The Archdiocese of Chicago has not yet joined 43 other Roman Catholic institutions in suing the federal government over a mandate to pay for birth control, but local Catholic leaders are urging parishioners to speak out against what they view as a threat to religious freedom.

Chicago-area Catholics hold a variety of views, with some questioning church officials' vocal confrontation with the Obama administration. But recent rallies in downtown Chicago support the position of Cardinal Francis George that church institutions should not be required to offer their employees health care that covers contraception for women at no extra cost.

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