Cardinal Dolan Leads U.S. Bishops’ Support of Rally

Posted by John Jansen (March 27, 2012 at 4:34 pm)

The March 23 Nationwide Rally for Religious Freedom was such a stunning success due in no small part to the tremendous outpouring of support from dozens of Catholic bishops—led by no less than Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York and the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cardinal Dolan himself issued a letter of support that was read at the Rally for Religious Freedom held on Wall Street, in the heart of his Archdiocese.

The Cardinal’s Letter begins:

Dear Friends,

It is a privilege to commend you for your participation in the Rally for Religious Liberty, for standing up for the fundamental rights of all people of faith.

Since January 20, when the final HHS Mandate was announced, two things have been abundantly clear: religious freedom is under attack, and we will not cease our struggle to protect it. Of course, this is not a “Catholic issue” alone. It is wonderful to see so many of our fellow Americans of all faiths stand together in this important moment.

Read the entire letter here [PDF].

In addition to Cardinal Dolan, 11 other bishops provided statements that were read at one or more of the 143 Rally locations across the country, and 25 bishops spoke in person at a Rally:

Bishops Who Attended Rallies

• Most Rev. Robert J. Baker, Bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham
• Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop of the Diocese of Oakland
• Most Rev. Cirilo Flores, Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego
• Most Rev. Thomas Doran, Bishop of the Diocese of Rockford
• Most Rev. Kenneth Steiner, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Portland
• Most Rev. John Quinn, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona
• Most Rev. John Kudrick, Bishop of the Eparchy of Parma
• Most Rev. David Choby, Bishop of the Diocese of Nashville
• Most Rev. John Yanta, Bishop Emeritus of Diocese of Amarillo
• Most Rev. Robert Morlino, Bishop of the Diocese of Madison
• Most Rev. Leonard Blair, Bishop of the Diocese of Toledo
• Most Rev. Joseph Latino, Bishop of the Diocese of Jackson
• Most Rev. Peter Jugis, Bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte
• Most Rev. Luis Zarama, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta
• Most Rev. Michael Byrnes, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Detroit
• Most Rev. Mitchell Rozanski, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Baltimore
• Most Rev. Thomas Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix
• Most Rev. Eduardo Nevares, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix
• Most Rev. Denis Madden, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
• Most Rev. Randolph Calvo, Bishop of the Diocese of Reno
• Most Rev. John Smith, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Trenton
• Most Rev. Ronald Gainer, Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington
• Most Rev. Frank Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida
• Most Rev. Charles Thompson, Bishop of the Diocese of Evansville
• Most Rev. Donald Hying, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
• Most Rev. Rene Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Corpus Christi

Bishops Who Provided Statements Read at Rallies

• Most Rev. Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Atlanta
• Most Rev. David Kagan, Bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck
• Most Rev. Samuel Aquila, Bishop of the Diocese of Fargo
• Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
• Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo, Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond
• Most Rev. David Ricken, Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay
• Most Rev. Felipe Estevez, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine
• Most Rev. Earl Boyea, Bishop of the Diocse of Lansing
• Most Rev. Michael Conley, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Denver
• Most Rev. Michael Sheridan, Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs
• Most Rev. Fernando Isern, Bishop of the Diocese of Pueblo

Additionally, Father Liam Cary, Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Baker, issued a statement read at the Rally in Eugene, Oregon, and Bishop Richard Lennon celebrated Mass and preached a powerful homily directly before the Rally in Cleveland, Ohio.

We offer our sincerest thanks to all of these courageous shepherds for their outspoken opposition to the Obama Administration’s HHS Mandate and their strong support for the Nationwide Rally for Religious Freedom!

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