Gallup Diocese, Abuse Victims to Begin Mediation - Bankruptcy Beat - WSJ

 

A bankruptcy judge has ordered the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, N.M., its insurance carriers and lawyers representing 58 alleged sexual-abuse victims to begin mediation no later than July 15.

Judge David Thuma, who oversees the diocese’s bankruptcy proceedings, signed off on mediation at the request of both alleged victims and the diocese, which stretches across broad swaths of northern Arizona and New Mexico.

Mediation is likely the best opportunity to resolve the diocese’s bankruptcy case through a settlement that provides compensation to alleged victims and protects the church from future litigation, according to lawyers involved in the case. Other diocesan bankruptcies prompted by sexual-abuse claims have stretched out over years, racking up huge legal bills.

In advance of mediation, lawyers representing the diocese, insurers and alleged victims have spent nearly a year and a half seeking out victims, assessing the value of the diocese’s assets and collecting evidence on the allegations of abuse and alleged cover-up by diocesan officials, much of which is said to have taken place decades ago.

Susan Boswell, a lawyer for the Diocese of Gallup, said she hopes to arrive at a court-approved settlement with alleged victims and others well in advance of the second anniversary of the case in November.

“We need to get this case done,” she said at a hearing last week.

James Stang, a lawyer with Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP who has represented thousands of victims in nearly a dozen diocesan bankruptcies, told the judge he doesn’t want to receive news of another victim’s death before the case is resolved.

“I know that may seem a little melodramatic,” he said at the hearing.  “But it happens to me on a regular basis.”

But not everyone involved in the case is eager to begin mediation.

Catholic Mutual Group, the Diocese of Gallup’s insurance carrier, said it wanted more time to collect and evaluate information on abuse claims and accused the diocese of failing to hand over files on abusive priests.

In court papers, Catholic Mutual said the diocese has placed “every conceivable roadblock in the path of Catholic Mutual’s request for information.”

David Spector, a lawyer for Catholic Mutual, said that the dispute with the Diocese of Gallup was highly unusual and that Catholic Mutual had never before had an adversarial relationship with a diocese. Catholic Mutual is the primary provider of insurance coverage to many Catholic dioceses in the U.S. and Canada, and its board of trustees consists of 25 Catholic bishops, archbishops and cardinals.

“We don’t want to go to war with the diocese,” Mr. Spector said. “All we want is some basic information to enable us to be able resolve these claims.”

Ms. Boswell disputed Catholic Mutual’s assertions, calling them an “incomplete story.”

“Unfortunately, Catholic Mutual responds to each group of documents it receives, with a request for more information and documents, failing to realize the limited resources of the diocese,” she said.

A Franciscan order of priests, several parishes and a Catholic school will also participate in the upcoming mediation along with the diocese, victims and insurance carriers. Several other Catholic institutions, which could eventually be pulled into the diocese’s bankruptcy case, were not ordered to attend.

Lawyers for alleged victims say they are continuing to investigate other dioceses and religious orders that may have played a role in protecting abusive priests at the Diocese of Gallup.

One such diocese, the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, failed to adequately warn the Diocese of Gallup about an abusive priest who was ordained in Corpus Christi but later moved to Gallup, victims’ lawyers say.

“Any accusation of inappropriate conduct, made against a church worker or employee of the Diocese is always taken seriously and fully investigated regardless of the age of the victim or the amount of time that has passed,” a spokesman for the Diocese of Corpus Christi said in an email.

The Diocese of Gallup, home to 58,000 parishioners, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 12, 2013, as several lawsuits related to sexual-abuse claims were preparing to go to trial.

Judge Randall Newsome, who formerly served as the chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, will serve as the bankruptcy court-appointed mediator and will work pro bono.

Judge Newsome led a similar round of mediation in 2012 between several hundred abuse alleged victims and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which failed to produce a settlement.

In total, 14 Catholic dioceses and religious orders have turned to chapter 11 in the past decade to address waves of litigation related to alleged sexual abuse of children.

