The rift between U.S. Catholic leadership and certain Catholic hospitals, such as those in Catholic Health Care West, are becoming wider due to differences on abortion and birth control, according to a report by the Catholic News Agency.
The recent strains stem from the Bishop of Phoenix's announcement on Dec. 21 that St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix had lost its Catholic status due to a 2009 abortion performed there to save a mother's life. The bishop accused Catholic Health Care West, the hospital's parent, of a pattern of violations of the church's ethical directives.
Afterwards, the archbishop of San Francisco said he was seeking to "initiate a dialogue" with Catholic Health Care West. Church leaders have accused the system of cooperating with the federal government to provide birth control, sterilization and abortion. He said Catholic identity cannot simply be a source of inspiration but requires commitment to the Church's teachings and authority.
John Brehany, executive director of the Catholic Medical Association, said many Catholic healthcare providers have "grown apart" from the Church and have lost a sense of their religious identity. Leonard J. Nelson, author of the book Diagnosis Critical: The Urgent Threats Confronting Catholic Healthcare, complained of minimal oversight of some affiliated hospitals, allowing them to interpret Catholic healthcare guidelines very differently from their local bishops.
Other actions against Catholic hospitals by Church leaders include:
* In Feb. 2010, a bishop in Oregon revoked the Catholic status of St. Charles Medical Center for performing sterilizations.
* In 2008, a bishop in Texas reported that two hospitals in his diocese had performed a large number of sterilizations, despite claims of being in compliance with the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services."
Read the Catholic News Agency report on Catholic hospitals.
Read more coverage on strains between the Catholic Church and Catholic hospitals:
- Abortion Showdown Again Puts Catholic Hospitals at Odds With Church; More Catholic Healthcare West Hospitals May be Targeted
- Phoenix's Bishop Strips St. Joseph's Hospital of Catholic Status
- Phoenix's St. Joseph Hospital May Lose Catholic Status
The recent strains stem from the Bishop of Phoenix's announcement on Dec. 21 that St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix had lost its Catholic status due to a 2009 abortion performed there to save a mother's life. The bishop accused Catholic Health Care West, the hospital's parent, of a pattern of violations of the church's ethical directives.
Afterwards, the archbishop of San Francisco said he was seeking to "initiate a dialogue" with Catholic Health Care West. Church leaders have accused the system of cooperating with the federal government to provide birth control, sterilization and abortion. He said Catholic identity cannot simply be a source of inspiration but requires commitment to the Church's teachings and authority.
John Brehany, executive director of the Catholic Medical Association, said many Catholic healthcare providers have "grown apart" from the Church and have lost a sense of their religious identity. Leonard J. Nelson, author of the book Diagnosis Critical: The Urgent Threats Confronting Catholic Healthcare, complained of minimal oversight of some affiliated hospitals, allowing them to interpret Catholic healthcare guidelines very differently from their local bishops.
Other actions against Catholic hospitals by Church leaders include:
* In Feb. 2010, a bishop in Oregon revoked the Catholic status of St. Charles Medical Center for performing sterilizations.
* In 2008, a bishop in Texas reported that two hospitals in his diocese had performed a large number of sterilizations, despite claims of being in compliance with the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services."
Read the Catholic News Agency report on Catholic hospitals.
Read more coverage on strains between the Catholic Church and Catholic hospitals:
- Abortion Showdown Again Puts Catholic Hospitals at Odds With Church; More Catholic Healthcare West Hospitals May be Targeted
- Phoenix's Bishop Strips St. Joseph's Hospital of Catholic Status
- Phoenix's St. Joseph Hospital May Lose Catholic Status