Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) announced today that a favorable settlement has been reached with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding its lawsuit against the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate. The lawsuit, originally filed in May 2012, responded to regulations from the Affordable Care Act that required all employers to include coverage for contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs in their health benefit plans, including those with religious objections. MCC’s President and CEO, Paul Long, called the settlement a “victory for religious liberty.” Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Conversation on MI-Post Returns, Moves to Full State Senate; More Opioid Measures Approved in Senate Committee; Michigan Senate Passes Prohibition on Local Food Excise Taxes; U.S. Bishops Call for Congressional Action to Protect Dreamers; USCCB Calls for Renewed Carbon Emissions Solutions. Read more…

Today the Trump Administration announced broad religious and moral exemptions from the federal HHS mandate, which required health insurance coverage of morally objectionable drugs and devices. Michigan Catholic Conference commented on the decision, saying the mandate has been “divisive and unnecessary” and these revisions should provide greater assistance to religious entities that have been forced to defend their First Amendment rights in federal court. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Michigan Catholic Conference and U.S. Bishops Comment on Revised HHS Mandate; Measure Regarding FGM and Parental Rights Continues to Michigan Senate; Bipartisan Support Propels Immigration Resolution to the State Senate; Full House of Representatives Next to Consider Latest Pieces of Opioid Package; Prohibition on Local Excise Taxes for Food Receives Vote in Both Chambers. Read more…

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. bishops, urged Catholics in an October statement to continue building up a culture of life. In the midst of violence and other threats, such as abortion and assisted suicide, reaching out to one another is a critical step in recognizing the inherent worth of all people. In October, the Catholic Church in the United States launches a new year of materials and resources to help promote a respect for life with the theme “Be Not Afraid.” Learn more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Pope Francis Calls for Catholics to Participate in "Share The Journey" Campaign; State Resolution Urges Federal Action on Immigration Reform, Passes House Committee; Bill Expanding Dual Enrollment Opportunities Passes House Committee; Prohibition on Local Excise Taxes on Food Receives Consideration in Committees. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Catholic Conference Responds to National Efforts Challenging Michigan's Adoption Legislation; Senate Committee Sends Safe Delivery Legislation to Full Senate; Sentencing Bill Clears State House Committee; Meals on Wheels Resolution Passes Senate Committee; Prostitution Exemption Elimination Continues to Full Senate; The Word from Lansing Column: Taking Steps to Overcome Racism; Civil Rights Commission Tables Request to Reinterpret ELCRA; USCCB Calls for U.S. Senate to Amend Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill. Read more…

Recognizing the dignity of every person, regardless of differences in race, ethnicity, or background, is a core element of the Catholic faith. Last month, after divisive speech and racially-motivated violence that left three dead in Charlottesville, Virginia, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for the creation of an Ad-Hoc Committee Against Racism. The new chairman of this committee, Most Reverend George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, has challenged Catholics across the country to stand against racism and intolerance, accompanying statements of solidarity with concrete action. Read more…

On the heels of a statewide advertising project undertaken by the Catholic Church in Michigan titled “Freedom to Serve” that promotes religious agencies and their work in the public square, out-of-state advocacy entities today announced a campaign to disparage Michigan’s efforts to ensure diversity in child placement. The campaign includes a lawsuit against a 2015 state law that protects religious liberty rights for faith-based adoption and foster care placement agencies. Michigan Catholic Conference called the lawsuit “mean-spirited, divisive and intolerant” as this law has helped to promote diversity in child placement and helped to serve Michigan’s most vulnerable children. Read more…

Earlier this spring, television commercials and online advertising ran across Michigan highlighting the Catholic Church’s freedom to serve others through its charitable organizations. Beginning Monday, September 11, new commercials will begin that focus on the Catholic educational setting, the teachers that personify the Church’s educational settings, and how Catholic school students are educated in the faith and formed to serve others and the greater community. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: New FOCUS and Commercials Promote the Freedom to Serve in Michigan; USCCB Denounces Decision to End DACA, Calls for Congress to Act; TAKE ACTION: Join With the U.S. Bishops to Urge Support for the Conscience Protection Act. Read more…

This FOCUS publication examines why protecting the Freedom to Serve in the public realm is important for the common good, and how the people of Michigan—especially the vulnerable and marginalized—rely on the education, health care, and charitable services provided by the Catholic faithful and entities across the state. Parishes, schools, and other Catholic institutions are invited to request copies of this edition from MCC at no cost. Read more…