By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner
WASHINGTON (Christian Examiner) – The Little Sisters of the Poor received an unexpected visitor Sept. 23 when Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop at their community in Washington, D.C.
The move, according to Vatican officials, was a show of support for the nuns who are entangled in a lawsuit with the federal government over the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act, known to the public – sometimes derisively – as “Obamacare.”
In July, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Little Sisters – based in Denver, Colo. – must comply with procedures for opting out of the birth control mandate in Obamacare because the process did not impose a “substantial burden” on them.
But the Little Sisters argued that the mandate does just that. Under the rules established for religious organizations, those which object to providing contraceptives must notify the federal government of their claim of conscience in writing.
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