A Significant Defeat For The Pro-Life Movement Inflicted By The Catholic Church In Boston

[JReducation]

Why, I wonder, would Catholics admire a man who has not only signed a contract making himself a direct partner in an organization which cooperates in the procuring of abortions (this is an offense which carries the canonical penalty of excommunication, btw).

Do you know the Cardinal? Do you know anything about him? Have you ever had a conversation with him or worked with him?

It seems that we are too quick to decide who needs to be removed and who can be excommunicated, before we know enough about the person or know the individual personally.

This is a man who is a very holy religious brother and who has been sent by the popes to put out fires and scandals all over the country during the last 10 years or so. As to his removal, I doubt that will happen any time soon. Pope Benedict likes him and his policies very much. Also, Pope Benedict is very favorable toward Cardinal O’Malley for his humility and his work in helping people heal after the sexual abuse scandals. He also has the only seminary in the Northeastern USA that has doubled their numbers in less than 10 years. And he belongs to largest religious order in the Church, which the Holy Father likes very much, because of their work putting out fires around the world and dealing with tough situations such as this one.

The Catholic Respect Life Movement respects and trusts him very much. The Apostolic See trusts him so much that they recently named him to two Sacred Congregations. He sits on the Holy See’s Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and on the Holy See’s Sacred Congregation for Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life. In both of this Apostolic Congregations his area is formation of religious in the one and formation of priests in the other. Given his track record, his personal holiness and the trust that John Paul II and Benedict XVI placed on him and his order, let us give the man the benefit of the doubt. It’s the charitable thing to do.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[BobCatholic]

1. The hospitals involved are not Catholic hospitals.

If these hospitals are not Catholic hospitals anymore, they need to drop the Catholic monikers.

False advertising legalized here…

 

[JReducation]

If these hospitals are not Catholic hospitals anymore, they need to drop the Catholic monikers.

False advertising legalized here…

It’s not really false advertising. I’ll provide you with two examples. CAF and EWTN. Neither are Catholic organizations. They are organizations run for Catholics by Catholics; however, they are independent of the Catholic Church. The Church does not own them nor does she have any jurisdiction over them. Both are non-profit private corporations.

Many organizations and corporations are allowed to use the name Catholic as long as they do not teach contrary to the Church and they have the permission of the bishop in the diocese where they’re headquartered to use the label Catholic.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[BobCatholic]

Many organizations and corporations are allowed to use the name Catholic as long as they do not teach contrary to the Church and they have the permission of the bishop in the diocese where they’re headquartered to use the label Catholic.

Unfortunately, when there are “Catholic” in name only institutions who don’t do this, then what?

False advertising.

Perfect example “Catholics for a free choice” - denounced by our bishops as a fraud.

When will they denouce other fakers?

 

[sidonius]

Why, I wonder, would Catholics admire a man who has not only signed a contract making himself a direct partner in an organization which cooperates in the procuring of abortions (this is an offense which carries the canonical penalty of excommunication, btw)

The Cardinal signed no contract. If any contract was signed it was by Caritas. Please, the Cardinal is in a very tough position. He has made a dog’s breakfast of this, no question, but he swore to uphold the Ethical and Religious Directives and he will.

 

[djeter]

It’s not really false advertising. I’ll provide you with two examples. CAF and EWTN. Neither are Catholic organizations. They are organizations run for Catholics by Catholics; however, they are independent of the Catholic Church. The Church does not own them nor does she have any jurisdiction over them. Both are non-profit private corporations.

Many organizations and corporations are allowed to use the name Catholic as long as they do not teach contrary to the Church and they have the permission of the bishop in the diocese where they’re headquartered to use the label Catholic.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Hi JR

To the extent your examples highlight so called “Catholic” organizations not run by the Catholic Church, you’re fine. Caritas Christi doesn’t fall into that group however and that’s what the Cardinal needs to clarify. What is the relationship now between Caritas Christi and the Archdiocese? There is a finger wagging element (“I did not have sex with that woman Monika Lewinsky.”) in his March 6th statement: “Caritas Christi will never do anything to promote abortions, to direct any patients to providers of abortion or in any way to participate in actions that are contrary to Catholic moral teaching and anyone who suggests otherwise is doing a great disservice to the Catholic Church.”

