WASHINGTON–
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued a response
to President Donald J. Trump’s executive order signed this morning.

Cardinal
DiNardo’s full statement follows:

“Today’s Executive Order begins the
process of alleviating the serious burden of the HHS mandate. We will engage
with the Administration to ensure that adequate relief is provided to those
with deeply held religious beliefs about some of the drugs, devices, and
surgical procedures that HHS has sought to require people of faith to
facilitate over the last several years. We welcome a decision to provide
a broad religious exemption to the HHS mandate, but will have to review the details
of any regulatory proposals.

In recent years, people of faith have
experienced pressing restrictions on religious freedom from both the federal
government and state governments that receive federal funding. For
example, in areas as diverse as adoption, education, healthcare, and other
social services, widely held moral and religious beliefs, especially regarding
the protection of human life as well as preserving marriage and family, have
been maligned in recent years as bigotry or hostility — and penalized
accordingly. But disagreement on moral and religious issues is not
discrimination; instead, it is the inevitable and desirable fruit of a free,
civil society marked by genuine religious diversity.

We will continue to advocate for permanent
relief from Congress on issues of critical importance to people of faith.
Religious freedom is a fundamental right that should be upheld by all branches
of government and not subject to political whims. As president of the
Bishops’ Conference, I had the opportunity to meet with President Trump this
morning in the Oval Office to address these and other topics.”

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Keywords:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo,
President Trump, executive order, religious freedom, HHS mandate, religious
exemption, Congress, federal government, state government, human life, adoption,
healthcare, marriage and family, religious diversity, executive branch.

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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops