Catholic Health Association backs Phoenix hospital

[hedgehog]

Source: National Catholic Reporter

St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix acted in accord with Catholic directives on medical ethics when it performed an abortion last year to save the mother’s life, the head of the Catholic Health Association of the United States said Dec. 21.

Earlier in the day Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix decreed that St. Joseph’s can no longer “utilize in any way the name ‘Catholic’” because the hospital has refused to accede to his view that the abortion violated the U.S. bishops’ “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.”

Daughter of Charity Sr. Carol Keehan, CHA president and CEO, said, “St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix has many programs that reach out to protect life. They had been confronted with a heartbreaking situation. They carefully evaluated the patient’s situation and correctly applied the ‘Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services’ to it, saving the only life that was possible to save.”



Read more: http://ncronline.org/news/catholic-health-association-backs-phoenix-hospital

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The bishop is essentially threatening to close the Catholic chapel in the hospital unless the hospital declares he is in charge. Many reputable scholars and groups within the Church ahve backed the decision the hospital made to save the life of the mother.

The people who run Catholic hospitals supported the Health Care Reform bill even though the bishops opposed it, so this is Round 2 of an ongoing fight. A lot of people here at DU have asked why we Catholics remain in the Church. We remain because we believe that the Church can be reformed from within. This is an example of what we are talking about.

[T Wolf]

1. Who has the power in this relationship - the church or the hospital? That will decide

the issue, not any action by individuals.

[hedgehog]

2. All the bishop can do is close the chapel - i.e. remove the

Eucahrist from the tabernacle and refuse permission to say Mass there. A lot of people here on DU will think that is nonsense, but it's important to Catholics. Sooner or later, a bishop will order a chapel closed, and his order will be ignored. Who knows, maybe this is when it happens.

[somone]

3. Some bishops act like medieval despots

Conservative Catholic bishops have also 'threatened' progressive Catholic colleges for teaching the 'wrong' kind of class or inviting the 'wrong' kind of guest speaker. They acted like the college president reported to them.

Typical example:

http://reform-network.net/?p=1023
Despite Austin Catholic Bishop Gregory Aymond’s objections, St. Edward’s University is standing by the decision to invite a controversial theologian to speak on the South Austin campus. The Rev. Charles Curran, whose positions on topics such as birth control and human sexuality prompted the Vatican to ban him from teaching theology in Catholic schools and strip him of the title of Catholic theologian, will give a public talk at 5 p.m. Thursday. Aymond, who leads the Catholic Diocese of Austin, told St. Edward’s officials that he was “gravely disappointed” with their choice and sent a letter to priests in the diocese asking them not to publicize the event... St. Edward’s officials said Curran’s trouble with the Vatican doesn’t mean that his voice shouldn’t be heard at a Catholic university. “We really believe that the Bishop McCarthy lecture series is part of a larger academic dialogue that happens here on campus on a regular basis, and that academic dialogue includes a broad spectrum of viewpoints,” said Mischelle Diaz, a university spokeswoman... Aymond said that the choice of Curran as a speaker is inappropriate and that he wants to collaborate with St. Edward’s officials on the selection of guest lecturers. His opinion carries some weight. Though the university operates independently from the diocese, its designation as a Catholic school could be revoked by the bishop.

[burnsei sensei]

4. The chapel can be replaced.

A life cannot. This hospital has acted in a pro-life manner.
They have done their best and spared the woman. They have behaved as if she was every bit as important as any child she carried.
This hospital is quite pro-life!

[Downwinder]

5. With or without a chapel,

Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's is state of the art.

[TlalocW]

6. Feh, close the chapel

Have the Bishop move out all the Catholic church's stuff, move some new stuff in, call it a chapel, and tell the Bishop to go piss up a rope.

TlalocW

[McCamy Taylor]

8. ...and invite a protestant sect to re-open it.

[saigon68]

9. Tell the Bishop to open his wallet and Pay Damages

to little boys who have had their privates attacked by hairy thugs with clerical collars

[Demit]

12. LOL!

This fallen away Catholic loved yr response.

[ladywnch]

7. time to start saving up for those 'indulgences' now

'indulgences' like competent, skilled medical care at a church affiliated hospital.

[Tempest]

10. The bishop was going to allow both the mother and child to die

And leave four children motherless.

[xxqqqzme]

11. "...the hospital has refused to accede

to his view that the abortion violated the U.S. bishops’ “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.”...'

It only took the Catholic Church 360 years to change its mind about Galileo so there is some hope.

[saigon68]

13. ~

[CBHagman]

14. Interesting development.

I too was appalled when I read what the bishop had said. There's a point at which the unqualified seem to be attempting to practice medicine. Medical professionals make agonizing decisions every day, and so it seems to have been in this case.