Cardinal George: We'll Close Every Catholic Hospital Rather Than Provide Birth Control

"What will happen if the HHS regulations are not rescinded? A Catholic institution, so far as I can see right now, will have one of four choices: 1) secularize itself, breaking its connection to the church, her moral and social teachings and the oversight of its ministry by the local bishop. This is a form of theft. It means the church will not be permitted to have an institutional voice in public life. 2) Pay exorbitant annual fines to avoid paying for insurance policies that cover abortifacient drugs, artificial contraception and sterilization. This is not economically sustainable. 3) Sell the institution to a non-Catholic group or to a local government. 4) Close down." - Cardinal Francis George, in a lengthy diatribe posted on the Archdiocese of Chicago website.

RELATED: Cardinal George was last in the news when he compared gay activists to Nazis. He later offered a limp apology.