Led by Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, Catholic bishops have been pressing a muscular campaign to fight a federal mandate that would have required all health insurance plans, including those offered by religious employers, to offer free birth control. This has exposed a deep divide between the 271 active bishops and the rank-and-file U.S. Catholics who are supposed to follow their moral authority.
A poll commissioned last year by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture found that just 16 percent of Catholics recalled hearing about the booklet the bishops regularly print to guide Catholics on political decisions. Of those who had heard of it, just 1 percent had read it. And 74 percent said the document did not influence their votes.
The compromise put forth by President Obama that would allow objecting religious Institutions a waiver from paying for birth control and instead have it provided by the insurance carriers is a satisfactory resolution to most of the American public.
While most lay Catholics accept the bishops as doctrinal authorities, "I don't think your average Catholic is walking around in daily life wondering what the bishops think of them," said Leslie Tentler, a history professor at the Catholic University of America.
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