Opposing new HHS regulations is necessary, say Commonweal editors, but hyperbole will divide Catholics, fuel election-year politics

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Commonweal, the prominent journal of opinion edited by lay Catholics, today published an editorial calling for a more measured and effective response from American bishops responding to new Federal regulations that require many Catholic institutions to offer insurance coverage for contraception.

In their editorial, currently on the Commonweal Web site and appearing in the print issue dated February 24, the editors suggest that bishops who make claims of widespread anti-religious bias, or who suggest that the church may withdraw all health insurance from employees of Catholic institutions, should moderate their tone while still vigorously opposing the mandate.

"Many bishops are suspicious of the Obama administration, but it is a mistake for them to create the impression that they are allying themselves with one party," said Paul Baumann, Commonweal's editor. "It will only undermine their authority, and drive away still more of the faithful."

Noting that the church is frequently perceived even by Catholics themselves as "an institution in which celibate old men lay down the rules for how women should conduct themselves," the Commonweal editorial calls on church leaders to demonstrate a clear sympathy with women's concerns, or the church "will lose the larger cultural and political argument while further alienating many within its own house."

The editorial appears online at http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/bad-decision.

Commonweal is a biweekly journal of opinion published by lay Catholics since 1924, offering commentary on religion, politics, culture, media, and the arts. The magazine's Web site is at www.commonwealmagazine.org.

Media Contact: Paul Baumann Commonweal Magazine, 212-662-4200, paulbaumann@commonwealmagazine.org

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SOURCE Commonweal Magazine

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