Despite a strong rebuke delivered to Georgetown University by the Archdiocese of Washington, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed the graduates of the school’s Public Policy Institute this morning.
In her remarks, Sebelius couldn’t resist wading into the area of church/state relations. Toward the end of her speech, she said the following:
Ultimately, public policy is about making difficult choices. Today, there are serious debates underway about the direction of our country – debates about the size and role of government, about America’s role as a global economic and military leader, about the moral and economic imperative of providing health care to all our citizens. People have deeply-held beliefs on all sides of these discussions, and you, as public policy leaders, will be called on to help move these debates forward.
These are not questions with quick and easy answers. When I was in junior high, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was running for president. I wasn’t old enough to vote, but it was the first national campaign I really remember. Some of then-Senator Kennedy’s opponents attacked him for his religion, suggesting that electing the first Catholic president would undermine the separation of church and state, a fundamental principle of our democracy. The furor grew so loud that Kennedy chose to deliver a speech about his beliefs just seven weeks before the election. [Continue reading ...]
The Archdiocese of Washington has sharply criticized Georgetown University’s decision to invite HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to address its School of Public Policy’s upcoming diploma ceremony.
A recent the editorial in Catholic Standard, the Archdiocese of Washington’s official newspaper, notes:
Founded in 1789 by John Carroll, a Jesuit priest, Georgetown University has, historically speaking, religious roots. So, too, do Harvard, Princeton and Brown. Over time, though, as has happened with these Ivy League institutions, Georgetown has undergone a secularization, due in no small part to the fact that much of its leadership and faculty find their inspiration in sources other than the Gospel and Catholic teaching. Many are quite clear that they reflect the values of the secular culture of our age. Thus the selection of Secretary Sebelius for special recognition, while disappointing, is not surprising.
Monsignor Charles Pope, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, comments thusly on the importance of the preceding paragraph: [Continue reading ...]
Last week hackers attacked the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally website as well as all the websites hosted by the Pro-Life Action League, one of the co-sponsors of the Rally effort.
Working overtime through the weekend, the Stand Up Rally IT team was able to locate and eradicate the source of the problem and restore security to the sites.
The attack couldn’t have come at a worse time as thousands were trying to access information about Rally news and locations and Rally Captains were trying to access crucial resources for planning and promoting the effort.
But all is well now and the effort will carry on undaunted. If anyone you know was disquieted by anti-virus software warnings or other error messages, please let them know that the problem has been solved and the site is now secure. And say some prayers for the protection of the Rally effort going forward.
This problem may have slowed us down, but it will not stop the Stand Up Campaign. We will stand up for our cherished liberties and we will fight to Stop the HHS Mandate!
As the battle to protect religious liberty rages on our friends at the Cardinal Newman Society are leading the way opposing the Georgetown/Sebelius scandal.
They’ve just released this great new video explaining why this invitation is an unconscionable slap in the face to the bishops and all Americans who care about religious liberty.
It’s hard to not sound over-the-top in describing how much of an outrage it is that the speaker at Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy diploma ceremony on May 18 will be none other than Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
The fact that the nominally Catholic architect of the HHS Mandate — which has been publicly denounced by every single bishop who leads a diocese in the U.S. — is being granted this honor by America’s oldest Catholic university is hard to believe.
Yet at the same time, given the history of the choice of commencement speakers at some other reputable Catholic universities in recent years, it isn’t hard to believe at all.
A “Direct Challenge” to the U.S. Bishops
Clearly, as the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) observes, Georgetown’s invitation to Sebelius “can only be interpreted as a direct challenge to America’s Catholic bishops.” [Continue reading ...]
The next Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally is still more than a month away, and today our list of cities taking part just reached 101!
The number of cities already on board for June 8 shows that the massive turnout seen at the first Nationwide Rally on March 23 was hardly a one-time phenomenon.
Opposition among the American people to the HHS Mandate’s assault on religious freedom is intense—and getting stronger!
From Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon and all the way out to Honolulu, Hawaii the American people are sending a message that we will not stand idly by while the federal government forces all employer health plans to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of any moral or religious objections.
Check out the Locations Page to see all the cities taking part and find a Rally near you.
Don’t see one in your area? Organize one!
You can find out what it takes to be a local Rally Captain here.
On Saturday, rallies were held to “Unite Against the War on Women”, a pretty obvious response to the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally campaign.
As the picture indicates, the response was paltry. Even in New York City, where thousands gathered on March 23 in defense of religious freedom, only a few hundred showed up to protest.
They may have had a few B-list celebrity speakers, but they were pitching their muddled message to largely empty audiences. Outside of some talk about the so-called “war on women”, their message was as scattered as could be. [Continue reading ...]
The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) has designed these great “Protect Our Religious Freedom” armbands that would make a great addition to any Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally—or just to your wardrobe.
These armbands area great way to tell the world you’re not going to stand idly by while our government takes away our fundamental rights and they’re sure to be a conversation starter.
This Saturday, April 28, a coalition of pro-choice groups are sponsoring “Unite Against the War on Women” rallies at several cities across the country.
Among the sponsors are the National Organization for Women, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and a group called “Rock the Slut Vote” — not to be confused with a group called “This Slut Votes,” which is also a sponsor.
The UniteWomen.org “About Us” page informs us that the idea for the rallies originated February 19 — a mere nine days after the Pro-Life Action League and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society announced that the Nationwide Rally for Religious Freedom in opposition to the HHS Mandate would be held on March 23.
Coincidence?
Who’s Telling Who to “Teach Science”?
The UniteWomen.org website is nothing if not a panoply of the bizarre.
If you go to the homepage, the first thing you’ll notice is a series of rotating pictures, one of which is: [Continue reading ...]
The Archdiocese of Washington has sharply criticized Georgetown University’s 
Last week hackers attacked the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally website as well as all the websites hosted by the 
The next Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally is still more than a month away, and today our list of cities taking part just reached 101!
On Saturday, rallies were held to “Unite Against the War on Women”, a pretty obvious response to the 
The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) has designed these great “Protect Our Religious Freedom” armbands that would make a great addition to any Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally—or just to your wardrobe.
This Saturday, April 28, a coalition of pro-choice groups are sponsoring “Unite Against the War on Women” rallies at several cities across the country.