CMSWR Statement On HHS Mandate
In union with the Catholic Bishops of the United States, the Council of Major Superiors of Women
Religious joins with other citizens, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, in calling upon our government to
protect and defend the rights and freedoms upon which our nation was founded. We believe that our
first and most fundamental freedom, the right to religious liberty and freedom of conscience, is gravely
violated by the ruling announced on January 20th by the Department of Health and Human Services. The
accommodation announced by President Obama on February 10th does not respect nor safeguard
our rights or the rights of others.
We join our bishops, other religious leaders and concerned citizens in calling for the mandate to
be rescinded and for the broadening of a religious exemption. In love for our country, we continue to
pray for a renewed zeal for truth and for the preservation of our God-given rights of life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness that are integral to our identity as a nation. In His mysterious
Providence, may God be at work in this critical moment in our history to “make all things new” (cf. Revelation 21:5).
Our Response To The HHS Mandate
We, the School Sisters of Christ the King of the Diocese of
Lincoln, unreservedly support the Catholic Bishops of the United States in their opposition to the Department of Health and
Human Services ruling on “preventative services” announced on January 20 and the “accommodation” for religious institutions
announced by President Obama on February 10. These actions infringe dangerously on our first and most fundamental freedom as
American citizens, the right to religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
As educators, we have a special concern for the future of the children we serve in our schools and their basic
human rights, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. We implore government officials to
protect the freedom preserved by the self-sacrifice of generations of Americans, so that future generations will be
allowed to enjoy those same precious rights.
God calls us to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face; in return He will forgive our sin and heal our
land. (cf. 2 Chron. 7:14) We are praying fervently for a complete resolution to this threat against the religious
liberty of all American citizens. May the Immaculate Virgin Mary, patroness of the United States, intercede for
our bishops, government leaders, and all American citizens.