TO?THE?EDITOR:
In response to Fr. Maynard’s letter to the editor on January 6, 2011 regarding Bishop Olmsted’s (Bishop of Phoenix) decision to revoke St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix affiliation with the Catholic Church, Fr. Maynard opines that the staff and patients of the hospital are being punished by the bishop, that the bishop’s decision was ill advised and an abuse of authority, and asks for “more compassion and less disciplinary directives.”
I disagree with Fr. Maynard’s statement that Bishop Olmsted’s actions were “canonically permitted yet ill advised.” I would argue that the good bishop’s actions were canonically required. According to news reports, the hospital system had a system-wide refusal of adhering to the ethical guidelines for healthcare, including artificial contraception, abortions and voluntary sterilization. The National Catholic Bioethics Center, in a commentary on the “Phoenix Case,” also agreed that the hospital was operating in a way contrary to Catholic moral teaching, and not in consultation with the local bishop.
Removing the Mass and the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament was, unfortunately, the hospital’s doing. Surely the Blessed Sacrament could not reside at a facility that performs abortions. I would vehemently argue that the adherence to and application of moral truths is never a lack of compassion or abuse of authority, and indeed it is quite the opposite. Speaking what is morally true is not only our obligation, but the fulfillment of charity, compassion, and respect.
Timothy G. Connelly, D.O.
Warwick
