As Cardinal Sean
groveled before Jews
last week, his hospital chain, Caritas Christi, bid to provide "health care" including abortion referrals. From the Feb. 27 Boston Globe,
Caritas bids to join state network of health insurers
Thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents may be getting a new health insurance option this spring under a proposed venture by the Caritas Christi Health Care network and a St. Louis-based company, Centene Corp.
At least one board member expressed concerns about the proposed Caritas-linked venture, called Commonwealth Family Health Plan, because Caritas, a six-hospital network affiliated with the Boston Archdiocese, does not perform abortions.
How will our female members be provided these reproductive s ervices?" said member Nancy Turnbull, an associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Those are not services Caritas provides."
In response, Caritas and Centene issued a joint statement late yesterday that said the new venture "will contract with providers, both in and out of the Caritas network, to ensure access to all services required by the authority, including confidential family planning services."
It's murder, your Eminence. Cardinal O'Malley can be contacted here. Pray that the Gay People's Republic of Massachusetts declines the bid
Good commentary from Phil Lawler:
"How Catholics do the pro-aborts’ work for them"
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/blog.cfm?id=373
Fellow Bostonians: When will you stop putting money in the Cardinal's basket? There's no law that you must support his sex-ed. Now that he's excommunicated himself by promoting abortion, put your money someplace where God's Grace is working.
Cyprian,
The Fifth precept of the Church states that we must contribute to the support of our pastors.
From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
•"to contribute to the support of our pastors;"
How does a Catholic in Boston not put money in the collection basket, yet still financially support ones pastor?
Just curious, not contrary.
.
Hi Dan,
That's a good question. I revisit that one often, and am open to receiving a fuller understanding.
You must support the Church and her pastors, yes. But the faithful are free to divert funds from their local bishop, for serious reasons, to other Catholics who are doing God's will. If you have found a good diocesan priest, support him. But you needn't give to the bishop's fund appeal.
St. Robert Bellarmine says, in a hypothetical discussion, that it would be licit to resist even the pope if he was destroying the Church. That is, to act in a way as to thwart his will. This would include, I'd assume, depriving him of material means of executing his will. This does not imply, however, that one may disobey his legitimate commands.
They're getting some heat:
They want to weasel around the problem: "While state regulators presented the proposed Caritas-Centene bid last week as a "joint venture," Caritas characterized its participation yesterday as a 'minority investment.' "
It is noted in the article that Caritas already abides by the law in providing "emergency contraception."
Question: If this deal is Catholic, why didn't we hear, "Caritas is entering into an agreement which states clearly in writing that we will provide no drugs or services contrary to Catholic law, and further, we will not provide referrals to any such drugs or services, including especially abortion and so-called 'emergency contraception.' "
Answer: Caritas / O'Malley know that such a statement will cost them the contract. It's about the money.
An analogy:
Bill produces only G-rated movies, Tom makes R and X. Bill and Tom form a joint venture to build movie theaters. Is Bill free from sin?
Bill is not free from sin in that scenario, but , and may I assume that you are talking about a pastor taking up a collection included in that collection is money for the Diocese,
When we put money in the collection basket, and this was told to me by my pastor who offers only the Traditional Latin Mass, we are fulfilling our obligation under the Law of God to contribute to the support of our pastors,
what happens to the money is not our problem.
If some of that money goes to the Chancery to be used for something sinful, we are not responsible, neither is the pastor.
We, in good faith and under moral obligation, give our tithe to the Church and have fulfilled our obligation in the fifth precept.
Therefore we are not cooperating in the sin of another who is abusing that trust.
Say an injured and hurt man knocks on our door one cold night, he begs for something to eat and a place to rest for awhile.
Out of Catholic Charity we do so.
Then the police knocks on our door and it turns out that this man is wanted for murder.
Kind of like Dr Mudd setting John Wilkes Booth leg after Booth had murdered Lincoln.
We were not aware that this man was a murderer yet we helped him.
Would this be aiding and abetting sin?
No.
You might say, Well, I know that the tithe that I give is going to help fund abortion in my diocese.
We do not know this for sure, and under canon law, "..the obligation takes precedence over the assumption."
If we have documented proof that our tithe goes to support baby murder, or sin, then we are obliged to not put out money, though.
This was told to me by our Traditionalist pastor.
God bless.
Hi Dan,
I don't think we have any disagreement. As for my "Bill and Tom" analogy, Bill is Caritas. I should have been more clear that I switched back to the original issue.
