VOLUME XCI - NO. 23 | 115 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE GOSPEL | JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2015
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Historic tour » 2
Highlights from the
pope's 3-country
visit
Mission of joy » 6
Embracing hope and
courage in a time of
turmoil
NARAL's awards » 10
Awards against
pro-life bills cause
disgust
T
he Little Sisters of the Poor are
waiting, and praying.
"I'm not sure what we're going
to do next," said Mother Patricia Mary
Metzgar, L.S.P., who oversees the Little Sis-
ters' Mullen Home for the Aged in Denver.
In a decision July 14, the 10th U.S. Cir-
cuit Court of Appeals rejected the sisters'
claim that complying with the federal
Health and Human Services (HHS)
mandate would be a violation of their
conscience. The court said it "ultimately
rejects the merits of this claim" because
the court believes the exemption "relieves
[the Little Sisters] from complicity."
The sisters face the decision of either
violating their religious beliefs or paying
steep IRS penalties estimated around
$6,700 a day or $2.5 million a year.
After the news of the ruling, the Little
Sisters were disappointed, Mother
Metzgar said.
"We have been praying, and we're going
to continue to pray," she said. "We're dis-
appointed, but we're praying."
The future seems uncertain
for the order of sisters that
Little Sisters wait and pray
Attorneys decide next steps after circuit court rules against sisters seeking religious freedom
BY NISSA LAPOINT
303-715-3138
nissa.lapoint@archden.org
www.twitter.com/Nissa_LaPoint
Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little
Sisters of the Poor, talks to media after the nuns' attorneys
presented oral arguments in a case seeking exemption from a
mandate to provide contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs
and sterilizations to employees.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY PETER ZELASKO/CNA
| » 5
Listen to samples of a choir performing sacred music at a Littleton parish. www.DenverCatholic.org ONLINE
