My Dear Lord Bishop X.
WED FEB 08, 2012 AT 02:39 PM PST
My Dear Lord Bishop
byepc3Follow
My Dear Lord Bishop X.
(I just assume you prefer the medieval title)
I sat in the pew on Sunday morning recently and listened with interest to your letter warning of the threat to religious liberty posed by the Obama administration's recently announced rules regarding mandated coverage for contraception and other health care proceedures you find distasteful. I have to say I found it to be the most brilliant letter from you regarding the Churches Social Teaching since the one last year about the rights of workers to bargain collectively.
What's that you say? You wrote no such letter? I could have sworn that a couragous leader such as yourself would loudly proclaim the Church's teaching on this matter in light of the highly public efforts in Wisconsin and Ohio to curb this fundamental human right which was the foundation of the Church's modern Social Teaching way back in 1874.
Oh well, nevermind. I must thinking of your forceful letter endorsing an end to capitol punishment consistent with the church's longstanding teaching regarding the sanctity of human life. ... You never wrote such a letter? Oh...
Maybe it was that letter from the last election cycle imploring Catholics to heed the Church's teaching on Stewardship and concider voting for candidates based on the strength of their commitment to environmental causes. ... What's that you say? You only wrote about gay marriage? Sorry, I didn't care much for that one. It seemed a bit mean spirited.
I must have in mind the letter all the bishops had read at mass prior to the invasion of Iraq condemning that war as unjust consistent with the Pope's statement and the Church's Just War doctrine. ... You say the bishops never authored such a letter? Pity, it might have saved a few lives.
I know, I have in mind the letter from just this past Sunday with it's profound and moving acknowledgment of the pain caused by the sexual abuse scandal and it's solemn promise to remove from service those implicated in the scandal as well as a commitment to compensation and healing for the victims. What?!? Oh, that's right. You didn't write that one either. That was my pastor poking at you for speaking out so selectively and ignoring the many opportunities to share the rich (and mostly progressive) tradition of the Church's Social Teaching. (Thanks for that Father. I hope the bishop doesn't send you packing prematurely)
Frankly, my Lord Bishop, I'm getting tired of only hearing from you on behalf of right wing talking points. There is much that is inspiring, humane and progressive in the Church's Social Teaching tradition, but even much of your own flock knows nothing about it. You might find that people paid more attention if you did not appear so partisan.
As to that alledged infringement on your religious liberty, I get it. Really, I do. Unlike much of your flock, I've read all the papal encyclicals. You have a reasonably coherent position based on a Platonic vision of human sexuality that says contraception interferes with God's desire that we willingly participate with Him in creation though openness to all of the possibilities inherent in sexual intercourse. I think you have kind of a cramped view of human sexuality, but so be it. It is the long held teaching of the Church and you have a consitutional right to that belief here in America. I further understand that you feel paying for someone else to use contraception would be active participation in an immoral act, like driving the get away car in a bank robbery. But I have a solution and all you have to do is use a very small amount of imagination.
You know that health plan at Our Lady of Perpetual Motion Hospital? Your employees contribute to the premiums for that, right? About 10% I hear. Well, I have it on good authority from an actual insurance company actuary that the total cost of all the mandates in ACA for group plans such as yours will add about 2% - 5% to premium and that includes contraception, extending coverage to dependants to age 26 and a number of other good things. So all you have to do is attribute the cost of contraception (and anything else you find icky) to the employee contribution. There, problem solved. You are no longer participating in evil.
Now go preach the gospel, visit the prisoners, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, etc.
Yours in Christ,
EPC3
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