At this point no one is “suggesting” anything but simply reporting on the new relationship that Caritas Christi now has that DOES in fact promote abortions, direct patients to providers of abortion and participate in actions that are contrary to Catholic moral teaching. I simply want to know what is going on and following the two groups who are writing these articles and pressing the Archdiocese for explanations.

I understand your need to provide “answers” and wish I had a few guesses myself. I also see we are attracting some folks who are hitting the panic button and assuming the worst. Maybe there are some politics here we cannot see. Perhaps the Archdiocese is “arranging” for a situation whereby the Vatican can step in and demand they sever ties with the hospitals the way they demanded they shutdown their adoption services when the state demanded they arrange for gay couples to adopt. That’s my guess although I have nothing to base it upon.

This could be the beginning of a chess move for Obama Care. What happens when the govt run health care demands Catholic hospitals (of which there are many more than just here in Boston) provide abortion services? Will the Archdioceses across the country get out of the hospital business and cease their financial support as well? I think they should but will this be enough of a shot across the bow? I’m more concerned about the issue of Drs having the right of conscience protected. I have heard NOTHING so far on this issue except that on July 1st the new organization goes into business. In the meantime I continue to update my blog on happenings and post to forums across the fruited plain to alert other Catholics as to what is going on.

Thank you for your interest.

DJ

 

[Pandora]

If there is one thing that I know about Sean O’Malley is that he is neither pro-choice nor pro support of any organization that is pro-choice. That leads me to the following hypotheses.

1. This is not a dead issue yet. There is more to come.
2. There are other legal matters involved that the press is not reporting, but are out of the hand of the Archdiocese. Often the press does not report them, because they assume that such reading is tedious and of little interest to the reader.
3. The hospitals involved are not Catholic hospitals. Contrary to some posts, many Catholic hospitals had to be handed over to lay corporations to run them in order to keep them open. The religious communities that handed them over did so very reluctantly, because they dearly loved their hospitals, but they could no longer fund them. The high cost of medical technology and the overhead, including insurance, made the operation of these hospitals impossible for religious congregations to run. Many times the hospitals kept the name, because in the agreement made between the religious who handed them over and the religious congregation there was a clause that the hospital would employ members of the religious congregations and would give preferential care to Catholics and to the poor in the name of the founding community. This does not stop the administration of a hosptial from entering into contracts with other organizations, because these contracts were never foreseen by those who handed over their beloved hospitals.

In these cases, the Catholic Church has no legal authority over the hospitals. The Cardinal can prohibit that they call themselves Catholic. However, this does not mean that they will cease doing so, just because the local archbishop says so.

1. My last hypothesis is that the Center for Biomedical Ethics, which the Cardinal asked to help with the study of the proposal may have said that there is no ethical responsibility on the part of the Church for what another company does for whatever reasons the Center may have found. The results of the Center’s study has not been published.

My suggestion is that people who are interested in knowing what the truth is write the Archdiocese of Boston. They can answer the question with more clarity than the press can. But ask respectfully. No one likes to be bullied into giving an account for their situation.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

You say Cardinal O’Malley is not prochoice but he appointed Fr. Bryan Hehir head of Social Services and Health Care. He has been the driving force behind the merger. He also told physicians at a meeting last Fall after the appointment of Ralph de la Torre, MD that during WWII the Pope had OK birth control for nuns in case they were raped. So it was not such a problem to refer out. He actually said there was an encyclical on this subject. We have sent Cardinal O’Malley letters to get him to deal with this problem but so far no word has come.

So he asked the Center for Biomedical Ethics to look into this. He is in the board. This is hardly an impartial board. I do not expect anything but tacit approval from them.

Yes I know the Cardinal. I attend the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and am very involved in the Parish Life there. I see him about every 3 weeks sometimes more.

Sorry but all the hospitals bear the Caritas name and are assumed to be Catholic. If they are no longer Catholic then remove the Caritas signs it confuses the faithful. He also needs to get rid of the clenched first signs that look like communist propaganda that are all over Brighton.

 

[transfinitum]

Do you know the Cardinal? Do you know anything about him? Have you ever had a conversation with him or worked with him?

Irrelevant. Canon Law and the moral law apply regardless of whether I know the Cardinal or not.

 

[JReducation]

I have known this man personally since 1973 and he is not the dote and the evil person that some are making him out to be. This is very unfair. He is a very holy man and a man in whom the Holy Father has placed a great deal of trust and to whom the Holy Father has shown much preference as we saw when Pope Benedict was in Washington.

Whatever the end results with this situation, I am sure that it will be the best that he can do. This is a man who has never done less than the best that he can.

Unfortunately, the best that any of us can do is not always the perfect solution. There are often factors that are out of our control.

We need to be patient and see how this whole situations works out.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[transfinitum]

I have known this man personally since 1973

Please show yourself a true friend and warn him that the faithful simply will not tolerate any further compromise on abortion. We have had enough compromise with the culture of Death, and the Cardinal is making a stupendous error in prudential judgement to think that this abomination will fly. It won’t.

We need to be patient and see how this whole situations works out.

You be patient. I’ll raise a ruckus and pray you warn the Cardinal that he is about to step into a scandal that will make Notre Dame look like a mild disagreement by comparison.

 

[Corki]

It’s not really false advertising. I’ll provide you with two examples. CAF and EWTN. Neither are Catholic organizations. They are organizations run for Catholics by Catholics; however, they are independent of the Catholic Church. The Church does not own them nor does she have any jurisdiction over them. Both are non-profit private corporations.

Many organizations and corporations are allowed to use the name Catholic as long as they do not teach contrary to the Church and they have the permission of the bishop in the diocese where they’re headquartered to use the label Catholic.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

But if Caritas enters into cooperation with abortions, it can no longer say it does not teach contrary to the Church. The Bishop should make it clear very pubically that the hospital corporation is no longer Catholic and he should, again publically, remove any remaining board members who are affiliated officially with the Church. Of course it goes without saying I hope that any financial support by the diocese should stop as well.

If CAF or EWTN started saying or doing anything contrary to the teachings of the Church, I would expect them to be publically denounced as well. (not that I think that is very likely ) That’s the “shepherd” part of the job of Bishop.

 

[Corki]

My main concern is the need for Catholic Doctors to have an right to a conscience clause of some sort that would allow them to refuse to perform such “procedures.” But now that the secular devil has taken over the Catholic hospital system, one wonders if even that is possible.

This is one of my main concerns as well. And not only for the doctors and nurses who will surely be pressured to participate in abortions. But also the counselors who will be expected to refer for abortions, the staff who will be expected to arrange the abortions for patients, etc.

And what about the Catholic faithful who go to a hospital expecting Catholic moral principals to be considered in thier care? When I was pregnant, I was referred to genetic counseling due to my “advanced” age. I went to a Catholic hospital. Never once in all of the meetings or tests was the idea of terminating the pregnancy even mentioned as an option. Friends who had similar services at non-Catholic hospitals were always told about the “option” of terminating the pregnancy, even if nothing was suspected of being wrong with the baby or the mother.

Sure, the Church can just get out of the hospital business but this just means that all of us will be forced to get healthcare at death facilities.

 

[JReducation]

JReducation;5322468:

I have known this man personally since 1973

Please show yourself a true friend and warn him that the faithful simply will not tolerate any further compromise on abortion. We have had enough compromise with the culture of Death, and the Cardinal is making a stupendous error in prudential judgement to think that this abomination will fly. It won’t.

We need to be patient and see how this whole situations works out.

You be patient. I’ll raise a ruckus and pray you warn the Cardinal that he is about to step into a scandal that will make Notre Dame look like a mild disagreement by comparison.

First of all, it’s not my job to advise the Cardinal. I’m sure that he has plenty of them on his staff.

