LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Obama’s assault on Catholic charities

OPINION:

Patrick Reilly’s “No choice for Catholic colleges” (Commentary, Oct. 21) brings home a dangerous reminder that the Obama administration is more than willing to ignore the First Amendment rights of those who do not agree with its radical agenda.

While Mr. Reilly focused on institutions of higher education, his comments are relevant to the 663 Catholic hospitals and countless Catholic organizations across the country. Catholic hospitals in the United States together provide more than 28 million inpatient days and 102 million outpatient visits each year.

These hospitals have served the nation for more than 200 years in spite of the fact that the Church has, for all essential purposes, been increasingly marginalized and her moral teachings rejected by the society she serves.

Local parishes and dioceses provide community support to those in need. Catholic Charities Centers, Family Life Offices, pregnancy counseling centers and financial aid offices are the core of caring for the underserved. These organizations provide myriad services to millions of people and often are unrecognized.

Last year, in addition to raising and donating more than $154 million to charitable needs and projects, the Catholic Knights of Columbus’ 1.8 million members volunteered more than 70 million hours of their time to charitable causes. Forcing these organizations to abide by the radical Obama agenda is a violation of their basic religious freedom.

The only recourse left is the voting booth. Local elections take place this November; national elections next year. Democratic candidates are avoiding their association with the current administration now, but will that continue after they are elected? How many House members in 2010 avoided President Obama but voted with the president after they were re-elected?

The path forward for Catholic institutions is not an easy one. The relentless attacks on religious freedom will continue as a basic tenet of the Obama administration because, as your newspaper has highlighted, to compromise “would be to admit an error, and this is something Mr. Obama doesn’t do.”

BOB LAIRD

Fellow, HLI America

Lorton