"Catholics Shouldn't Stand Alone in Religious Freedom Fight " (Jewish World Review, 4/16/12)

As per an article in Jewish World Review, "the nation's Roman Catholic bishops are trying to refocus Americans on the threats to their religious liberty....this is exactly the sort of project in which all faiths ought to participate.

"The manifesto issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is an important document that is neither partisan nor an attempt to inflame sentiments on divisive issues.... Though non-Catholics, as well as many Catholics, may not agree with the church's beliefs, it is vital they stand in solidarity with its call for freedom.

"The blather about a fictional war on women has distracted the nation from the fact that....the rights of Catholics not to support activities that contradict their faith is under siege. The issue, as the bishops rightly put it, is not so much whether Catholics are allowed to gather in their churches or pray as they like at home but whether they and their institutions are to go on being permitted to participate in our national life.

"The principle at stake here is one in which it is clear that if the government gives itself the right to impose practices that contradict religious principles in this manner, it will fundamentally alter what the bishops rightly call our 'first, most precious liberty' of freedom of religion.

"As unfortunate as this movement to infringe upon religious liberty is, what is most distressing is the way the church has been largely allowed to face these attacks on its own....

"The bishops write, 'To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other.' The same sentence applies to Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Mormons and any other group including atheists who should be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Catholics in defense of religious freedom" (Jewish World Review, 4/16/12).