Southwestern Pennsylvanians encouraged to join initiative to defend religious liberty
Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik is urging Catholics in the diocese to participate in a two-week nationwide observance drawing attention to threats to religious liberty, including parts of the health care overhaul dealing with contraception and a possible redefinition of marriage by the Supreme Court.
T he second-annual “Fortnight for Freedom” occurs in response to a call by the Conference of Catholic Bishops for church members to take time between June 21 and July 4 to pray and participate in programs focusing on religious liberty.
Zubik said Fortnight intends to remind people of faith that they “have the right to try to have an impact on our society for good.”
“We have a right to express our beliefs publicly, to judge where society may fall short in matters of justice and the common good, and to try to convince hearts and minds,” he said in a statement.
The purpose of the national observance is “to educate people about the nature of religious freedom (and) to point out intrusions against religious liberty,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
One of the most glaring threats to religious liberty is a provision in the Affordable Care Act set to take effect on Aug. 1 that will require employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause early abortions, according to Lori.
In addition to the health mandates, the archbishop said religious individuals and organizations have raised concerns about the possible redefinition of marriage.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule this month in two cases involving same-sex marriage.
One is a challenge to California's voter-approved Proposition 8 that defines marriage as the union of a man and woman. The other seeks to strike down a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, that denies married same-sex couples benefits generally available to married heterosexuals.
U.S. bishops in January filed briefs with the court in support of DOMA and Proposition 8.
Nicholas Cafardi, dean emeritus of the Duquesne Law School, said although efforts such as Fortnight for Freedom may appear passive, they can have an impact on policy.
“Any kind of reasoned argument can change minds,” he said. “And the church ought to be participating in the public square because it has some important things to say and its voice needs to be heard.”
It would be wrong for the church to take a more active role, Cafardi said.
Tony LaRussa is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7987 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.