Write to Tom Corrigan at tom.corrigan@wsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TheTomCorrigan

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Gallup Diocese, Abuse Victims to Begin Mediation - Bankruptcy Beat - WSJ

Obamacare Injunction Denied to Philly Diocese

Obamacare Injunction Denied to Philly Diocese

By ROSE BOUBOUSHIAN 

federal judge denied injunctive relief to Catholic charities in Philadelphia that are challenging the so-called contraception mandate in the new health care reform law.
     The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and 17 of its organizations sued the Obama administration and demanded an injunction to the women's preventive health care regulations of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 last month.
     "The church teaches that life begins at the moment of conception, sexual union should be reserved to committed marital relationships in which husband and wife are open to the transmission of life, and, therefore, artificial interference with life and conception are contrary to core beliefs," its lawsuit said.
     Noting the church's opposition to "facilitating the use of contraceptive services" or "associat[ing] in any way with the provision of contraceptive services," the archdiocese said that the health insurance it has provided to more than 4,000 employees through a self-insured Independence Blue Cross "church plan" contained an exemption from the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
     The plan, which expired on June 30, did "not offer coverage for contraceptives," except when prescribed for "non-contraceptive, medical purposes," according to the complaint.
     Though the church alleged that Obamacare's requirements violated its rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter denied it an injunction June 26.
     "There is no evidence in the record to support plaintiffs' speculation that Independence Blue Cross will provide contraceptive services to the participants and beneficiaries of plaintiffs' self-insured plan simply because doing so would make Independence Blue Cross eligible to receive a government benefit," Buckwalter wrote. "It is equally conceivable that Independence Blue Cross would conclude that it is in its overall economic interest to forego the government benefit and continue to adhere to the wishes of its client."

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/07/11/69448.htm

Thousands protest in Ireland to liberalize abortion laws - CSMonitor.com

The street protest, the second the city has seen in three days, was called in response to the Oct. 28 death in a Galway hospital of Savita Halappanavar, who was pregnant and reported to the hospital complaining of severe pain. She was reportedly refused an abortion, and died after complications during a miscarriage. Her widower, Praveen, says they were told this was because Ireland was "a Catholic country."

Ireland outlaws abortion under an 1861 statute, but a 1992 Supreme Court judgment demanded the country legislate to allow for abortions when a woman's life is threatened by pregnancy. Successive governments have not brought any legislation forward, but a 2010 European Court of Human Rights judgment demanded Ireland clarify the status of abortion in Irish law.

Click on the following for more details:  Thousands protest in Ireland to liberalize abortion laws - CSMonitor.com

As John Carr, Catholic policy adviser, retires, Catholics worry who will replace him - The Washington Post

By Michelle Boorstein,

Catholics are becoming more divided over whether they focus on church teachings against war and poverty or the ones against abortion and gay marriage. Catholic progressives are particularly worried about Carr leaving as Church officialdom in recent years has put greater and greater emphasis on defending the unborn.

Click on the following for more details:  As John Carr, Catholic policy adviser, retires, Catholics worry who will replace him - The Washington Post

On The News : How the Boston archdiocese helped bring contraception to Massachusetts - Catholic Culture

By Phil Lawler | June 10, 2011 6:08 PM

From Our Store: Essays in Apologetics, Volume I (eBook)

Can good practicing Catholics (even politicians) not oppose abortion?  If Cardinal Cushing thought so for contraception what about abortion?

In 1966, Massachusetts became the last state in the US to legalize the sale of contraceptives. When the state legislative voted to repeal the law prohibiting their sale, the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts celebrated—and said that the victory was due to the cooperation of the Boston Catholic archdiocese.

In 1965, as the state legislature discussed the repeal of the contraceptive ban, Cardinal Cushing said that he personally opposed the use of contraceptives. But he added, significantly: “I am also convinced that I should not impose my position—moral beliefs or religious beliefs—on those of other faiths.” To legislators weighing the merits of the bill, he said: “If your constituents want this legislation, vote for it.”

Thus did the leader of Boston’s Church signal an end to any active Catholic opposition to legalized sale of contraceptives. But the Boston College Magazine article reveals that the archdiocese had begun quietly planning for a change in the law even before Dukakis introduced his formal bid for repeal.

