



New Roman Missal - Diocesan Page
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Greetings
from the chancery of the Diocese of Davenport
As fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ, we are all called to serve one another according to our gifts
and abilities. On this website you will find a wealth of
information including references, policies, and documents for your use.
My staff is here to assist you. Please feel free to contact them by
phone, e-mail or in person.
Most Rev. Martin J. Amos
Bishop of Davenport


Diocese's HHS Mandate page
Health and Human Services (HHS) Ruling
Spanish version (pdf)
January 26, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I write to you concerning an alarming and serious
matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly
and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all
citizens of any faith.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic
employers, will be forced to offer their employees
health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and
contraception. Almost all
health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health
policies they write. And
almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of
their policies.
As a result, unless the rule is overturned, we
Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences or to drop
health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing
so). The Administration’s
sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.
We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of
all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to
regain our religious freedom.
Therefore, I would ask of you two things.
First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to
prayer that wisdom and justice may prevail and religious liberty may be
restored. Second, I
would also recommend visiting the Iowa Catholic Conference website or
USCCB websites to learn more about this severe assault on religious
liberty and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would
reverse the Administration’s decision.
Thank you for your prayers and attention to this
critical issue.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Rev. Martin Amos
Bishop of Davenport
USCCB Page on HHS mandate (including legislative contacts)
Iowa Catholic
Conference
A Message to
Secular Franciscans from Kent Ferris and Bishop Amos about the HHS
Mandate (video)
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Iowa Catholic bishops send letter to congressional
delegation on HHS mandate,
Feb. 14, 2012
To Iowa Catholic Conference Legislative Network:
In response to a
recent federal Health and Human Services Department mandate,
the Catholic bishops of Iowa today sent a letter to members
of Iowa’s congressional delegation urging co-sponsorship of
the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179, S.
1467).
The HHS mandate
will require almost all religious organizations to pay for
sterilization and contraceptive coverage (including drugs
which can cause abortions) in their health insurance plans
for employees. The exemption provided for religious
employers is so narrow it fails to cover the vast majority
of faith-based organizations that help millions every year.
The President
announced some changes on Feb. 10 in how that mandate will
be administered, although the details are unclear. On the
evening of Feb. 10, HHS issued a regulation finalizing the
rule first issued in August 2011, without making any
changes.
The bishops said
in their letter, “the mandate will apparently continue to
impose an extremely narrow definition of religious
institution under which the ministry of Jesus Christ himself
would not qualify … In addition, the mandate continues to
threaten government coercion of religious people and groups
to violate their most deeply held convictions. At a minimum,
any regulation should fully respect religious freedom and
freedom of conscience as enshrined in our Constitution and,
in particular, the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.”
In addition, all
four diocesan bishops have sent letters opposing the mandate
for distribution in the Catholic parishes of the state.
Catholics and others of good will are encouraged to send a
message to Congress at
www.usccb.org/conscience.
The diocesan
bishops of Iowa are Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus, OSB;
Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City; Bishop Martin Amos
of Davenport, and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines.
For an update
from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ media
blog, go to
http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com/2012/02/six-more-things-everyone-should-know.html.
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Please be patient as this website moves to a new format
Abuse of Minors - The Church's Response
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New Chancery Phone extensions
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When the chancery is closed or a diocesan event is
cancelled due to severe weather, the staff and public can receive
notification through several methods:
1.
Dial (563) 324-1912 and press
three during any part of the receptionist's message.
2.
Check the Diocesan website home
page: www.davenportdiocese.org
3.
Check the Diocesan Facebook page: www.facebook.com/diodav
 
Information about chancery closing or diocesan event cancellation1. Dial (563) 324-1912 and press three (3) during any part of the receptionist’s message.
2. Check the Diocesan website home page –
www.davenportdiocese.org
3. Check the Diocesan Facebook page – www.facebook/diodav
If weather conditions indicate that the chancery may be closed and/or a diocesan event may be cancelled and one of the above methods of communication does not indicate a closing, another method should be checked in case technical difficulties prevent the use of a particular method.
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