A few months ago when the dreaded HHS Mandate was announced, my pastor stood before our parish congregation one Sunday morning and lamented that for the first time in his life his Americanism and his Catholicism were in conflict.  I still feel that way.

It is sad to see the end of the time when religious liberty was a cherished part of our national ideal.  I constantly ask myself, “Who are we becoming that these coercions are acceptable?”

In the article referenced below, written by Francis J. Beckwith, we see how strong the new Anti-Catholicism has become and how lethargic and apathetic the general public is in defending its freedoms.

If these trends continue, I’m afraid our nation is going to get what it wants, not what it needs, and will thus become a faint whisper of the vision it was designed to be.

http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-new-anti-catholicism-occupy-the-vatican.html