Obama Tells Pope “We Cherish Religious Liberty,” But Forces Christians to Obey HHS Abortion Mandate

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 23, 2015   |   10:00AM   |   Washington, DC

During a morning speech welcoming pro-life Pope Francis to the White House, President Barack Obama, with a straight face, told the leader of the Catholic Church that America loves “religious liberty.” Somehow the pro-abortion president was able to keep his composure making the statement despite the fact that his administration has attempted to force Christians across the country to pay for abortion-causing drugs in violation of their conscience without any religious exemption.

“You remind us that people are only truly free when they can practice their faith freely.  Here in the United States, we cherish religious liberty,” Obama said in his speech to the Pope.

But, just weeks ago, the Obama administration renewed its attempt to force a Catholic religious order, the Little Sisters of the Poor, to comply with the HHS abortion mandate. The mandate compels religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions. The Obama administration announced it will continue its legal battle against the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order of nuns dedicated to serving the neediest elderly in society. This comes despite the fact that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby and another company in their bid to stop the HHS mandate.

The government is still trying to force the nuns to either violate their deeply held religious convictions or pay crippling fines to the IRS.

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The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international Roman Catholic Congregation of women Religious founded in 1839 by St. Jeanne Jugan.  They operate homes in 31 countries, where they provide loving care for over 13,000 needy elderly persons.  Thirty of these homes are located in the United States.

“Like all of the Little Sisters, I have vowed to God and the Roman Catholic Church that I will treat all life as valuable, and I have dedicated my life to that work,” explained Sister Loraine Marie, Superior for one of the three U.S. provinces in the Congregation.  “We cannot violate our vows by participating in the government’s program to provide access to abortion inducing drugs.”

Interestingly, Pope Francis appeared to give Obama a response or rebuke: “And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, to preserve and defend [religious] freedom.”

Obama’s ironic statements to the Pope drew guffaws from hundreds of pro-life advocates on Twitter within minutes. Here’s a sampling of the eye-rolling response:

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