Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Phoenix - Will Catholic Healthcare West get to keep "Catholic"?


From Catholic Culture:

On December 17, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix will declare that St. Joseph’s Hospital is no longer a Catholic institution unless its parent company recognizes that the abortion that took place there violated the US bishops’ ethical directives and pledges it “will never occur again.”


The bishop’s November 22 letter to Lloyd H. Dean, president of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), followed earlier correspondence in which Catholic Healthcare West, relying on the analysis of M. Therese Lysaught, attempted to justify the killing of the unborn child that took place at the hospital in late 2009. Lysaught is associate professor of theology and director of graduate studies at Marquette University.


In response, Bishop Olmsted wrote that as bishop, it was his task to interpret the moral law and the bishops’ ethical norms authoritatively within the diocese.

Continue reading, Bishop rips hospital chain, threatens to revoke Catholic status of hospital, at Catholic Culture.  You will want to follow that link which has a copy of the faxed letter.

The Diocese of Phoenix has released a statement today - just one paragraph:

Statement of the Diocese of Phoenix



Re: The Diocese of Phoenix and St. Joseph’s Hospital

(Dec. 15, 2010) — The letter to Mr. Lloyd Dean that was made public today is considered to be private and confidential. The bishop and his staff are working together with Catholic Healthcare West and St. Joseph’s Hospital to find the best way to provide authentic Catholic health care in accordance with the Church’s teaching.

Copy of Faxed Letter
I'm not quite sure who leaked the letter, but it has obviously been leaked by someone in the office on the receiving end (I've observed a number of occasions where dissenting parties will run to the press with such things.  I don't know if that is the case here, but how did the secular press in Arizona get the copy stamped "Fax Received" and why was it shared?   Click here for that letter.

Others blogging on this (may get updated; watch the comboxes)

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