Readers, forgive the incompleteness of this post, but with vacations and a “breaking story,” we’re going to be a bit short of words today. Over at Caritas Christi, the healthcare network about to be sold to private equity firm, Cerberus, the spin-meisters have been saying for months that the Catholic identity would be preserved forever. Fr. Bryan Hehir, Cardinal O’Malley, and Vicar General Erikson have also been saying the same thing, but many pro-life Catholics have been skeptical, and now we start to see why the skeptics are justified.
Over at Boston Catholic Insider, their most recent post on Cronyism says “numerous reports received indicate that (Ralph) de la Torre (Caritas’ CEO) has already authorized the removal of symbols of Catholic faith and Catholic identity at Caritas hospitals. If anyone has photos of the lobby of St. Elizabeth Hospital before and after the portrait of Cardinal O’Malley was removed, please send them our way and the same holds for before/after photos of the statue of the Blessed Mother which has also apparently been removed from the Emergency Room area at St. E’s. These moves would seem to validate the fears voiced previously.”
If the removal of symbols of Catholic faith and Catholic identity has already begun before the deal is even approved and finalized by the Vatican, Archdiocese, Attorney General, and SJC, then we believe Catholic faithful are entitled to know whether the Caritas Board, which includes Fr. Bryan Hehir as the Archdiocese’s representative, approved these moves. Never ones to pass up an opportunity for a good story, we asked one of our friends over at St. Elizabeth’s to help out. They said that the picture of Cardinal O’Malley near the entrance was actually removed more than a month ago. Here is a photo snapped a few minutes ago of the empty location where his picture once was:
None of the marketing brochures promoting Caritas mention the word “Catholic” in them. We will post a scanned copy of one of the new Caritas brochures separately.
In the Catholic Church, symbols of the faith matter. Taking down the Cardinal’s picture as the Archbishop of Boston and expunging the word “Catholic” from promotional materials are symbolic of a dismantling of the Catholic identity at Caritas, as would be the removal of statues and religious articles from the hospitals. These moves would run counter to what has been said publicly:
The main point is that it’s designed to last forever. That’s the prevailing hope of everyone involved, that…the Catholic tradition of Caritas Christi stays in place forever.’’ (Charles Murphy, Caritas spokesman, in the Boston Globe, April 28, 2010)
We announced yesterday that an agreement has been reached with Cerberus that ensures the Catholic identity of the Caritas Christi hospitals. The sale is still pending as the Attorney General has to review it, but this stewardship agreement was a key component for us because it will preserve the Catholic identity of Caritas. (Cardinal Sean’s May 7, 2010 blog)
The Stewardship Agreement memorializes Steward’s commitment to maintain the Catholic identity of the Caritas Christi Healthcare system and its fidelity to the mission of the Church’s healthcare ministry.” (Fr. Richard Erikson, Vicar General, quoted in The Pilot, May 14, 2010)
This is a substantive and structural commitment by the archdiocese and Steward to operate this hospital system by the religious and moral directives of the Catholic Church.” (Fr. Bryan Hehir, Secretary for Healthcare and Social Services, quoted in The Pilot, May 14, 2010)
The recently-signed agreement between the archdiocese and Steward provides that the Archbishop of Boston will oversee that the Caritas hospitals run in accordance with the bishops’ directives. The agreement allows the archbishop to have final authority in disputes involving the directives. The agreement also allows the hospital to maintain its existing ethics committees, and allows the archdiocese to hire its own medical ethicist. Additionally, the hospitals can still provide chapels, employ chaplains, and display Catholic imagery. (The Pilot, May 14, 2010)
If Cerberus deems it is materially burdensome to maintain a Catholic identity, it can terminate the religious affiliation by making a $25 million payment to a charity of the Archdiocese of Boston’s choosing. If that happens, critics of the deal said yesterday, procedures such as abortions could one day be performed at the hospitals. Neary also said Cerberus might decide to develop some of the hospitals’ properties for other uses. Caritas spokesman Chris Murphy… said most of the group’s complaints were unfounded. “The wild speculation engaged in today is absurd,’’ Murphy said. (Boston Globe, July 28, 2010)
We believe that Cardinal O’Malley had sincere intentions for Caritas to maintain Catholic identity post-acquisition. But the agreement and actions say otherwise. If Caritas is already treating imagery and words that communicate Catholic identity as “burdensome” enough that they are being removed before the deal is even approved, then how can Catholic hospital workers be assured that something admittedly tougher–protecting their conscience rights for years ahead in the future–will happen as promised? (After all, their Archdiocesan Caritas board representative Fr. Hehir said in April that conscience clauses “adjudicate deeply held convictions and positions in this pluralistic society” and if we are not careful, we could harm the individual who needs abortion services). And if Catholic imagery is being removed, how can the Archdicoese be assured that Cerberus will not quickly find that maintaining Catholic religious and ethical directives (that ban abortions and other immoral procedures) is also too “burdensome”? Do Fr. Hehir and the Archdiocese know and approve of what is happening at Caritas already? Who exactly is in charge?
