This is a battle that the Obama administration has picked on purpose and the reason may be becoming clear.

As everyone knows, the ultimate goal of progressives is to have a single monolithic healthcare system run by monolithic progressives. Obama and the other progressives have been very up front about the fact that Obamacare is merely a fist step toward this ultimate goal.

But this first step may contain fuel that will ultimately burn down our existing healthcare system for good, the HHS mandate.

Cardinal George has warned that if the HHS mandate is not reversed that the Church will be forced out of all social services, most importantly hospitals.

This is exactly what they want. Progressives realize the key role that Church institutions play in all social services and most keenly in the healthcare arena. Without the Church institutions, healthcare would cease to function in this country. This fact is not lost on progressives. At the same time, the progressives understand that the Church is the biggest obstacle they face to the implementation of their amoral and utilitarian agenda. They need the Church’s institutions, but they don’t want the Church.

They need a crisis.

If the Church threatens to carry out its obligations to cease these functions because they are forced to violate their moral code, the Obama administration will use this “mortal threat” to healthcare in the US to immediately nationalize all these institutions to protect Americans from “theological blackmail.” Voila, all your institutions are belong to us.

This is the goal of this manufactured crisis. They are not trying to kill Catholic healthcare in this country, they want to own it.