| AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR POLITICIANS AND FELLOW CITIZENS Is there any legitimate limit to the power of the government? Is there any area of our lives that are protected from governmental control? This great country of the United States of America was founded on the principles of individual liberties. Our founding fathers all agreed that there are areas of our lives that the government has no business meddling with. In recent months we have seen the government attacking and infringing upon one of these fundamental areas: religious liberty. In fact, it is the very first of the Amendments to our honorable Constitution that ensure freedom of religious, freedom, that is, from governmental intrusion in the area of belief. Does the government have the right to tell you what to believe? Can the government force you to do that which you find morally reprehensible? The recent H.H.S. Mandate attacks and undermines this fundamental principle of our American way of life. Therefore, the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal stands shoulder to shoulder with our Bishops and all those who defend our American values. Our founding Fathers sacrificed for what they believed in and left us a powerful legacy. Following their courageous example, we will peacefully and steadfastly resist any infringement upon our religious liberties and our deep-seated beliefs. Whether someone agrees with the Catholic position or not, it must be admitted that the Catholic position is a deep-seated, ancient and constant belief of the Catholic faithful. It goes back to the time of the Apostles. It is quintessentially a religious belief. It is a belief that the Almighty God created human life and it is very good. It is a belief that each human person has an inalienable value because of a God-given immortal soul. It is a belief that we are all daughters and sons of a Loving Father. Only in acting with dignity and purity do we express the full wonder of being human. Anything that artificially interferes with the beautiful act of the marital embrace or involves a voluntary mutilation of a healthy person or causes the deliberate death of an innocent human being is diametrically opposed to the goodness of life and the love of God. Accordingly, all of these acts are beneath our dignity and can never be supported by those who hold the Catholic faith. We ask our politicians and our fellow Americans to stand with us against this assault on our freedoms. If we can be forced to act against our fundamental beliefs, how long will it be before you are forced to do the same? |
