Denver Catholic

2 I CATHOLIC LIFE ARCHBishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila Pope Francis' great lesson in humility and wisdom One year ago, I was installed as the eighth bishop of Denver. It still feels like yesterday to me. And when I was ordained a priest in 1976, I never imagined that one day I would become the archbishop of Denver. I am deeply grateful for the welcome and support I've received during my year as Denver's archbishop from the clergy and laity. I am particularly grateful to my predecessor, Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Most people know that Archbishop Chaput is a great man—a visionary leader in the Church in the United States. He is also a friend, and has been a mentor and teacher for me. It is a rare privilege to follow after a great man. I am blessed in Denver to follow the term of Archbishop Chaput. And our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is blessed to follow the term of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI—a visionary leader, a great man, a leader and a teacher. Because we have the privilege in common, I've watched to see how Pope Francis would relate to the pontificate of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Two weeks ago, with the release of his first encyclical, "Lumen Fidei," Pope Francis spoke clearly about his relationship with his predecessor. When introducing the encyclical, Pope Francis noted that Pope Emeritus Benedict himself had almost completed a first draft of an encyclical on faith. "For this I am deeply grateful to him, and as his brother in Christ I have taken up his fine work and added a few contributions of my own." Pope Francis wanted the world to know that "Lumen Fidei" began in the heart and mind of Pope Benedict XVI. This was an act of deep and admirable humility. In the modern world, we're often encouraged to discount everything that is old. We pursue the newest media, the newest cars, the newest technologies. We are taught that ours is an age of unprecedented wisdom and potential, and we believe this, uncritically. Too often, we forget the wisdom that comes from knowing our past. Pope Francis' encyclical rejects this modern paradigm. From its outset, the Holy Father gives credit to the wisdom of his predecessors—to the traditions and ideas which came before him. Pope Francis denied his ego, in order to remain connected to the wisdom of his predecessors. The Holy Father's decision was instructive. Our call, as Catholics, is to draw from the sacred traditions of the Church, and the ancient deposit of our faith. A deposit that can never change if we are to remain faithful to Jesus Christ—one that is best summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. With new methods, new enthusiasm, and new commitment, we present a truth which is timeless: that God is love, and that love is boundless self-sacrifice. This truth can be found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Too often, even in the Church, we reject what has come before us. We become infatuated with the novel, because it is new. Too often we lack the humility to admit the wisdom and truth of the past. Pope Francis has demonstrated real humility. I pray we will do the same. "It is through the apostolic tradition," said Pope Francis in "Lumen Fidei," "preserved in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit that we enjoy a living contact" with the memory of Jesus Christ and his revelation. May we have the humility to seek out tradition, to honor it and to carry it forward with courage, helping others to encounter the truth of Jesus Christ, for he alone can bring us happiness and peace. For he is the Truth who will set us free (John 8:32; John 14: 6). July 17, 2013 I Denver Catholic Register Wave of mandate deadlines strike businesses; battles fought in courts By Nissa LaPoint he first wave of deadlines for compliance with the federal contraceptive mandate hit employers across the country this month, and religious oriented employers are now bracing themselves for the next wave. Nationally and locally the battle against the U.S. Health and Human Services Department mandate, a result of the Affordable Care Act known as "Obamacare," is being waged because it requires many religious organizations and businesses to provide health insurance with free coverage of contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs, or pay crippling fines. The Catholic Church and other organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit, are crying out against the mandate, which they say violates their deeply held religious beliefs. The contraceptive pill and abortion-inducing drugs interfere with implantation of an embryo in the womb and therefore violate the dignity of human life. Depending on their healthcare plan cycle, certain employers were required to comply beginning this year, some companies on July 1 and nonprofits on Aug. 1, although the final rules issued by HHS department on June 28 extended some parts of the mandate until 2014. Just days after the rules were issued, a coalition of Catholic and religious leaders at a press conference in Washington addressed the mandate. In their letter to all Americans titled "Standing Together for Religious Freedom," the group said the mandate violates all faiths' freedom of conscience. "HHS is forcing Citizen A, against his or her moral convictions, to purchase a product for Citizen B," reads the letter signed by dozens of leaders from Protestant, Orthodox, Mormon and other religious groups. "The HHS policy is coercive and puts the administration in the position of defining—or casting aside—religious doctrine. This should trouble every American." Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, What is the HHS mandate? Learn more about the issues and access statements on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website. Visit www. usccb.org/issues-and-action/ religious-liberty/hhs-mandate. spearheaded the letter. The group wants the HHS "at a minimum" to expand conscience exemptions to any organization with a moral objection to the mandate. The controversy has fueled 60 lawsuits and 200 plaintiffs representing hospitals, universities, companies, schools and individuals, with some success. In Colorado, a lawsuit filed by Hercules Industries was granted an injunction and doesn't have to comply with the mandate while its case proceeds. Their case is on appeal in the Denver-based U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Hobby Lobby's case was also heard in the 10th Circuit, which granted the craft-store chain a major victory June 27 by giving it a shield from hefty financial penalties that it would need to pay after the July 1 deadline. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is representing Hobby Lobby and many other organizations including EWTN with the mission to protect the free expression of all faiths. The Archdiocese of Denver is not a party to any of the lawsuits but has supported them financially. Archdiocesan leaders are confident the archdiocese's healthcare plan is exempt from the mandate. "The archdiocese's healthcare plan right now is protected," said Colorado Catholic Conference executive director and attorney Jenny Kraska. "For one thing, it has what the government refers to as 'grandfather status' under Obamacare and is therefore not subject to those provisions of the HHS mandate that are contrary to Catholic social teachings." Under the grandfather exemption, a healthcare plan that did not provide for contraceptives before 2010 when Obamacare was passed will not be required to now or in the future if the plan remains substantially unchanged. This exemption extends to the schools and parishes within the Denver Archdiocese that are currently part of its healthcare plan. As it works to maintain its grandfathered healthcare plan status, the archdiocese "does not foresee the closure or reduction of parish ministries, including schools, as a result of the HHS mandate," according to a statement sent to parish priests last year. Even without the grandfather status, the archdiocese and its parishes fall under the "religious employer" exemption provision as defined in the mandate. Yet many nonprofit Catholic institutions, which do not fall under the archdiocese's healthcare plan or don't meet the religious employer exemption, are seriously at risk. Such organizations at risk include Catholic Charities, Catholic hospitals and healthcare organizations and Catholic universities. Religious for-profit organizations are also at risk. "All of those Catholic entities it looks like are going to face either fines or face the fact that they will have to now somehow offer these services in conjunction with their health insurance plans," Kraska said. The Church has worked to raise awareness about the contraceptive mandate, notably through the Fortnight for Freedom initiative. The Denver Archdiocese held an ecumenical Prayer in the Square rally last month to witness to religious freedom. Nationally, Congress has introduced the Health Care Conscience Rights Act which would protect those who morally object to the mandate. What's at stake, Kraska said, is a violation of the God-given right to religious practice and ministry including a breach in the constitutionally-defined relationship between church and state.  "I think what it means is that we're at a point in time when the government is trying to exercise its authority and power to tell religious organizations what their teachings can and cannot be," Kraska said. "It has real, profound consequences." DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. 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