Catholics’ mandate suit draws dividing line for Obama

Three years ago, President Obama gave the University of Notre Dames commencement address, pleading for common ground with Catholics on thorny issues and vowing to seek a “sensible conscience clause for doctors and nurses who oppose abortion out of religious objections. Since then, however, relations have fizzled, to the point that Notre Dame and dozens of other Catholic institutions sued the Obama administration last week arguing that its new health-care rules infringe on religious liberty by forcing schools and charities to pay for contraception, which the church teaches is immoral.