Daily Links, March 15: Polls, priests, and papal cologne

Yesterday, the bishops released a statement [1] vowing to continue the fight for religious freedom...and less than a day later, a new poll declared [2] that 57 percent of Catholics don't think religious liberty is in danger. Scott Alessi discusses [3] this discrepancy between bishops and lay Catholics.

In continuing coverage of the contracpetion mandate, Nick Sementelli of Faith in Public Life discusses some consequences [4] of newly proposed legislation in Arizona that would allow employers to opt out of covering contraception. And, at Commonweal, Joseph Becker examines [5] if the mandate is constitutional.

In another new poll [6], it turns out that a majority of Republican primary voters are unaware that Rick Santorum is Catholic.

Today we hear from the priest who denied a woman communion at her mother's funeral. He defends his actions [7]; Bryan Cones doesn't agree [8].

In about ten days, the pope will make a trip to Cuba. Read about important work [9] the church is doing in Cuba to help fill gaps in the welfare net, and also about a group determined to have an audience [10] with the pope during his visit.

Thinking of spending some time outside? Maybe taking a vacation to a national park? Turns out some political leaders are in favor of selling our national parks [11].

Did you just catch a whiff of a lime tree, verbena, and grass mixture? You could be smelling the pope's newest custom-made [12] cologne.