"The question that we're addressing is a question of religious liberty," said Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City. "It's not a question of birth control."
"And the only reason we're addressing it now is because it came up now," he added in response to questions about it being an election year.
He explained to the media that the bishops did not choose to raise the subject now, but rather, the Obama administration did by issuing the mandate.
The bishops are "simply responding" to a single, "very focused point, and that is that the government cannot define religion for us," he said. "It's not about us mandating birth control or anything like that."
Bishop Wester acknowledged that the topic "is certainly political," but added that "that's not something that we intend it to be."
Instead, he said, the bishops and other Catholics are "very grateful" for the religious liberty they enjoy in America, and they realize the "need to be vigilant" and to "address these issues as they come up" in order to prevent "a slippery slope."
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, also commented on the question of partisan intent.
"We are trying to speak about principles, but principles do have traction," he said.
Whether the topic is religious freedom or the economy, the bishops must address issues as they arise and cannot wait for "a perfect, non-political time," he said.
Bishop Blaire observed that "it is always a challenge to bring the Gospel into the real world" so that it connects with people's "everyday experiences as individuals, as a society, as a government."
However, it is the job of the bishops to "try to bring Catholic social teaching to bear on the real world," he stated.
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Unfortunately, when the bishops do this, Bishop Blaire said it often happens that some people create "an interpretation that maybe is not intended."
Michelle La Rosa is deputy editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency. She has worked for CNA since 2011. She studied political philosophy and journalism at the University of Dallas.