Rome, Italy, Mar 11, 2013 / 16:11 pm
Writing from Rome just a few days before the Papal conclave, Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston called on members of Congress to support stronger religious freedom protections in health care.
"In short," the cardinal said in a March 8 letter, "a failure to provide clear and enforceable protection for a right of conscience could undermine Americans' access to quality health care."
"Providers of health care, as well as those who offer or purchase insurance, should not face an unacceptable choice between preserving their religious and moral integrity or participating in our health care system," he emphasized.
The cardinal, who chairs the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee, is currently in Rome, where he will soon participate in the conclave that will elect the new Pope.