Attack on Religion, Attack on the People

This excerpt was taken from the Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star Newspaper released on 1/26. This is not the only diocese resounding this message, but the whole Catholic Church throughout this nation, as with other religions. The contraceptive legislation that would require every business/institution who provides insurance to cover contraceptives, one thing Catholicism vehemently opposes. Is this an attack on freedom of religion?

"The Obama administration’s requirement that most health insurance plans must cover contraceptives could close down “every Catholic school, hospital, and other public ministries of our Church,” Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria said Thursday in a news release.

Calling the recently clarified ruling an “unprecedented governmental assault upon the moral convictions of our Faith,” Bishop Jenky urged area Catholics to oppose the rule by “every means at our disposal.”

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced final details of the rule Jan. 20. The rule’s religious exemption language does not apply to religious employers who serve or employ large numbers of people of different faiths, as many Catholic institutions do.

The rule takes effect Aug. 1 for employers and insurers that do not already provide coverage of contraceptives. Church-affiliated organizations, such as the Catholic Church, have an additional year to comply.

In a signal that the church is ready for a war, Bishop Jenky asked that the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel be prayed in every church in the diocese over the weekend.

The prayer:
'Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host —
by the Divine Power of God —
cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.'"