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Regarding the HHS mandate to the Catholic Church to pay for contraception and abortion, Jesus gave us guidelines: "Jesus said to them, 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'" (Mark 12:17) This administration has decreed that it will determine what things are Caesar's, even to the extent of rewriting the theology of the Church and requiring that the Church pay for things it regards as morally wrong. As far as the administration is concerned, all things are Caesar's and no things are God's.

The American bishops must reexamine the contradictions of their alliance with government. On page 26 of the March 16 edition of the Catholic News Herald, Bishop Stephen Blaire, as chairman of the U.S. bishop's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, petitions Congress to provide funding for the needs of the poor. On the next page, Cardinal Timothy Dolan is "dismayed that White House rebuffs religious freedom concerns." Connect the dots. On Bishop Blaire's story on page 26, I wrote, "If you lie down with dogs, ..." On Cardinal Dolan's story on page 27, I wrote, "... you get up with fleas."

The bishops have just been forcibly reminded that "he who pays the piper calls the tune." Since the federal government has funded many causes at the behest of the bishops, now the federal government feels entitled to call the tune – even so far as to rewrite Catholic theology. The American bishops should ask American Catholics to fund their causes, not the federal government or any other level of government.

When you lie down with the government, you get up with mandates.

Michael McCarthy lives in Brevard.