Obama moving US towards despotism say bishops as huge clash with Catholic Church looms

The following is an article taken from Alive.

A major confrontation between US Catholics and Barack Obama is looming over freedom of conscience and religion.

In a stark warning released on video on the internet, America’s bishops say that the US is in danger of moving towards “despotism” under Obama.

The bishops were responding to the news that the Obama administration intends to abolish rules which guarantee that health workers cannot be forced to do what they believe is evil.

“As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we are deeply concerned that such an action would be the first step in moving our country from democracy to despotism,” says spokesman Cardinal Francis George.

“Respect for personal conscience and freedom of religion ensures our basic freedom from government oppression,” says the Chicago Cardinal. “No government should come between an individual person and God.”

Noting that this was common ground for all Americans, he continues: “We need legal protection for freedom of conscience and of religion—including freedom for religious health care institutions to be true to themselves.”

“Why shouldn’t our government and our legal system permit conscientious objection to a morally bad action, the killing of babies in their mother's womb?” he asked.

“People understand what really happens in an abortion—a living member of the human family is killed, ... and no one should be forced by the government to act as though he or she were blind to this reality.”

He urged Catholics to tell the Department of Health “that you stand for the protection of conscience, especially now for those who provide the health care services so necessary for a good society.”

Earlier, speaking in Oxford, Cardinal Pell of Sydney warned of “a major escalation in the culture wars” if Obama goes ahead and signs into law a proposed ‘Freedom of Choice Act’.

This would sweep away all state restrictions on abortion. It would also “remove any protections in legislation for doctors, nurses, and hospitals with moral objections to abortion.

“I am still hoping,” said the Cardinal “that the President will not trigger such a massive confrontation with pro-life Christians