In a letter to the administration, the bishops' conference said the requirement for coverage of contraceptives and sterilization was "an unprecedented attack on religious liberty".
Pope Pius XI, former nuncio to Poland, subjected the Catholic parishes in Zaolzie to an apostolic administration under Stanisław Adamski, Bishop of Katowice.
James Salt, executive director of Catholics United, a liberal advocacy group that is organizing support for the Obama administration, said, "The bishops' blanket opposition appears to serve the interests of a political agenda, not the needs of the American people".
After President Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage, coupled with the standoff between his administration and Catholic bishops over birth control, Republicans are sensing an opportunity to cut into the advantage that Mr. Obama had among Catholic voters in 2008, Laurie Goldstein reports.
The Clinton administration has negotiated with Bishop Artemije to persuade him to join the executive council established by Bernard Kouchner, the chief United Nations administrator.
Among others, the Obama administration and four Alabama bishops have brought lawsuits to stop it.
The growing conflict between the Obama administration and the Catholic bishops seems entirely unnecessary.At first glance, it looks as if two principles are in collision.
Charlemagne's dynasty, the Carolingians, tended to leave the city in the charge of the counts of Paris, who in many cases had less control over administration than did the bishops.
Obama officials have pointed to recent polls showing that most Catholics favor the new contraceptive rule, and in a recent blog post, the cardinal wrote that officials in the Obama administration had recommended that bishops "listen to the 'enlightened' voices of accommodation" within the church.
Obama administration officials and Catholic bishops are so far apart they don't even agree on what rests at the heart of the debate.
