Archbishop-To-Be Sees Religious Liberty Eroding
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore's next Roman Catholic archbishop says he sees religious liberties eroding in the United States -- most urgently in the federal government's contraception mandate.
In a discussion of faith in politics on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Bridgeport, Conn., Bishop William Lori said the nation's diversity of faiths "contribute to a moral consensus that underlies our laws." Lori, a leading Catholic voice in the debate, is set to be installed as Baltimore's archbishop next month.
The Obama administration mandated that insurers cover free birth control even for institutions with religious affiliations. But Lori says the government is forcing religious institutions to go against their teachings. He says they have had the freedom to live their teachings and serve the public good for generations, but are no longer being accommodated.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)