Honolulu
FROM MOST REV. LARRY SILVA
