Next Week's USCCB Meeting, Part I | National Catholic Reporter

Next Week's USCCB Meeting, Part I | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: Staff turnover has been interesting, as well as the lack of turnover - like in the pro-life office that effectively spun opposition to Obamacare as a pro-life issue - when the original position was that the new law would reflect current law.  If that meant outcomes - say that the those who were funded for abortion before by employers and are now funded through the exchanges, then the USCCB lied about its position.  If it meant that the status quo was all federal subsidies have a Hyde Amendment on them, then they should have said so - everyone else would have called foul. Regardless - Richard Doerflinger is still there.



The advance of Gay Marriage and the continuing disputes over birth control, however, are coming to a quick end and were really never political issues at the end anyway.  Gays are clearly being treated as a separate class by denying them marriage and other rights (see Roemer) and marriage has been a right for all since Loving v. Virginia. It is unlikey that any Federal Circuit Court was ever going to support the bishops.  Additionally, Hobby Lobby ends the contraception mandate cases, which has alrways been about a small change in contraception funding by ending deductibles - the coverage itself is and has been a civil right since December 2000.  If I worked on the last two issues I would be affraid for my job, because there was no way to win the job big anyway and even winning meant that insurance companies would cover the copayment for contraception for the staff of Hobby Lobby.  No blastocysts were saved by the case at all and religiously oriented firms simply gained the right to throw a hissy fit.



The only possible use for those whose expertise was fighting a liberal figure head like Obama is to use them to fight a liberal Pope - and that will only happen if Chaput, Pell, Burke (so far from Malta) and Dolan wish to throw the entire Conference into dissent and the Conference lets them.  I don't think Dolan will go with the conservatives on this one - he is either too loyal or too smart politically to be in open rebellion to the Holy Father and the people are hungry for the discussion that is about to take place.  If Dolan sided with political allies - in the crassest meaning of the term - rather than the sheep (forget Francis) then he belongs in Malta with Burke.  As for Weigel, he needs to decide whether his loyalties are with his politics or his Pope and people.  I somehow do not think he will chose well and if so, this may be the start of his last hurrah (as the people who buy his nonsense are also dying off).  For Examiner readers, I will plug this into tomorrow's column.