"While I appreciate the opportunity given to Caritas Christi to serve the poor through this agreement, I wish to reaffirm that this agreement can only be realized if the moral obligations for Catholic hospitals as articulated in the Ethical and Religious Directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are fulfilled at all times and in all cases. In order to assure me that this agreement will provide for the integrity of the Catholic identity and practices of Caritas Christi Health Care System, I have asked the National Catholic Bioethics Center to review the agreement and to assure me that it is faithful to Catholic principles."I'm not going to give you a lot of bleep about my respect for my Cardinal Archbishop. The fact that I link to his blog is the least of it. I consider him a friend. He is the pastor of my parish church, Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Daily, I lead a Rosary group in prayer for him and for the Archdiocese. I've advised him to wear !*#^!(^& socks under his sandals in winter weather, for Heaven's sake!
Okay. I guess I have given you a lot of bleep about my respect for my Eminent Father. Sue me. But let me say something.
While it's not for the sheep to shepherd the pastor, it is the right of the sheep to ask the shepherd for clarification. And while I'm no Mary, even she asked the angel of God: "How can this be?"
So I'm asking, not just the Cardinal, but all those "moral theologians" who supported this peculiar "Catholic" venture, the whatever-committee members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the good folks at the National Catholic Bioethics Center and everybody who thinks this is such a @@#&(!(&%^ hot idea one simple question:
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???
Ahem. I didn't mean exactly that. What I meant was simply this:
If you refuse to perform abortions, provide in vitro fertilization, distribute condoms, IUDs, and other birth control devises, as well you should, then why in the name of all that is holy would you provide the wherewithal—transportation, references, etc—for OTHERS to do the same thing?
Why?
