Denver, Colo., Jun 1, 2012 / 03:02 am
Denver's newly-appointed archbishop says the federal contraception mandate is the result of a larger push to remove religion from the public sphere.
“Essentially what people are saying to us is, 'We want you to pretend you're agnostic or atheist like us, and that is the way society should be,'” Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila explained to CNA on May 28, as he assessed the thinking that made the mandate possible.
“Today what is happening is that those who do not want faith in the public square are really saying, 'It's our lack of faith, our unbelief that we want you to follow,'” he said.
Archbishop Aquila, who was announced as the new Archbishop of Denver on May 29, called the federal mandate a direct infringement on the First Amendment that is simply another example of “the erosion of religious liberties” which has been occurring for some time.