Dear Blog Visitors:
Those of you who know me well are fully aware of the high regard I have consistently held for Bishop Matthew Clark. I consider him to be a wonderful man, whose compassion and leadership skills are certainly admirable traits. However, an issue has arisen that has caused me to respectfully disagree with Matthew.
I am sure you are aware of a controversial issue that has caused alarm bells to ring in Catholic circles. In brief, health insurance plans will be required to offer coverage for contraceptives. In a letter addressed to diocesan Catholics, Bishop Clark has indicated that one of the options on the table is to cancel health insurance for all diocesan employees if contraceptive coverage is required to be part of the packaged benefits. I find I must disagree with Bishop Clark's approach to this issue.
It is estimated that approximately 98% of Roman Catholic women have either used, or presently use contraceptives. Furthermore, the majority of women who work for the Rochester Diocese are past the child-rearing age. Just as important is the fact that it remains rather ludicrous that celibate priests lecture the faithful on matters relating to sex and marriage.
Because of the fact that Bishop Clark has consistently exercised fairness, it is my hope he won't seriously consider canceling health insurance coverage for diocesan employees, for the simple reason that such insurance may cover contraceptives.
I have included Bishop Clark's letter above. (You need to click on it to get a larger image.)
Peace to all,
Ray
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