Bishop Robert C. Morlino has written a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Madison pertaining to the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requiring all health plans to cover contraception and sterilization free of charge. This ruling affects religious liberty and rights of conscience of millions of people in the United States.

All bishops in the United States are making similar statements and sending similar letters to the faithful in their dioceses. Bishop Morlino has asked that his letter be read, and distributed, at Masses on the weekend of January 28 to 29 in the Diocese of Madison.

Faithful Catholics are asked to pray, fast, and act by visiting www.usccb.org/conscience in an attempt to have this decision reversed.

Below is the text of Bishop Morlino's letter:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you today, with regard to a very, very serious matter which I cannot allow to go unnoticed. It cannot go unnoticed or left to inaction by any of us, because it negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all Americans, of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people—the Catholic population—and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.