Together with the Bishops of Ohio and Michigan, Bishop Blair met with the Holy Father this week as part of his Ad Limina visit to Rome.

Ad limina means a visit at the "thresholds of the Apostles", Sts. Peter and Paul, and of presenting   themselves before the pope to give an account of the state of their dioceses. The object of the visit is not merely to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles, but, above all, to show the proper reverence for the Successor of St. Peter, to acknowledge practically his universal jurisdiction by giving an account of the condition of particular churches, to receive his admonitions and counsels, and thus bind more closely the members of the Church to its Divinely appointed head.

Pictured below with Bishop Blair and Pope Benedict XVI is Rev. Philip Smith who was ordained as a Toledo diocesan priest in 2011 and is currently studying in Rome.

"...an unprecedented attack on freedom of conscience and of religion."

"On January 20, 2012, it was announced that the Obama Administration has refused to rescind its requirement that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans by 2013, without regard for religious belief or conscience.

For the United States this is an unprecedented attack on freedom of conscience and of religion.  It prompts a troubling question as to just how far the heavy hand of government will go, despite protestations and assurances to the contrary, to impose what Pope Benedict has called ‘powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such.’  ‘It is imperative,’ the Pope says, ‘that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.

I urge everyone in the Diocese of Toledo, beginning with the clergy, to address this issue squarely, to inform people what is at stake, to prepare them to make sacrifices for their faith, to keep our country in their prayers, and to work to overturn what we Bishops have called a ‘literally unconscionable’ decision by the Obama Administration."

Important points about this decision...

The contraceptive mandate imposed on health plans by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violates freedom of conscience, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment and several federal laws. The Bill of Rights says we are free to live by our religious beliefs. Forcing all of us to buy coverage for sterilization and contraceptives, including drugs that induce abortion, is a radical incursion into freedom of conscience.

Never before in U.S. history has the federal government forced citizens to directly purchase what violates their beliefs. The Supreme Court recently declared in the Hosanna-Tabor case that the Constitution gives a priority place to Freedom of Religion.

HHS created this mandate after Congress asked it to develop a list of services all health plans should provide without co-pay. Instead of keeping with the prevention of diseases like breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and gestational diabetes, HHS took it upon itself to include sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion- inducing drugs.

Even states with similar mandates have a broader conscience exemption, or at least allow employers to self-insure or to choose a plan without prescription drug coverage if they have a conscientious objection to underwriting abortion, contraceptive and sterilization. This mandate forces virtually all insurance plans to offer such services.

If the Administration will not rescind this violation of the First Amendment, Congress must do so.

Take action in support of legislation to reverse this decision:

1. Click this link and enter your zip code to find your representative:  http://www.house.gov/ 
2. Call the U.S. Capitol at 1- 202-224-3121
3. Sign the petition    Click this link.

Click here to read a letter from Bishop Blair concerning the mandate.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK CELEBRATES FAITH, ACADEMICS AND SERVICE
Catholic schools celebrate nationwide January 29-February 5

Celebrating the theme of “Catholic Schools: Faith. Academics. Service.” almost 7000 Catholic schools nationwide are celebrating high academic standards, learning about faith and serving the community this week. Activities for students and families as well as special Catholic schools week Masses will be held in the 65 elementary, 14 secondary schools, and 2 colleges in the 19 county diocese.

While many changes, including school closures have taken place in Catholic schools nationwide, Metro-Toledo Catholic schools are ahead of the curve with just a 1.5 % decrease in elementary and 1.2% decrease in secondary student population. Additionally, Catholic pre-school enrollment continues to increase in the diocese at a rate of 5% over the last two years.

According to Christopher Knight, Superintendent for diocesan schools, the success of the schools is a combination of the words described in this year’s Catholic schools week theme-faith, academics and service. “For over a century the Catholic Diocese of Toledo has been dedicated to the educational fundamentals of math, social science, language and science needed for a lifetime of success.  Those fundamentals also include problem solving, making good and clear choices while also being a responsible citizen to our world and its people. The availability and sustainability of a Catholic Education is crucial to 21st century learners and beyond.”

For activities around the diocese: