Never mind that Catholic hospitals are more committed to serving the poor than other healthcare institutions. Liberals in Washington are opposing Catholic healthcare because it doesn’t include abortion, suicide, and support for homosexual lifestyles. These things, for the liberal, trump care for the poor.
Catholic hospital leaders said that changes in the medical and economic landscape could threaten service to millions of Americans in rural and suburban areas who might have no choices at all if their local hospital closed or shrank, and that Catholic partners — driven by a mission to serve the underserved — are uniquely fitted to help. The issue is not availability of abortion or consult to the dying, they say, which will still be available in secular institutions not that far away, but access to care at all.
“The Catholic health system is in many of the communities we’re in because other health care providers have not wanted to serve those communities and have not had a commitment to serve every human being,” said Peter Adler, a senior vice president at PeaceHealth, a Catholic hospital system based in the Pacific Northwest that is one of the bidders for the three hospitals in northwest Washington.
But critics said that Catholic hospitals do not, in fact, serve every human being because they deny certain reproductive services or end-of-life care that could help a dying patient end his or her suffering.
The “critic” they quote to convince you that Catholic healthcare must be stopped is a “Catholic lesbian” which is kind of like quoting Martin Luther, the German monk who led the 16th century protestant revolt in Germany, to ask his thoughts on Catholicism.
“It’s a collision course,” said Suzanne Holland, a science and values professor in the department of religion at the University of Puget Sound, referring to the potential of constriction in health care options from economic change, and at the same time restricted choice on moral grounds at hospitals operated through a lens of religious doctrine.
Professor Holland, a Catholic and a lesbian, said she already tried to avoid going to a Catholic hospital near her because she was concerned that administrators there would not recognize the rights of her civil union partner.
For the liberal, it’s more important (or, at least, just as important) that homosexuality be deemed sacred than for a child in poverty to get treatment for an illness like influenza, or for an injury like a broken femur from falling out of a tree. If homosexuality, abortion and suicide are not deemed to be sacred by a hospital, then that hospital must not be allowed to expand, according to Washington liberals.
Personally and spiritually speaking, Rick Santorum is quite the Passionist. What I mean is, he has a keen awareness that our sufferings have value to God and that we all have a share in the Cross of Jesus, with each other and for each other, out of love for each other and for the purpose of giving thanks and praise to God, Who is the source of all of our blessings. This is crystal clear in his article about Brendan Kelly.
When he writes things like this, I wonder what people who are not Catholic will think about it. Barack Obama speaks of God and faith frequently, but he is not criticized for it as Rick Santorum is. When a Democrat speaks about God and faith, it is either yawned at or considered a good thing. When Republicans like Rick Santorum do it, there is undeniable panic. (The same holds with Governor Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Tony Perkins, and other politicos who are people of faith.) People accuse Republicans of “theocracy.” There is a word for people who claim Republicans want “theocracy” when they speak as openly about God as Democrats do and when the same criticisms are not directed at Democrats. That word is “hypocrisy.”
So, what is it, exactly, that makes Brendan Kelly saintly? It is primarily that he is an innocent who made the choice to offer up his sufferings for others, in an act of love. Would that we would all do that, in our sufferings. America would surely be a better place in which to live if we would put the needs of others before ourselves, especially when doing so may cause us some discomfort.
What do I mean by “suffering offered for others?” It can be any kind of suffering, actually. I’m reminded of a video tweeted recently by Patricia Heaton.
While he was imprisoned in Rome, St. Paul wrote to the Church at Colossæ:
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.– Colossians 1:24
Rick says that he believes Brendan Kelly is a saint, and the basis he offers is sound, at least for us Catholics. My greatest sorrow is that so few people, even many Catholics who were poorly catechized, realize that our sufferings may have graces attached to them if we offer them up in union with the sufferings of Christ. The Santorums understand this, and I am grateful that they do. That they do shows their genuine compassion for those who suffer, because they see that each of us has this role in God’s plan of love. In this, their Catholic Faith is truly authentic.
How might all of this translate to policy if Rick Santorum were to become president? It doesn’t really have a translation to policy except in the context of freedom. You read that right. Freedom. There is a very good passage on suffering in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that speaks of the inherent “mystery of lawlessness” and the “mystery of religion.”
God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil. Where does evil come from? “I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution”, said St. Augustine, and his own painful quest would only be resolved by his conversion to the living God. For “the mystery of lawlessness” is clarified only in the light of the “mystery of our religion”. The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace. We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him who alone is its conqueror.
It is only in the “mystery of religion” that the “mystery of lawlessness” is “clarified.” A moral society does not need as many laws as an immoral society does. Further, we are not going to have a moral society as long as we keep propping up people who insist that it is the role of government to “end suffering” for us. While it is true that there is a collective responsibility to bring healing in society, the more religion is removed from that role, the more lawlessness there will be, because, as the catechism rightly says, it is through religion that we understand lawlessness with full clarity.
Where morality is unwelcome or illegal, immorality will automatically rule. Where immorality rules, lawlessness (in God’s eyes) becomes the law of civil government. That is how we end up with unjust laws. On the other hand, the more freedom people have to do what they believe to be God’s will, and of course, the more committed they are to doing God’s will, the less need there is for government. This is why it is important for our leaders to speak openly about faith in God. It is God who will bring healing to America, through His love and through our love for each other, not government. Certainly, there must be laws to protect the innocent from the corrupt, but those laws must be just laws. Otherwise, the innocent become criminals.
Rick Santorum gets this, I know, because he speaks so frequently about the importance of our mediate institutions in society (non-profits of all kinds) in ministering to people in need. It is the “mystery of religion” that relies firmly on freedom of conscience which brings light to society. The “mystery of religion” is the “clarity” that shines light on the “mystery of lawlessness.”
Just as Brendan Kelly’s free choice, as a matter of conscience, to offer his sufferings for Bella and others was truly redemptive, so will our efforts on behalf of each other in a free society be redemptive for our country. It is not “theocracy” to simply allow people to do what they believe to be God’s will. It is tyranny, though, for the civil law to prevent people from doing what they believe to be God’s will.
I hope some of this makes sense. If you don’t understand, feel free to ask for elaboration in the comments.
Thank you, Rick, for understanding the Passion…and for everything that you and your family do to make it known. If any Santorums are reading this, I hope you approve of what I wrote here. I never seem to get this right enough to suit myself.
It is being reported by her brother that Michelle Knight wishes to be reunited with the son who was taken from her by authorities before she was abducted by Ariel Castro. Her son was conceived as a result of a gang rape that occurred before she was abducted. Ariel Castro is being charged with killing five of Michelle’s children conceived in rape during his imprisonment of her and two other women, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus.
Today, I’d like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to Michelle Knight. I pray that she is reunited with her son.
The truth appears to be coming out on the failures of the U.S. State Department in regard to the attack on America’s diplomatic mission in Benghazi. In light of this, I thought you might like to have some information on the Catholic Church in Libya and a timeline of (mostly) Vatican news articles on Libya. Regardless of anything else, it is clear to me that Barack Obama should not have sought to depose Qaddafi to begin with…and regardless of what is decided in regard to the attack on the embassy in Benghazi, Libya has fallen to forces far more evil than Qaddafi was. Let’s not forget that. I have no opinion on the current president of Libya, but those who toppled Qaddafi have no concern for human life except among those who are Muslims. Most seem to be more interested in money and power than in “freedom.” This “revolution” has nothing to do with freedom whatsoever. There is no freedom where there is war against Christendom.
Background on Christianity in Libya
Click here for some fascinating details about the history of the Church in Libya from the very beginning of Christianity.
Here are some excerpts:
The beginnings of the Church in Libya go back to the origins of Christianity itself. One recalls Simon of Cyrene who helped Christ carry the cross (Mk 15, 21). On the day of Pentecost, there were in Jerusalem, some devout men coming from Libya, belonging to Cyrene (Ac 2,10). After the persecution of Jerusalem, it was some citizens from Cyprus and Cyrene who carried the Good News of Jesus to the Greeks (Ac 11,20). According to the tradition of the Coptic Church in Egypt, St. Mark would be originally from Cyrene.
The Church in Cyrene unfortunately became very famous because of the heretic Arius who came from Tolemaidis.
The Church in North Africa reached its glorious climax with the appearance of St. Augustine, born in Tagaste (Souk-Ahras, Algeria) on 13th November 354.
The rapid conquests of the arab-muslims, between the 7th and 12th centuries, gradually obliterated christianity from North Africa. The ecclesiatical history of North Africa under the Arab domination during these centuries is obscure and so scant as to make it extremely difficult even to delineate.
In 1219 while St Francis departed to Egypt, his followers in 1224-25 went to Morocco where they were martyred. They were present although occasionally in Tunisia and from1628 permanently also in Libya to assist the Christian slaves. The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels) in the Old City – Medina of Tripoli was foundedin1645 and, with the permission of the Sultan of Constantinople, the Church of the Immaculate Conception was founded in Benghazi in 1858. From 1641 the first Apostolic Prefecture was actually constituted with the series of Apostolic Prefects up to 1943 when the Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli was constituted and from 1927 that of Benghazi.
Timeline of Vatican articles on Libya.
It is important to note for non-Catholics who, in my experience, are frequently unaware of this point, that news reports from the Vatican are not doctrinal statements. We Catholics don’t have to agree with statements made here, generally speaking, but it is wise to trust that these statements are being accurately reported. I offer here my own summaries. Click the links for the original articles.
“Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. May she help us free ourselves from the ‘plague’ of bombs and all sorts of violence. Blessed John Paul II suffered violence and Our Lady of Fatima saved him. As Pastor I invoke the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Francis so our leaders may convince themselves to take the path of negotiation and peace, ” Archbishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli says to Fides. Archbishop Martinelli also states that “the prayer to Our Lady of Fatima is important because it is also known by the Muslim world” The Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli declares, however, disappointed: “As far as I know, there is no attempt to dialogue. This worries me, because we want to solve everything with force. But force never brings positive results.” “Last night bombings were less intense than the two previous nights. The problem is that bombings provoke civil victims. The radio transmits appeals from mothers and children who asked not to be bombed, ” concludes Bishop Martinelli.
May 16, 2011, Pope Benedict calls for an end to the violence in Libya.
After praying the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father remarked that he continued “to follow with great apprehension the dramatic armed conflict in Libya, which has caused a great number of victims and suffering above all among the civil population. I renew a pressing call that the path of negotiation and dialogue prevail over that of violence, with the help of the international organisations that are seeking a solution to the crisis. I assure, furthermore, my prayerful and heartfelt participation in the local Church’s undertaking to help the population, in particular through consecrated persons present in the hospitals”.
May 26, 2011, a Catholic priest who helps refugees says European countries, USA, Canada, Australia must increase their quotas for refugees attempting to leave Libya. “We need to accelerate reception procedures.” A refugee camp is “assaulted from Libya.”
June 2, 2011, Vatican Radio reported that the UN-backed NATO campaign’s mission in Libya was to protect civilians during the rebellion to oust Qaddafi. It is reported that both sides, rebels and Qaddafi forces, have committed “war crimes” but that the Qaddafi forces’ war crimes are “more severe.”
June 4, 2011, Bishop Martinelli says, “We were astonished by the failure of international diplomacy and, perhaps, by its prejudice that makes dialogue impossible with the leadership of Tripoli,” and he warns, “Wanting to divide Libya means to create breeding ground for terrorist acts.”
June 6, 2011, Bishop Martinelli says that an Italian cemetery has been desecrated.
On June 3, unknown assailants attacked the Italian cemetery in Tripoli, causing extensive damage without being able to penetrate into the rooms where the ossuaries are. On the walls there were writings against NATO and the allied bombings in progress on Libya, as well as insulting and threatening messages.
June 14, 2011, Fides reports on a statement from Bishop Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, in Libya: “Speaking to some journalists one has the impression that Italy does not talk much of the war in Libya, an event that has become uninteresting. On many other occasions events are organized, for the war in Libya, no. I therefore believe that the war in Libya has been put in the background on behalf of NATO countries, although they still continue the bombings.”
June 24, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli is saddened by a NATO strike on a family home.
According to radio Libyan there are 19 victims, mostly women”, says the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, who concludes confiding: “I am more and more bitter because you cannot see the will to find a peaceful solution to the crisis”.
June 22, 2011, Vatican Radio reports that China is beginning to establish ties with Libyan rebels and that Italy’s foreign minister wants hostilities to end so that aid can start pouring into Libya.
June 27, 2011, Vatican Radio reports that the rebels are coming to Tripoli. “Gaddafi’s government remains defiant,” the report says. Libyans are arriving in Tripoli by ship from Benghazi while the Red Cross is transporting people by ferry from Tripoli to Benghazi.
June 29, 2011, the ICC wants Qaddafi’s government to hand Qaddafi over for trial, but NATO “does not have any mandate to carry out an arrest of Gadhafi.”
July 4, 2011, Fides reports, and Bishop Martinelli expresses that the people support Qaddafi. He is praying for reconciliation.
My thoughts also turn to Libya, where the force of arms has not resolved the situation. I urge international organizations and all who have political and military responsibilities to relaunch with conviction, through effective negotiation and constructive dialogue, the search for a plan for peace for the country.
August 9, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli is praying that Qaddafi and the people of Libya are reconciled.
August 30, 2011, Vatican Radio reports “Libya faces distressing humanitarian situation” as “Libya’s rebels accused Algeria of an act of aggression for admitting the fleeing wife of Muammar Gaddafi and three of his children.”
August 31, 2011, Bishop Martinelli hopes for reconciliation between Qaddafi and the Libyan people. He expresses that reconciliation is what the people of Libya want.
September 13, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli believes the new government will be “moderate” and he says that he is “eager and anxious to return to Libya” after a stay in Italy.
September 16, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli believes that Libya has changed for the better, saying, “For the moment I can only speak for Tripoli, because I do not know what is happening in the rest of the country, but my first impression is positive: there is an atmosphere of tranquility and peace.”
September 20, 2011, Bishop Martinelli says, “We are ready to cooperate with the authorities for the sake of Libya.”
September 24, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli is inviting the Apostolic Nuncio, who lives in Malta, to come to Libya.
October 3, 2011, the situation in Qaddafi’s hometown is “desperate,” according to the International Red Cross.
October 21, 2011, the Holy See Press Office issues a statement on the death of Qaddafi and reminds the world that the Vatican “recognises States and not governments.” Further, the Vatican states, “For this reason the Holy See has not proceeded in establishing a formal recognition of the National Transitional Council (CNT) as the government of Libya. Given that the CNT is now acting effectively as the government in Tripoli, the Holy See considers it the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, in conformity with international law.”
October 22, 2011, L’Osservatore Romano reports that the death of Qaddafi is “probably, the end of the war, to the point that NATO is considering announcing the end of the mission.”
October 27, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli says, ”Libya has a tradition of being a balanced country, religious, and that has never been fundamentalist.” Bishop Martinelli then goes on to say that he believes Sharia law as a basis for Libya’s constitution (which is a fundamentalist view) is a “positive” thing.
December 17, 2011, the ICG says 125,000 Libyans are armed and are fighting in militias.
December 22, 2011, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli says, “the local population is serene.”
January 8, 2012, “Bombs, kidnappings and assaults in prisons: security in Benghazi, the capital of Cyrenaica (eastern Libya) still seems precarious after about 9 months since the end of the civil war and the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime.”
January 24, 2012, Fides reports “Explosions and gun shots near the Mahary Hotel” and “since Friday 20 there are shootings in Tripoli every night.”
May 9, 2012, We are told that many militia members were promised to be paid to fight against Qaddafi and they are now angry they are not getting the money.
“It was not the militants of Yafran to attack the seat of government, but those of Zeltan” say to Fides qualified sources from Tripoli, in Libya, where yesterday, May 8, a militia group attacked the headquarters of the Libyan government asking for the payment of fees owed to them for having fought for eight months against Muammar Qaddafi and his regime. The 200 militants had arrived on board of about 50 vehicles equipped with weapons of different calibers, including some anti-aircraft guns: they surrounded the seat of government, blocked all the surrounding roads and after firing the first gusts of intimidation and attempted to unnecessarily start a negotiation, they raided the building.
March 23, 2012, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli says everything is fine. “Come to Libya to help us, the situation is not as tragic as some describe it to be.”
June 5, 2012, Fides reports that Bishop Martinelli says, “The situation is calm again. When we left this morning at 7 am after Mass, we did not notice anything special” after a conflict over control of a civilian airport. Bishop Martinelli echoes Pope Benedict XVI in calling for “courage” among the Christians of Libya.
June 12, 2012, Vatican Radio reports that an ICC legal team has detained after having attempted to assure a fair trial for Qaddafi’s captured son, Saif al-Islam Qadhafi. The report mentions that the British ambassador to Libya was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades.
June 13, 2012, Fides reports on bombs, blood…and Bishop Martinelli saying, “everything seems normal, shops are open…”
July 8, 2012, a Vatican news report that has since been removed from the website quotes Bishop Martinelli: “We must not be surprised if there are problems, but we trust the Libyans.”
July 10, 2012, Vatican Radio quotes Ian Martin, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, who gives a hopeful report about the elections in Libya.
August 10, 2012, Fides reports generally on the election of Mohamed al-Magariaf as President of the National Assembly in Libya.
September 12, 2012, Vatican Radio reports on the US condemnation of the killing of Ambassador Chris Stevens. The article promotes the statement of the Council on American-Islamic Relations which makes the same false claim about an “offensive video” that was made by the White House.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Hooper, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says the mob which have attacked the consulate are just giving more publicity to the person they feel insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
“It’s not Muslims in general”, he said. “It’s a tiny minority of Muslims who are reacting in the wrong way to intentional provocation.”
September 12, 2012, the Holy See Press Office releases a statement from Fr. Lombardi on peaceful co-existence among people of different religions.
September 13, 2012, Vatican Radio – Vatican: Firm condemnation of US consulate attack in Libya.
September 13, 2012, an unfortunate article from L’Osservatore Romano blaming the video and stating: The United States ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, an official and two marines were killed yesterday night when the American consulate in Bengasi was attacked. According to the international press the ambassador and the other three Americans were killed by a rocket fired at their car. The Libyan authorities state that the victims died inside the consulate.”
Fr. Lombardi pitches the side of Islamists and the White House in strong condemnation of the video, blaming it for the attack, arguably more so than the people who actually did the attacking.
“The serious consequences of unjustified offence and provocations against the sensibilities of Muslim believers”, he stated, “are once again evident in these days, as we see the reactions they arouse, sometimes with tragic results, which in their turn nourish tension and hatred”.
September 14, 2012, an unfortunate article blaming the video for the attack and saying arrests have been made by Libyan authorities. The report relies on information from BBC reporter Nathan Morley.
September 22, 2012, another unfortunate article blaming the video and mentioning both “protestors” and “militias.”
December 17, 2012, the borders with four other countries are closed as southern Libya is declared a “closed military zone” by the Libyan General National Congress.
January 25, 2013, Fides reports “Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia have urged their citizens to leave Benghazi immediately for fear of imminent terrorist attacks”
January 31, 2013, Spero News reports that Christians are fleeing Libya due to threats from Islamists. The article quotes Bishop Martinelli.
January 31, 2013, Fides reports that the Congregation of the Holy Family of Spoleto and the Franciscan Sisters of the Child Jesus are driven out of Cyrenaica by Islamists.
February 11, 2013, Middle East Online (not a Catholic source) reports:
“Not a day goes by without tombs being vandalised,” says Dalmasso Bruno, caretaker of the Italian cemetery in the Libyan capital where Christians fear rising Muslim extremism.
“Human bones have been taken out of their tomb and scattered across the cemetery” in central Tripoli, he said. “The Libyan authorities came and took pictures. They promised to take measures but nothing has been done.”
Since the 2011 fall of Moamer Gathafi’s regime, the small Christian community’s fears for its safety have increased, especially after a church bombing in December killed two people in the Mediterranean town of Dafniya.
March 15, 2013, the Coptic Church in Benghazi is set on fire by “unknown assailants.” The Copts were reportedly being punished for “proselytizing.” Fr. Lombardi calls for “dialogue” and “shared and peaceful coexistence among religions and peoples”.
April 24, 2013, a car bomb explodes at the French embassy in Tripoli, and two nuns, Little Sisters of Jesus of Charles de Foucauld, are killed in a car crash near Tripoli.
Pro-”choice” activists call Leroy Carhart a “hero.” PHOTO: JillStanek.com
Today, Live Action Films has released a fourth video in the “Inhuman” investigation series which documents the brutality of late-term abortion in America. The latest video features Dr. Leroy Carhart of Nebraska being visited by two separate undercover Live Action investigators, both of whom were pregnant women at 22 and 24 weeks gestation. Carhart is one of four late-term abortionists in America “canonized” at the Sundance Film Festival.
Watch Live Action’s investigation of Leroy Carhart in the video below:
Carhart described his practice as a late-term abortionist in a 2011 interview as the will of God.
I was brought up in a family that was religious. My wife and I were active in the church until it became too dangerous for us to go— George [Tiller] and I used to joke about that. I went a couple of times with him, but I don’t go to any church actively now. I don’t think you have to go to a church to be a religious person. I think if you’re asking do I believe in God, yeah, I do. I think what I’m doing is because of God, not in spite of God.
I think it’s no different than with someone who has had a heart attack: If we were to save their life are we going against God’s will because if medicine didn’t intervene, the patient was going to die? Is that what God wants, for a person to die? That’s not an issue, not a question. It’s the same thing with a flawed pregnancy. People wouldn’t think God created a flawed pregnancy to punish or test the parents. I think that it’s just like any other medical condition, something that happens. God has provided us with a way to educate people to help take care of it. I think that because a certain, small group of people don’t believe in it doesn’t mean that it’s not the right thing to do.
Carhart has been described to me by his own staff as the “most evil person” they have ever encountered. Even Mr. Stave [an owner of the Maryland clinic where Carhart works], who continues to be instrumental in the damage and death of women and babies in Maryland, has described how he loathes Carhart. But I guess Carhart pays the rent.
Please share Live Action’s “Inhuman” investigation with others to show the world what “choice” in abortion really looks like, and be sure to sign the included petition.
Click here to read articles about Leroy Carhart by pro-life nurse and blogger Jill Stanek.
Click here to read articles about Leroy Carhart at Live Action.
Click here to read articles about Leroy Carhart at Life News.
