WWW.THELEAVEN.COM | NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS | VOL. 34, NO. 1 JULY 13, 2012
Leaven photo by Todd Habiger
Leaven photo by Lori Wood Habiger
Leaven photo by Lori Wood Habiger
Sean Biggins, a member of Church of the Nativity in Leawood, listens to keynote speaker Cathy Ruse during the Rally for Religious Freedom June 29.
Abby (left), Sami and Kenneth Micek, members of St. John Nepomucene Parish in Atwood, get some cold water from Joan Hampton, a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Wichita.
Bishop Michael Jackels of Wichita (left), Bishop John B. Brungardt of Dodge City, and Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Salina each lead a prayer during the Rally for Religious Freedom.
RALLY CRY
Thousands flock to Topeka in the name of relgious freedom By Jessica Langdon Leaven staff
TOPEKA — Sweltering triple-digit temperatures had nothing on the fire that was building inside thousands of people gathered outside the Kansas state Capitol. “We come here today not as Republicans or Democrats,” Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann told the crowd at the statewide Rally for Religious Freedom on June 29. “We come here,” the archbishop continued, “as Americans and people of faith.”
He hoped inspiration at the rally would spark these Kansans — some 4,000 of them, according to the Kansas Catholic Conference — to spread the word at home and in their communities. “We hope people go away perhaps better informed and motivated to talk to others and speak to others about the importance of protecting what our forefathers and foremothers sacrificed so much for us to have — religious freedom and the protection of conscience,” said Archbishop Naumann.
Defending religious freedom The rally, which was part of the “Fortnight for Freedom,” a two-week nationwide push for prayer and education called for by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, focused on defending religious freedoms that the bishops say are now under attack. The principal offender, although there are others, is the mandate announced in January by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
To see more of the Rally for Religious Freedom, visit The Leaven’s website at: www.theleaven.com.
Services as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The mandate requires employers to include contraception, including some abortion-inducing drugs, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees. See “IT DIDN’T” on page 8
Leaven photo by Lori Wood Habiger
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann addresses the crowd at the Rally for Religious Freedom from the steps of the Capitol building in Topeka. The rally was part of the “Fortnight for Freedom,” a two-week nationwide push for prayer and education called for by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Ruling doesn’t end mandate showdown By Joe Bollig Leaven staff
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on June 28 largely upholding President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act was a political and legal stunner. For all the storm and fury, however, nothing has changed for Catholics. Barring a change in heart by the Obama administration, or a political change in November, it’s full speed ahead for the health care law and its problematic contraception mandate that is opposed by the church. Bottom line: The church and the administration remain locked on a collision course. “Many people were putting hope in that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn the whole health care reform act and that would solve this problem, but they didn’t and that makes our cause even more important,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann at the Rally for Religious Freedom in Topeka on June 29. The contraception mandate, part of the women’s preventive See “LAWSUITS” on page 7