The US Catholic Bishops have condemned a ruling by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that health plans offered by religious bodies in the state of California are not exempt from the requirement to fund abortions.
In a joint statement reacting to the ruling, which was prompted by the bishops’ own appeal against the funding regulation, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore said: “It is shocking that HHS has allowed the state of California to force all employers – even churches – to fund and facilitate elective abortions in their health insurance plans… even those who disagree on the issue of life should be able to respect the conscience rights of those who wish not to be involved in supporting abortion.” Cardinal Dolan is chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Lori chairs the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
Colombian Prelate’s guarded welcome for peace deal
The head of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference has offered a guarded welcome for his country’s peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Responding to news of the final signatures to the ‘Dialogues of Peace’, concluded in Havana, Cuba, Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga called on FARC to “deliver and destroy” its weapons in a verifiable way.
“The people want to immediately see the effects of the agreement,” he said. The peace deal struck in Havana effectively ends 50 years of conflict in Colombia.
Its success was vocally encouraged by Pope Francis during his September 2015 visit to Cuba when he urged negotiators “please, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and reconciliation”.