Fr. Hehir is in charge, as he is smarter than the rest.
A bishop’s responsibility is to teach, to sanctify and to govern. I don’t know what Cardinal Sean is doing in the sanctifying area, but it’s clear Fr. Hehir is doing the governing and the Boston Globe is doing the teaching.
It seems like Caritas officials are treating this as a done deal, and we have to remember it’s not – even if Attorney General Martha Coakley, who gets to OK the sale, basically said pro-lifers should not work in emergency rooms! Talk about prejudicial opinions ….
The July 29th Economist surveys Cerebrus, regarding its purchase of Caritas Christi as a return to its practice of flipping large acquisitions–after its failures with Chrysler and GMAC:
“Out of the doghouse? After a few conspicuous flops, a private-equity firm gets back to its roots”
http://www.economist.com/node/16702039
Lookie here:
NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY AUGUST 2, 2010
CONTACT: R. T. Neary, Chairman, PH: 508 359 4551
RTNeary@Verizon.net
CARITAS CHRISTI CHARGED WITH DECEPTION
“An entity within The Archdiocese of Boston is openly distorting the picture the laity is receiving on what surely will lead to the end of their Catholic involvement in health care,” said R. T. Neary of Medfield, Chairman of the Coalition To Save Catholic Health Care. “Furthermore, it is severely damaging the reputation of the Archdiocese itself,” he added.
“Some practicing Roman Catholics committed to defending orthodoxy are being treated in a very shabby manner,” he stated. Neary said that the trickery being used in pushing negotiations with a controversial venture capital firm is bringing the continuing lack of ethical/moral public relations to a new low.
“The trickery and breach of ethics beyond their stonewalling us has, unfortunately, tarnished the laity’s view of the Archdiocese’s manner of operating,” said Neary. The Caritas Christi Health Care System, which is overseen by the Cardinal Archbishop, was caught in a particularly devious act committed by their Director of Media Relations, Chris Murphy, at the news conference announcing the Coalition’s formation, held in the Omni Parker House in Boston on July 27.
A Boston Globe article the following day reported: “Caritas spokesman Chris Murphy, who attended the event at the Omni Parker House in Boston, said most of the group’s complaints were unfounded”. The Globe article quoted Murphy: “The wild speculation engaged in today is absurd.” Neary responded to the article by saying: “Murphy has flagrantly mischaracterized the Coalition, but this is far from the end of the story.”
“What was particularly egregious is that Mr. Murphy had signed in by using a false identity, under a pseudonym,” Neary stated. “And worse still, when greeted by Coalition leaders at the start of the event, he identified himself as a Catholic layman who worked for the Bank of America, and he had come because of his interest in the subject. Mr. Murphy, under his alias, was welcomed”.