Secondly, this is a man who has given many years to solving crises in the Church. We should trust that his efforts in this case are going to equal his efforts in previous crises.

Thirdly, we do not send messages threatening Cardinals or other prelates, neither through CAF or other means. That is disrespectful and a violation of CAF terms.

Finally, we do have to accept our human limitations. Bishops are not omnipotent. Even when those who have been martyrs have often been unable to make right a wrong.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[transfinitum]

transfinitum;5322520:

First of all, it’s not my job to advise the Cardinal. I’m sure that he has plenty of them on his staff.

Secondly, this is a man who has given many years to solving crises in the Church. We should trust that his efforts in this case are going to equal his efforts in previous crises.

Thirdly, we do not send messages threatening Cardinals or other prelates, neither through CAF or other means. That is disrespectful and a violation of CAF terms.

Finally, we do have to accept our human limitations. Bishops are not omnipotent. Even when those who have been martyrs have often been unable to make right a wrong.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

There is no threat involved here, Brother JR. What is involved is a warning. It is not one voice. It is not a thousand voices. It is literally millions of Catholic faithful, sickened at the progressive surrender of our Faith in the face of the demands of the Culture of Death.

This simple truth will become unavoidably apparent, should the Cardinal proceed to implement this gravely immoral agreement as presently constituted.

The Cardinal must, please God, understand that his agreement as presently constituted represents a dishonorable betrayal of the Catholic Church’s ancient and unchanging proscription against cooperation in the mortal sin of abortion.

If he does not understand this, then may God be witness between us this day, that I tried to warn him of the disaster that will certainly ensue should this agreement go into effect as presently constituted.

 

[JReducation]

This is one of my main concerns as well. And not only for the doctors and nurses who will surely be pressured to participate in abortions. But also the counselors who will be expected to refer for abortions, the staff who will be expected to arrange the abortions for patients, etc.

And what about the Catholic faithful who go to a hospital expecting Catholic moral principals to be considered in thier care? When I was pregnant, I was referred to genetic counseling due to my “advanced” age. I went to a Catholic hospital. Never once in all of the meetings or tests was the idea of terminating the pregnancy even mentioned as an option. Friends who had similar services at non-Catholic hospitals were always told about the “option” of terminating the pregnancy, even if nothing was suspected of being wrong with the baby or the mother.

Sure, the Church can just get out of the hospital business but this just means that all of us will be forced to get healthcare at death facilities.

I believe that you’ve hit the nail on the head. If Catholic hospitals were to close down, because of the government’s intervention, what is the damage done to those who need their services?

This is not as black and white as some people think it is. You can close the hospitals, because you do not want to deal in abortion or refer for abortions. What about those who do not have other healthcare services available to them? You have to try to cover everyone, if at all possible. Not being a hospital administrator, I’m not sure how they can do this. But I hope they can.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[transfinitum]

BR. JR:I believe that you’ve hit the nail on the head. If Catholic hospitals were to close down, because of the government’s intervention, what is the damage done to those who need their services?

This is not as black and white as some people think it is. You can close the hospitals, because you do not want to deal in abortion or refer for abortions.

No. You have already told us these are not hospitals owned by Catholic orders. So they cannot be closed. You contradict yourself.

Br. JR:What about those who do not have other healthcare services available to them?

Obviously, the Church must get back to the provision of some basic forms of hospital care. Perhaps this will, finally, begin the revitalization of Catholic identity- when the Bishops cease negotiating with the Culture of Death, and begin to ask the Catholic people to shoulder the burdens appropriate to a health care facility in which we can certainly trust that our Faith will be upheld without compromise. Where is your faith, Briother? God will certainly provide, if our prayers and sacrifices are sufficient and our will is fully set to please Him, instead of the editorial Board of the Boston Globe.

Br JR:You have to try to cover everyone, if at all possible. Not being a hospital administrator, I’m not sure how they can do this. But I hope they can.

You have to obey Christ. If one does this wholeheartedly, then God can be fervently implored to supply what is lacking. Until this orientation returns to our Church, we are weak. Weak. Weak.

