Bishop Olmsted Tells Hospital In Can No Longer Call Itself Catholic

St. Joseph’s Medical Center can say that Bishop Olmsted didn't give them every chance to get things right, but they chose not to. & I can't say that I am surprized given what I reported yesterday about what American Life League uncovered about the parent corporation. The abortion wasn't an aberation, it is in line with how Catholic HealthCare West (CHW) normally operates while claiming to be Catholic.

Here is Bishop Olmstead's news conference.

News Conference at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, Dec. 21, 2010 from Diocese of Phoenix on Vimeo.

Bravo to Bishop Olmsted for standing up to bullies like the ACLU who are more concerned about an unconstitutional right to murder unborn babies than defending the Constitutional right to life & free expression of religion. (ACLU = Anti Chistian Liberties)

The fallout has only just begun. It will be interesting to see the reaction from Sr. Carol Keehan & the Catholic Health Association. I have a feeling that they aren't too happy over there & are busy working on a way to support CHW while making it sound like they uphold Catholic teaching. You can be sure it will be similar to their justification in supporting ObamaCare in tone & style.

The pro-abort "catholyc" groups' reaction will be very predictable & very much an attack condemning Bishop Olmsted for doing the right thing &, unlike them, upholding authentic Catholic teaching.

For me the following part of Bishop Olmsted's statement is the saddest: "In addition, other measures will be taken to avoid the impression that the hospital is authentically Catholic, such as the prohibition of celebrating Mass at the hospital and the prohibition of reserving the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel." Whether CHW will admit it or not, they have driven Jesus out of the hospital. There is no room for Jesus at CHW just like there was no room for Him at the Inn 2000 years ago. Part of why this is so sad for me is that I can remember when my grandfather was dying 24 years ago, being able to go to the chapel & know Jesus was there in the tabernacle was a great comfort to me.

& as someone with a deep devotion to San Giuseppe, this also breaks my heart at how CHW has betrayed everything that he stood for by what they are doing at St. Joseph's Medical Center.

CHW has sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. It has also betrayed all those religious who worked so hard to build the Catholic hospitals that CHW runs.

See also: Bishop Removes Catholic Tag on Hospital Doing Abortion
Praise, ridicule over abortion stance ‘doesn’t matter,’ only fidelity to Christ, says Phoenix bishop