Dear CV Friend,

A shepherd wants to tend to his flock...

And he's not asking for permission from his governor!

Archbishop Bernard Hebda and all the Catholic bishops of
Minnesota are openly defying an order by Democrat Gov. Tim Walz.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED: Gov. Walz recently issued a revision to the
state's stay-at-home order that allows restaurants and retail
shops -- even casinos -- to operate at 50% capacity.

But what about churches? Nope.

Under Gov. Walz's restrictions, all churches in the state still
have a 10-person limit.

The Minnesota bishops on Wednesday called him out for this
restriction:

"An order that sweeps so broadly that it prohibits, for example,
a gathering of 11 people in a Cathedral with a seating capacity
of several thousand defies reason... Therefore, we have chosen to
move forward in the absence of any specific timeline laid out by
Governor Walz and his Administration. We cannot allow an
indefinite suspension of the public celebration of the Mass."

Amen!!

Thank God (truly!) that we have brave bishops willing to stand up
to the government when it's being unreasonable! Religious freedom
is our "first freedom" after all.

And it's worth pointing out several key points. The bishops
agreed to stop public Masses for several weeks to help "flatten
the curve." They lifted the moral obligation of the faithful to
attend Mass -- especially for Catholics who were members of a
vulnerable population.

Furthermore, the bishops worked directly with officials in the
governor's administration to find a more practical solution. In
fact, Catholics and Lutherans actually worked together to present
a proposal to the governor for reopening at 33% capacity (less
than restaurants) while implementing a series of health measures.


Yet the governor still said no!

Undeterred, the bishops of Minnesota now say they will "move
forward" even if that means defying the governor. These shepherds
know that they have to minister to their flocks.

"The human cost to this pandemic has been extraordinary, not just
in terms of lives lost to the virus but the rapidly growing
problems of job loss, depression, crime and violence, and
substance abuse. As Pope Francis has said, the church must be a
field hospital, ministering to all, but especially the poor and
vulnerable. He has cautioned that overly drastic measures that
limit church life will have a disproportionate impact on 'the
little ones' and those who have no one to rely on."

These Minnesota bishops, working with legal experts from the
Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, are forging a bold path
forward.

And the President of the United States has their back.

Just today, President Trump said: "One of the other things I want
to do is get the churches open. The churches are not being
treated with respect by a lot of the Democrat governors. I want
to get our churches open, and we're going to take a very strong
position on that very soon."

We've flattened the curve.

Now it's time to open our doors to Christ.

Brian



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