 

[JReducation]

JReducation;5322597:

There is no threat involved here, Brother JR. What is involved is a warning. It is not one voice. It is not a thousand voices. It is literally millions of Catholic faithful, sickened at the progressive surrender of our Faith in the face of the demands of the Culture of Death.

This simple truth will become unavoidably apparent, should the Cardinal proceed to implement this gravely immoral agreement as presently constituted.

The Cardinal must, please God, understand that his agreement as presently constituted represents a dishonorable betrayal of the Catholic Church’s ancient and unchanging proscription against cooperation in the mortal sin of abortion.

If he does not understand this, then may God be witness between us this day, that I tried to warn him of the disaster that will certainly ensue should this agreement go into effect as presently constituted.

This is not something that you need to say to us here. That is a concern that you need to share with the Cardinal.

You’re confusing some things here. Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing this man through his many years of ministry in different cities and situations are not his advisors or work for him.

We can only attest to the fact that we know him to be a good man and we are sure that he is doing the best he can, because we have seen him to do the best he can in other situations.

If you have ideas on how to make the situation in Boston work for the best and you believe that the Archdiocese could try them, then I suggest that you write them. I’m sure that they are as anxious as all of us are to see this problem resolved in a manner that is for the highest good.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Corki]

I believe that you’ve hit the nail on the head. If Catholic hospitals were to close down, because of the government’s intervention, what is the damage done to those who need their services?

This is not as black and white as some people think it is. You can close the hospitals, because you do not want to deal in abortion or refer for abortions. What about those who do not have other healthcare services available to them? You have to try to cover everyone, if at all possible. Not being a hospital administrator, I’m not sure how they can do this. But I hope they can.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

And this is the dillema. Many more people would be helped if the hospitals could remain Catholic AND financially viable. But just because there is a good intent or even a good outcome, the means to get there may still not be morrally acceptable.

One can never do evil, even for a good result.

 

[transfinitum]

transfinitum;5322626:

This is not something that you need to say to us here. That is a concern that you need to share with the Cardinal.

You’re confusing some things here. Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing this man through his many years of ministry in different cities and situations are not his advisors or work for him.

We can only attest to the fact that we know him to be a good man and we are sure that he is doing the best he can, because we have seen him to do the best he can in other situations.

If you have ideas on how to make the situation in Boston work for the best and you believe that the Archdiocese could try them, then I suggest that you write them. I’m sure that they are as anxious as all of us are to see this problem resolved in a manner that is for the highest good.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

I have done and will continue to do so, Brother. It is my opinion that you are incorrect in your assertion that this issue is inappropriate to this forum.

Sadly, the condition of the Church is such that conscience requires that this issue be raised before other Catholics, since we all share common responsibility to uphold the Catholic Faith, and to speak up when it is in danger of dereliction.

May God bless Cardinal O’Malley with faithful advisors who will assist him in this hour.

 

[transfinitum]

And this is the dillema. Many more people would be helped if the hospitals could remain Catholic AND financially viable.

This is clearly impossible in Massachusetts, at least under the present agreement. Therefore either the agreement must be amended, or the hospitals must be abandoned to their fate as slaves of the Culture of Death. We Catholics will then, at least, be under no illusions about our responsibility to re-constitute the hospital system which our forebears so heroically created, and which we have so cravenly surrendered, as the once-great Orders collapse. Why this disaster, Brother? It is because we have brought the Lord’s just displeasure down upon our heads. Business as usual will not suffice at this terrible stage, Brother. We must change course, and this is an excellent opportunity to begin.

But just because there is a good intent or even a good outcome, the means to get there may still not be morrally acceptable.

Of course they are morally acceptable. Let the Bishop go to the Catholics of Boston and exhort them to support him in the reconstituting of- at first perhaps merely very basic- health care institutions. Let us never again surrender what we have built to the usurers of Wall Street.

One can never do evil, even for a good result.

And for this reason Cardinal O’Malley must never implement this gravely immoral agreement.