Folks, I'm convinced that we've just been hoodwinked. Cardinal O'Malley claims to have reviewed the Caritas plan, and to have chosen the Catholic option to move ahead. I suspect that, besides some "legalese," nothing has substantially changed.
Consider two quotes, the first of which extols serving the poor (article):
'The goal of this review was to ensure that Caritas Christi could serve the poor through a plan for participation in the Connector that is in complete accordance with Catholic moral teaching,' said Cardinal O'Malley. (emphasis added)
The "Connector" is the name for the Massachusetts plan to kill the poor. Any entity that receives money from the State via the Connector must agree to murder the poor. Caritas is no longer that entity, legally, for the partnership is ended. Hence, it's a done deal, and Caritas has clean hands, right?
Not so fast. Didn't Caritas actively enable CeltiCare to obtain the State contract? What should be the penance for that? How about denouncing the Connector plan as evil? Maybe it could go like this:
Cardinal O'Malley publicly decried the Connector plan as a brazen attempt by the State to exterminate low-income persons, and to coerce greater participation in abortion and sterilization. Then he added, "We are pleased that Caritas Christi could serve the poor through a plan for participation in the Connector."
That would make perfect sense, right?The fundamental problem is that Caritas is yet participating in the Connector. This is still more than just fee for service, I think. Someone with the mind of St. Thomas Aquinas needs to look at this more closely. It seems clear to me that Caritas (O'Malley) is consenting to the Connector, thereby sharing in the State's criminal activity.
The second quote gives a different perspective on the withdrawal from the contract (article):
"The dramatic reduction of new potential enrollees in the Connector plan due to the sudden elimination of auto-enrollments presented a substantial financial risk due to our involvement in the insurance partnership. We faced additional risk based on the fact we had made investments in physicians and support staff to handle the additional patients from the Connector. Our decision to withdraw from the insurance partnership allows us to mitigate our risk."
Brilliant! Caritas is acting Catholic again, while protecting it's finances at the same time.
Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture?
I suspect you are right on this. Time will tell.