In 1963, the article reports, Cardinal Cushing was a guest on a radio call-in show. One caller asked the cardinal about his stance on the contraceptive ban, and he replied: “I have no right to impose my thinking, which is rooted in religious thought, on those who do not think as I do

On The News : How the Boston archdiocese helped bring contraception to Massachusetts - Catholic Culture

Soraya Chemaly: I'm No Longer a Catholic. Why Are You?

 

There are so many perspectives on the Obama/Catholic Church contraception debate that it is hard to keep track. But, after you've stripped it all of its partisanship, wonky indignation and misleading religious angst, what you are left with it whether or not you really think women are equal and how much that equality means to you personally.

At its core, this debate is about control. And not just birth control. Either you are willing to support and participate in a culture in which men, refusing to accept women as fully human, use a perverted claim of divine right to control women and their bodies, or you don't.

Click on the following for all of Ms. Chenaly’s opinion piece:  Soraya Chemaly: I'm No Longer a Catholic. Why Are You?

Click on the following to hear her NPR interview:  http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=147980268&m=147980261

NY’s Cardinal Dolan urges faithful to join political ‘battle,’ decries US contraception rules - The Washington Post

Speaking at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville, the spiritual leader of the Archdiocese of New York said the U.S. government is engaged in “an unwarranted, unprecedented radical intrusion.” He told the crowd they “live in an era that seems to discover new rights every day.”

Click on the following for more of the story:  NY’s Cardinal Dolan urges faithful to join political ‘battle,’ decries US contraception rules - The Washington Post

 

COMMENT by stanchaz:

stanchaz--These "faith-based institutions" are businesses - NOT churches....BIG businesses. The government is trying to protect the freedom of their employees, not to limit it! Seriously: The bottom line is that absolutely NO ONE is coming into our Churches or places of worship and telling believers what to believe.....or forcing them to use contraception. BUT If the Bishops (and other denominations) want to continue running businesses outside of their places of worship...businesses that employ millions of people of varying faiths -or no "faith" at all- THEN they must play by the same rules and rights that other workers live by and enjoy (especially if their businesses use our tax dollars, and skip paying taxes, in the process). If the Jehovah's Witnesses church hires me, can they alter my health insurance to exclude blood transfusions? Even worse- what if they operated a hospital by their “rules”? This is not a “war on religion”. Never was. However, it IS a war BY some religions... on women and men who simply want to plan their families, to control their futures, to keep their jobs, and to have health insurance that allows them to do that. if the Cardinal wishes to be a politician instead of a preacher, and wishes to use his pulpit for that purpose, rather than a place of worship, then he should give up his tax exemption.

"Birth Control, Bishops and Religious Authority" - ReligiousLeftLaw.com

02/16/2012

"Birth Control, Bishops and Religious Authority"

[Gary Gutting, a philosopher at Notre Dame, has this to say in the online edition of the New York Times:]

 

But, even so, haven’t the members of the Catholic Church recognized their bishops as having full and sole authority to determine the teachings of the Church? By no means.

Most Catholics — meaning, to be more precise, people who were raised Catholic or converted as adults and continue to take church teachings and practices seriously — now reserve the right to reject doctrines insisted on by their bishops and to interpret in their own way the doctrines that they do accept.

Click on the following to read all of Mr. Gutting’s remarks:: "Birth Control, Bishops and Religious Authority" - ReligiousLeftLaw.com

Mr. Gutting’s orignal article is from the New York Times:  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/birth-control-and-the-challenge-to-divine-authority/?hp

It’s Democrats who are putting focus on birth control - She the People: - The Washington Post

 

By Melinda Henneberger

 

But from the White House perspective, things sure are looking up: after some strong initial blowback over what even some liberal allies saw as an incursion on religious liberty, a compromise has soothed friends and cast any still upset about the constitutional implications as single-minded soldiers in the ongoing war against women.

And as for the all-male photo op in front of the House Oversight Committee hearing on the matter, which Democrats are calling the defining image of the election year? Nancy Pelosi couldn’t have planned it any better herself.