“To make matters even worse than that, with regard to his accusatory quote in the Boston Globe, he never asked a single question nor did he challenge any part of our presentation during the one-hour event,” Neary stated. “Not a solitary question, although it was made clear that we were there to be sure our stance was transparent and fully understood. Handouts included letters of strong objection to the Caritas negotiations with Cerberus Capital Management L.P. and its subsidiary Steward, which have been sent to Attorney General Martha Coakley. The Archdiocese, through this Cerberus connection, has embarked on a misguided course, but also it is causing further serious damage to its reputation”, Neary concluded.
The Coalition To Save Catholic Health Care includes Right To Life organizations in Virginia, Ohio, Illinois and California. All are committed to permanent Catholic ownership in order to retain the mission and practice of health care in the Roman Catholic tradition.
###
Why, assertions that they are removing Catholics from the healthcare industry are wild. Wild I tell you.
The archdiocese sent in their lackey under a false name and resorted to calling Ray Neary (who is an absolute gentleman) “wild” for alleging that the archdiocese and Cerebus are not being above board with the plans for Catholic identity.
What are the chances Fr. Erikson will get right on these false, degrading and defamatory actions by anonymous persons representing the archdiocese?
If there was ever a symbol of the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston – that blank wall is definitely it.
To get a little insight into this debacle please watch the following video.
A very clear three point pro life statement from the diocese is called for. To do less at this point is to be formally complicit in the murder of the innocent.
1.Abortion kills approximately 3,500 human beings in America everyday. It is the greatest evil in our country.
2.The Roman Catholic Church of Boston will not in any way offer abortion services and will immediately divest from any health care provider that promotes abortion for so-called contraceptive health services.
3. The Church of Boston understands fully that this is a bold step and that consequences may be far reaching.
If the Catholic Church in America must get out of the Hospital business in America because Abortion is a legal mandate for Obama care then what is the delay?
Be done with it and move on. Quit playing nice nice with the baby killers. Church teaching on the matter of abortion has been settled by biology. – Its a human, and you can’t kill it.
“adjudicate deeply held convictions and positions in this pluralistic society”
Judas was a bit of a go-between as well.
[...] and reports indicate that removal of other religious symbols is in process. A photo posted on another Catholic blog confirms the first part. So, it feels like it would be prudent for Caritas and archdiocese [...]
So are we supposed to believe that Mr. I’m-the-last-Catholic-in-Boston has a picture of Cardinal O’Malley in the entrance to his home? That he cares and respects human life that observes Church teachings and who has joined the Catholic Church through the workings of the Holy Spirit and the ordained hands of the priesthood? There are over a million of those in Boston. It is always easier to love those sweet unborn whom we have never met, than those pesky humans that walk around and attend our many good parishes in the area.
Dear Another Katholic in Boston.
Talk to Bill Cotter at operation rescue about the ease at which one loves the sweet unborn. I’d add more but it would only take away.
If it’s so easy to “love those sweet unborn we have never met,” why do we keep killing them in what has become another Holocaust?
And, if we really love those “pesky humans” you refer to, we will give them the truth. It is the truth which sets us free (John 8: 32), not lies.
I agree with LastCatholic that abortion is the greatest evil in our time. And Betty you are right that it is inconceivable why humanity is doing that, and as Catholics we all (there are other Catholics than Mr. LastCatholic) should boldly tell the truth. But we hurt our cause when we pro-Lifers are not respectful of the lives of our fellow Catholics. We don’t help the cause by being bastards and disrespectful to human lives as we tell the truth. I think what this blog is doing to Fr. Hehir, Cardinal O’Malley, and Fr. Erikson is shameful. Why the chancery bothers to ask the bloggers here to a discussion I can’t imagine. They are obviously not interested in actually finding out the truth. They would rather spend time conjecturing why things are not said, or focusing on the sins of the man sitting next to Fr. Hehir at a panel discussion, or trying to read things into small snippets of lengthy debate and discussion.
Dear Another Catholic:
Do you have some personal knowledge of what this blog is doing to Fr. Hehir, the Cardinal and Fr. Erikson? From what I see, they are snubbing their noses at this blog.