As for putting money in the basket at Mass, you have agreed that one may refrain for a serious reason. So, we agree. My reason for not giving to my diocese, and for not giving to Boston when I was in the archdiocese, is classroom sex-ed. They're teaching sodomy to grade-schoolers. Not on my dime!
[Aside: Sorry that your comment got held for review due to its length. I wish I had a way to route you around the spam check, but no. Please keep posting!]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03
/06/omalley_backs_caritas_venture
Today's article claims that Cardinal O'Malley can attempt this deal without compromising the teachings of the Church.
But no one seems to understand how that will be possible.
Expediency is a terrible thing.
Mary
A key phrase in the article is "cash strapped."
So, Caritas and Centene have formed a joint venture called Commonwealth Family Health Plan. Centene will fund baby murder, Caritas will not kill. Caritas will not profit from abortion directly, but will profit from the joint venture it enabled. What's the difference?
In a legitimate transaction, Caritas can receive payments from Blue Cross, an outfit that funds baby murder. Caritas does not thereby help BCBS profit. But Caritas is in a joint financial agreement with Centene, which likely has a rate agreement from Caritas in return for guaranteed business. This enables the venture which, in turn, enables the flow of money from the state to the abortionist. Hence, Caritas is facilitating the abortion transaction.
Here we go down the slippery slope. I'm sure the Obama administration is watching these type dealings closely to see if the bishops are going to fold when FOCA is implemented.
I am just fed up to the gills with these wishy-washy sons of the Church, all puffed up and full of themselves,failing to preach from the housetops the Law of God,failing to instruct by their example and hindering the work of the Catholic Church in defending life!!
Being a prolife physician, I KNOW what it means to stick my neck out for LIFE -to be excluded from positions, to be tolerated because I do NOT prescribe contraceptives, do not refer for abortion, no IVF, etc. I am happy - very happy- to endure these barriers for the sake of the unborn and the Church. I do not hold back my opinion on such serious matters when patient instruction is called for. I will NOT even consider towing the line for FOCA. I will go to jail forever before I capitulate on the law of God re: contraception and abortion. The way I figure it, I have enough 'baggage' of my own to present at the last judgement, and refuse to carry that of others with me eg.an abortion I condoned.
When the bishop folds, as this Cardinal O'Malley seems to be doing, the ground is taken out from under me. It is a grave harm to the Church,(even worse that questioning the Holocaust for which one bishop has been banned from countries!)May God have mercy on this Cardinal's soul in the day of judgement. Pathetic.Scandalous.Mercenary. Anti-Catholic.
Thanks Elizabeth. "When the bishop folds, as this Cardinal O'Malley seems to be doing, the ground is taken out from under me."
I strongly suspect that His Eminence is a destroyer as was his predecessor. The Church in Boston is being demolished, doctrinally, morally, and physically, little by little, so that the rank and file keep going along with it. It becomes struggle just to keep your faith. A physician like yourself will be left to twist in the wind.
Well, "twisting in the wind" is something I NEVER would do! As a very well educated and faithful traditional Catholic, my "Faith"(as what is handed down to me through the generations through the Church) NEVER waivers! It is the "faith" in a number of seemingly testosterone-deficient hierarchy which gives out and may even give up! In reality, adversity and opposition even from some who should be assisting my in our pro-life struggles, serve in the end to strengthen my resolve! Capitulating with the abortion industry in any way fails in the end, with much "twisting in the wind" as this misled Cardinal will soon find out. We all must intensify our prayers for him.
Hi Elizabeth,
It's an old phrase, applied to those left hanging from a tree by a lynch mob. I think you took it as blown about by every wind of false doctrine.
Thanks for the explanation! I had never heard that phrase before, but it certainly fits the situation! I will remember that one! My interpretation did give me a venue to launch a diatribe and vent even a little more over this situation, however, which turned out to be cathartic!! (;#)
It's a done deal:
"The vote came after Caritas-Centene assured the panel that women will have "ready access" to timely family planning services, with no primary care physician referral required. They also promised creation of a toll-free 800 customer service number that will provide women information about where they can get family planning and reproductive services -- and, in an emergency, will provide transporation to the nearest approriate facility."
THEY WILL TRANSPORT WOMEN TO THE "NEAREST APPROPRIATE FACILITY"
Cardinal Sean: It's murder.