Speaking from Rome, where he will be made a cardinal this
weekend,
New
York Archbishop Timothy Dolan told the National
Catholic Reporter’s John Allen that the US bishops are not “Obama
haters” and that he still sees “a little glimmer of hope” that a solution to
the on-going controversy over the Obama administration’s contraception mandates for health insurers can
be reached. But Dolan also said that the “accommodation” announced by the
president on Friday “raises more questions than it gives answers” and “raises
an alarm about the overriding philosophical question about what right a bureau
of the federal government has to tell a church how to define what it’s going to
do…which is scary and chilling for any thoughtful American.”
From Allen’s interview:
Having
studied it, are you still convinced that the change announced by the Obama
administration to the insurance mandates is unacceptable?
I am convinced of that. That doesn’t dull the truth of the initial openness to
a possible glimmer of hope that we saw in the beginning. … I’m still trying to
keep that little flicker alive. …
What’s threatening to suffocate and
extinguish that flicker of hope is the fact, first of all, that the so-called
mitigation he announced raises more questions than it gives answers. For
example, what about the self-insured? What about individuals? … [T]he other
thing that threatens to put out this little flicker of hope is that now senior
officials, including his chief of staff, have said that it’s over, there will
be no more moderation. That doesn’t gel with what the president has said
publicly and what he’s said to me personally.
I’m not ready to give up hope, but
upon the further study that we bishops promised we would give of the
president’s announcement, we don’t think it does it.
…
Do
you believe that Obama is waging a war on religion?
I don’t want to believe that. I find myself agreeing with many of President
Obama’s policies. I find myself believing him when he assures me that he has
the highest regard for the work of the church, especially in health care,
education, and works of peace, charity and justice. I want to believe him when
he says he wants this administration to do nothing to impede that good work,
and that he considers the protection of conscience and freedom of religion to
be one of the highest calls that he has as president, to protect the
constitution. I want to believe him. I have to say that sometimes he makes it
hard to believe him, but I will not place myself or my brother bishops in the
camp of Obama-haters, because we’re not.
On the Catholic Health Association, and its stated support for the
president’s revised policy:
When
Obama announced the revision, the Catholic Health Association quickly supported
it. Were you disappointed by that?
I would have to say I was
disappointed. I have high regard personally for Sr. Carol [Keehan, head of the
Catholic Health Association]. I’ve worked with her, I hope we can continue to
do that, and I have a lot of respect for the Catholic Health Association. I was
disappointed. Some people have said that the bishops don’t want anybody in
conversation with the White House besides themselves, but that’s not true. I’m
thrilled that Sr. Carol has an entrée, and that she’s making the Catholic voice
heard. My disappointment is that she made an announcement that was pretty much
popping the champagne cork before we could even respond. …
I haven’t had the honor of a
conversation with her, though I have let her know of my disappointment in
writing. I look forward to meeting with her personally. I have been led to
believe by people that have spoken with her and other organizations that
although they might see a bit more hope than we bishops do, they also, after
the dust has settled, have serious reservations and continuing questions.
The
full interview with Archbishop Dolan can be read here.