Click on the following for the complete story:  It’s Democrats who are putting focus on birth control - She the People: - The Washington Post

Growth of Catholic Hospitals May Limit Access to Reproductive Care - NYTimes.com

 

Financially stronger Catholic-sponsored medical centers are increasingly joining with smaller secular hospitals, in some cases limiting access to treatments like contraception, abortion and sterilization.

In Seattle….

…in Louisville…

And in Rockford, Ill.,

Click on the following for more details:  Growth of Catholic Hospitals May Limit Access to Reproductive Care - NYTimes.com

Freedom of and From Religion – by Bill Moyers | 2012: What's the 'real' truth?

The president did something agile and wise the other day. And something quite important to the health of our politics. He reached up and snuffed out what some folks wanted to make into a cosmic battle between good and evil. No, said the president, we’re not going to turn the argument over contraception into Armageddon, this is an honest difference between Americans, and I’ll not see it escalated into a holy war. So instead of the government requiring Catholic hospitals and other faith-based institutions to provide employees with health coverage involving contraceptives, the insurance companies will offer that coverage, and offer it free.

Click on the following to read Mr. Moyer’s words or see the telecast:  Freedom of and From Religion – by Bill Moyers | 2012: What's the 'real' truth?

Birth Control, Bishops and Religious Authority - NYTimes.com

By GARY GUTTING

The mistake of the Obama administration — and of almost everyone debating its decision — was to accept the bishops’ claim that their position on birth control expresses an authoritative “teaching of the church.”  (Of course, the administration may be right in thinking that the bishops need placating because they can cause them considerable political trouble.)  The bishops’ claim to authority in this matter has been undermined because Catholics have decisively rejected it. The immorality of birth control is no longer a teaching of the Catholic Church.  Pope Paul VI meant his 1968 encyclical, “Humanae Vitae,” to settle the issue in the manner of the famous tag, “Roma locuta est, causa finita est.”  In fact the issue has been settled by the voice of the Catholic people

Read the entire opinion piece by clicking on the following:  Birth Control, Bishops and Religious Authority - NYTimes.com

Friday, February 17, 2012

 
COMMENTS: 

1. 
   stanchazFeb 16, 2012 10:58 PM
   

   One of the legitimate functions of government is to promote equality and fairness for all, by having everyone play by the same rules. No one is coming into our Churches and trying to tell parishioners what to believe...or forcing them to use contraception. BUT If the Bishops want to start businesses that employ millions of people of varying faiths -or no "faith" at all- THEN they must play by the rules...ESPECIALLY if they use our tax dollars in the process. Just because a religious group in America claims to believe something, we cannot excuse them from obeying the law in the PUBLIC arena, based on that belief. They can legally attempt to change the law, not to deny it outright. And if they want to plunge overtly into politics from the pulpit, then they should give up their tax-exempt status. Did I miss something, or when it comes to the "sanctity of life", is every single righteous Catholic still a card carrying conscientious objector, still refusing to take up arms, still totally against the death penalty, and still against contraception and birth-control in all its forms? Oh well, hypocrisy is at the heart of politics, and politics masquerading as religion even more so. This country is an invigorating mixture of all the diversity that life has to offer, drawing its strength FROM that diversity. True religious freedom gives everyone the right to make personal decisions, including whether to use birth control, based on our own beliefs and according to what is best for our health and our families. It fiercely protects the rights of all of us to practice our faith. It does not, however, give anyone, including the bishops, the right to impose their beliefs on others and discriminate in the name of religious liberty. People of faith should not let themselves be used as pawns in a fake war “against religion”’.

Tara McGuinness: Why I Wish Catholic Leaders Would Stop Saying Our Church Is Under Attack | The New Republic

Perhaps that is why the harsh tones, the imaginary division of the world into two camps—the faithful under attack and the attackers—seems more politics than theology. Certainly it is extremely distant from the millions of lives that could be affected by these conservative outcries. This would merely be entertaining election year political shenanigans if there were not so many lives at stake. More than 11 million women use birth control; millions more will have access to it under the new law.