If telling the truth is being disrespectful, then by all means let’s show some respect and tell lies. Or ignore the truth. Is that what you prefer? Fr. Hehir’s words and his failure to speak are on the record. If anything posted about him is false, he owns it to himself, to the Cardinal, to the Church and to the laity of Boston to correct the record. He remains silent. What do you conclude from his silence?
This blog is very much interested in finding the truth and the Archdiocese has an open invitation to appear here and tell the truth. So far, no takers. And please don’t insinuate that by refusing to jump through the Archdiocese’s hoops and present themselves to the Chancery for interrogation and scolding, the bloggers are not interested in the truth.
Your remark about The Last Catholic having a photo of the Cardinal in his home is absurd.
Another Catholic in Boston is a grand model of charity and precision in dialogue. He accuses bloggers who stand with the Church’s Magisterium of being “bastards” who are disrespectful “as we tell the truth,” and then he [she?] asserts that we “are obviously not interested in actually finding out the truth.”
Which is it? We are telling the truth or we’re not interested in finding the truth? Which is it? We are to be charitable or we are to call one another ‘”bastards”?
Another Catholic in Boston shouldn’t post here if he [she] cannot refrain from ugly, hate-filled comments which are self-contradicting.
It’s encouraging to see that both the American Life League and the Renew America blog have picked up on this and are helping to publicize the problem. I hope that outraged Caritas Christi employees and patients make their voices heard as well.
Another Catholic,
Thanks for visiting the blog. I’m glad to hear that you agree with LastCatholic that abortion is the greatest evil in our time, and with Betty that it is inconceivable why humanity is doing that, and that we should boldly tell the truth.
Ferde, Betty, and others responded to your other comments better than I could have, so I will just expand on their comments briefly. Perhaps as a newcomer, you have missed some of the history. This blog is very much interested in finding and boldly telling and exposing the truth. The Archdiocese has an open invitation to comment here and correct us if there is something they feel is untrue, or tell the truth themselves. We had copied them on emails with blog posts since March and got no response. Six weeks have passed since they complained to us and no one has come back to tell us what they feel is inaccurate or untrue. For years we and others tried private letters, we have tried meetings, we have tried speaking with the Cardinal. Nothing has changed. The meeting proposed by the archdiocese had as primary agenda topic the archdiocese scolding us about why what we are doing is wrong, even though Pope Benedict XVI himself has encouraged use of new media, including blogging. There was to also be nobody in attendance with a record of addressing the fundamental concerns we have raised on behalf of faithful Catholics.
Sorry for repeating history, but I thought you should know that. As for our posting snippets from longer debates, those we have focused on here are the EXACT SAME ONES reported in the media when they have covered these events. That’s how we learned about them. If that’s what the media took aware from the event, then we feel it is fair and just to highlight them here, while also giving readers links to the full program if they want to check it out.
Is abortion really inconceivable?
The definitoin;
not conceivable: as a : impossible to comprehend b : unbelievable. — in·con·ceiv·abil·i·ty \-ˌsē-və-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun. — in·con·ceiv·able·ness …
Really all you need to do is watch one of Fr. Pavone’s excellent videos: this is my favorite, it has over 1.5 million views on youtube.
After watching this video, I think that an eight or nine year old child would comprehend what abortion is. (it would probably be quite disturbing, but I would defend any parents right to inform their children)
Abortion really is quite conceivable.
There is no great mystery involved here – the biology is straight forward and spiritually it is sin and evil at work.
What really is inconceivable:
A diocese that consistently panders to sworn pro aborts. A diocese that has strayed so far from Rome – that to some observers it has become a virtual quasi-catholic non profit agency. And most inconceivable a Catholic diocese that is apparently run by a collar wearing Harvard Professor who could perhaps be accused of having some mildly catholic leanings.
[...] July we reported how symbols of the Catholic faith were already being removed from public places at the hospital. (The front desk receptionist explained it to an inquiring [...]