Conscience fight

Former government officials take side of religious leaders in dispute

Former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican Jim Nicholson, who represented President George W. Bush at the Vatican from 2001 to 2005, and Raymond Flynn, who served under President Bill Clinton 1993-97.

As this story makes clear, it's not just religious people who see the injustice in what the U.S. government is trying to achieve.

Former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican who represented both Democratic and Republican presidents have joined in a new effort to support federal legislation reaffirming constitutional rights to religious liberty and freedom of conscience.

Ambassadors Raymond Flynn, who served under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997, and Jim Nicholson, who represented President George W. Bush at the Vatican 2001-05, are among the religious leaders and former government officials involved in Conscience Cause, an organization committed to overturning the Department of Health and Human Services' inclusion of contraceptives and sterilization among mandated services for women under the new health reform law.

For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.