Read the entire editorial by clicking on the following:  Tara McGuinness: Why I Wish Catholic Leaders Would Stop Saying Our Church Is Under Attack | The New Republic

Birth Control Debate: Why Catholic Bishops Have Lost Their Grip on U.S. Politics -- and Their Flock - Yahoo! News

Although major Catholic groups like Catholic Charities and Catholic Health Services accepted that revision, the bishops are holding out for more. But their crusade to be exempted from the mandate is likely to fall short of its grail. If so, it's because Obama read the Catholic flock better than its shepherds did.

Click on the following for more details:  Birth Control Debate: Why Catholic Bishops Have Lost Their Grip on U.S. Politics -- and Their Flock - Yahoo! News

Bishops Studying Initial White House Movement on Religious Liberty

New opportunity to dialogue with executive branch
Too soon to tell whether and how much improvement on core concerns
Commitment to religious liberty for all means legislation still necessary

WASHINGTON— The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sees initial opportunities in preserving the principle of religious freedom after President Obama’s announcement today. But the Conference continues to express concerns. “While there may be an openness to respond to some of our concerns, we reserve judgment on the details until we have them,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of USCCB.

“The past three weeks have witnessed a remarkable unity of Americans from all religions or none at all worried about the erosion of religious freedom and governmental intrusion into issues of faith and morals,” he said.

“Today’s decision to revise how individuals obtain services that are morally objectionable to religious entities and people of faith is a first step in the right direction,” Cardinal-designate Dolan said. “We hope to work with the Administration to guarantee that Americans’ consciences and our religious freedom are not harmed by these regulations.”

Click on the following for more details:  Bishops Studying Initial White House Movement on Religious Liberty

Obama announces compromise on contraceptive coverage by religious organizations

 

any charity with a religious objection to providing contraceptives would not have to pay for contraceptive services, Obama said. Instead, the insurance companies will have to reach out — and pay for — women to receive contraceptive services, like birth control or sterilization, if they choose.

Click on the following for more details:  http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/live-video-obama-expected-to-propose-compromise-on-contraceptive-coverage-8396.html

To view the short, six minute announcement by the President go to: 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-obama-contraceptives-compromise-20120210,0,7473581.story

The Hawaii Compromise? White House to Announce Change In Birth Control Mandate | RH Reality Check

 

In 1999 Hawaii passed a law (which went into effect in 2000), that says as follows:

Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 432:1-604.5 and § 431:10A-116.6 (1999) direct that employer group health policies, contracts, plans or agreements must cease to exclude contraceptive services or supplies, including FDA-approved contraceptive drugs or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and must not charge unusual co-payments or impose waiting requirements. (1999 Hawaii Sess. Laws. Act 267; SB 822)

Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 431:10A-116.7 (1999) defines a religious employer and states that such an employer may request a health insurance plan without coverage for contraceptive services and supplies. If so requested, the health insurer must provide a plan without such coverage.  Each religious employer that invokes this exemption must provide written notice to enrollees upon enrollment a list of services the employer refuses to cover and provide written information describing how an enrollee may access contraceptive services and supplies.  (1999 Hawaii Sess. Laws. Act 267; SB 822)

Click on the following for more details:  The Hawaii Compromise? White House to Announce Change In Birth Control Mandate | RH Reality Check

Archbishop Timothy Dolan Happy To Give White House A "Graceful Exit" On Birth Control Flap | New York Daily News

Carney offered no specifics, but officials are reportedly considering a plan that would allow women who work for religious institutions to buy coverage for contraception directly from the insurance company.
The White House scramble to strike a compromise comes as the GOP is stepping up its attacks on Obama for pushing the new birth-control policy.

Click on the following for more details:  Archbishop Timothy Dolan Happy To Give White House A "Graceful Exit" On Birth Control Flap | New York Daily News

The actual rule regarding required contraceptive coverage

Click on the following to obtain access to the actual proposed HHS regulation which the Catholic hierarchy is questioning:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=HHS-OS-2011-0023-0002

 

Section 147.130 is the apparent section in question and the following exemption is shown below.

Sec. 147.130 Coverage of preventive health services. (a) * * * (1) * * * (iv) With respect to women, to the extent not described in paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section, preventive care and screenings provided for in binding comprehensive health plan coverage guidelines supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration. (A) In developing the binding health plan coverage guidelines specified in this paragraph (a)(1)(iv), the Health Resources and Services Administration shall be informed by evidence and may establish exemptions from such guidelines with respect to group health plans established or maintained by religious employers and health insurance coverage provided in connection with group health plans established or maintained by religious employers with respect to any requirement to cover contraceptive services under such guidelines. (B) For purposes of this subsection, a ``religious employer'' is an organization that meets all of the following criteria: (1) The inculcation of religious values is the purpose of the organization. (2) The organization primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of the organization. (3) The organization serves primarily persons who share the religious tenets of the organization. (4) The organization is a nonprofit organization as described in section 6033(a)(1) and section 6033(a)(3)(A)(i) or (iii) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

The IRS reference is available at:  http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00006033----000-.html

The pertinent sections of the IRS code is shown below and outlined in orange.

 

6033. Returns by exempt organizations

(a) Organizations required to file

(1) In general

Except as provided in paragraph (3), every organization exempt from taxation under section 501(a) shall file an annual return, stating specifically the items of gross income, receipts, and disbursements, and such other information for the purpose of carrying out the internal revenue laws as the Secretary may by forms or regulations prescribe, and shall keep such records, render under oath such statements, make such other returns, and comply with such rules and regulations as the Secretary may from time to time prescribe; except that, in the discretion of the Secretary, any organization described in section 401(a) may be relieved from stating in its return any information which is reported in returns filed by the employer which established such organization.

(2) Being a party to certain reportable transactions

Every tax-exempt entity described in section 4965(c) shall file (in such form and manner and at such time as determined by the Secretary) a disclosure of—

(A)such entity’s being a party to any prohibited tax shelter transaction (as defined in section 4965(e)), and

(B)the identity of any other party to such transaction which is known by such tax-exempt entity.

(3) Exceptions from filing

(A) Mandatory exceptions

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to—

(i)churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches,

(ii)any organization (other than a private foundation, as defined in section 509(a)) described in subparagraph (C), the gross receipts of which in each taxable year are normally not more than $5,000, or

(iii)the exclusively religious activities of any religious order.

(B) Discretionary exceptions

The Secretary may relieve any organization required under paragraph (1) (other than an organization described in section 509(a)(3)) to file an information return from filing such a return where he determines that such filing is not necessary to the efficient administration of the internal revenue laws.

(C) Certain organizations

The organizations referred to in subparagraph (A)(ii) are—

(i)a religious organization described in section 501(c)(3);

(ii)an educational organization described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii);

(iii)a charitable organization, or an organization for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, described in section 501(c)(3), if such organization is supported, in whole or in part, by funds contributed by the United States or any State or political subdivision thereof, or is primarily supported by contributions of the general public;

(iv)an organization described in section 501(c)(3), if such organization is operated, supervised, or controlled by or in connection with a religious organization described in clause (i);

(v)an organization described in section 501(c)(8); and

(vi)an organization described in section 501(c)(1), if such organization is a corporation wholly owned by the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or a wholly-owned subsidiary of such a corporation.

Rank and File Catholic Numbers and Birth Control

Among Catholics, birth control is relatively popular and most are against Church leaders' intervening in that decision. Ninety-five percent of Catholic women used contraceptives, per a report by the Catholic University of America. Eighty-five percent of all Catholics support expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it, higher than the 82 percent of the general population who favors this, according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C.

"Rank-and-file Catholics also have some reservation about how prominently they want the bishops to be involved in politics," said Robert P. Jones, chief executive and founder of the institute, which found that more than half of Catholics are against their religious leaders' pressuring politicians. "There's some possibility that some Catholics could perceive this as overreaching."

Click on the following for more details:  http://news.yahoo.com/catholic-church-vs-obama-election-showdown-191549666--abc-news.html