The latest move by the catholic bishops to help the repugicans win the election

Don't think for a minute that this isn't about the election.

From EJ Dionne:

The federal lawsuits filed Monday by catholic institutions against the contraception mandate under the health care law are not surprising, but they are unfortunate. The Bishops’ Conference and many — though not all — catholic organizations are acting as if the Obama Administration had never backed down from its original, broad mandate and had never offered to negotiate.

But the administration, responding to a broadly united catholic community, did offer a compromise and has since shown a willingness to try to accommodate many of the concerns of catholic and other religious institutions. Now the catholic community is split because many of us who initially backed the bishops cannot understand why they did not respond to the administration’s olive branch. Many bishops seem to want this fight.

Keep in mind that a majority of catholic voters side with President Obama in this battle, so it's not entirely clear whose religious freedom the catholic bishops are defending. As usual, it's also not clear who the catholic bishops represent, other than the repugican party.