John Kerry: "We ignore... religion at our peril"

[AtheistCrusader]

12. I know, right? Maybe you should drop it then.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/contraception-philippines-and-pope-francis-passion-poor

Although proponents of the reproductive health law say expanding access to contraception could significantly slow population growth, The New York Times reports that the Aquino administration believes the measure's primary purpose is "to offer poor families the same reproductive health options that wealthier people in the country enjoy."

Pope Francis has been highly touted for his criticism of institutional evils that create poverty. But there is something deeply troubling about a church leadership that rails against poverty and institutional sin while using its resources to defeat civil laws aimed at alleviating the suffering of the poorest.

If the pope and his brother bishops are to be fully honest about roots of poverty, they must take an honest look at the ways in which the policies and agenda of their institutional church contribute to inadequate medical care for mothers, the starvation of families, the swelling of the slum population, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and environmental degradation.