Caritas ends venture over abortion issue

Great....now sick poor people can not get health services because of the church. Nice!!!

Good.

In this world where compromising ones morals and beliefs is far more the rule than the exception, I am pleased to see the archdiocese standing true to its principles and for its courage to stand up on behalf of those who have no one to stand for them, children not yet born. And before you launch an attack on me and my comment, realize that the church stands up for the right to life and dignity of life of those who attack it as well.

My understanding was that the original purpose of this venture was to allow Caritas to comply with the requirements for receiving federal funding without getting too involved in procedures that it found distasteful, and a good deal of thought went into drafting protocols to enable the hospital to participate without violating either medical precepts or federal laws. If the Cardinal has now applied his own distinctive mind to the problem of how to get that money without sullying his doctrine, I believe that the full arrangement between the parties should be publicly disclosed so that one can verify that the other legal and medical requirements are still met. It is not simple to define a degree of cooperation that is close enough to avoid compromising medical care, yet not so close as to offend an ecclesiastical conscience and also not so separate as to compromise medical care. If the Cardinal has looked only at one factor - his conscience which makes black-and-white judgements - and has no expertise in the others which involve compromising medical care, about which he knows nothing, then maybe he should reexamine the original question whether the church should get out of the hospital busness altogether.

"The Cardinal's role in reviewing and seeking additional guidance on this proposal is rooted in his responsibility to ensure the Catholic identity and moral character of institutions affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston, including Caritas Christi."

shame on you, O'Malley! Moral character my @rse! How's your moral "branding" going? This is why a lot of Catholics have left the church- everything is reviewable by these so-called theocrats who are nothing but politicians in robes, while the people who foot the bill for it all are not allowed any oversight.

"Imagine...nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too." -J.L.
Religious nuts are ruining the world as much as any other negative group.

Usually i find Michael Paulson an even-handed, unbiased reporter on these issues. That is why i am surprised and dismayed with some of the rhetoric he used in his report on the Caritas-Centene issue"

"is a vindication of sorts for a variety of very conservative Catholic critics of the cardinal, who have been arguing angrily and loudly that it would be "evil" for Caritas to partner with a health provider that covers abortion services."

Yes, those critics might be described as "conservative," although I think 'orthodox' is more accurate. But whence the odd use of the modifier "very?" That to me betrays a bias. Ditto with the words "angrily" and "loudly;" most of the advice which i read was reasonable, not angry, and was no louder than anything else on the
internet. Sounds like the writing of someone whose 'side' has 'lost.'

Mike... It is estimated that 30% of all hospitals in the US are Catholic hospitals so what do you thing would happen to medical care if the catholic church was to get out out the hospital business as you are suggesting?

"Great....now sick poor people can not get health services because of the church. Nice!!!

Posted by Wildbill77"

wildbill, if you read the article, the same poor people will get health services as before, just that Caritas/the Church will not be part owner of the insurance co.

"The Catholic Church wants to save all the fetuses so they can molest them later on in life."

Posted by You

You, "the Catholic Church" has never molested anyone. Only a small percentage of criminal, sinful sick priests did; that does not invalidate the Church's teaching, which is Jesus' teaching, to love every human being, prior to and after birth, including you, You. You're throwing the babies out with the bathwater.

Mike wrote:

"If the Cardinal has now applied his own distinctive mind to the problem of how to get that money without sullying his doctrine,..."

This is a common mistake some non-Catholics and even some Catholics make. The doctrine being applied is not Sean O'Malley's, nor is it Pope Benedict XVI's. It is the doctrine of the Catholic Church, which we Catholics believe to be the teaching of Jesus Christ as found in Sacred Scripture and ruminated on and clarified in the traditional, handed-down teaching of the Church. Pope and bishops are only communicators, promulgators of this doctrine, as much as a mathematics professor might enuntiate "2+2=4", and if that professor or bishop announced anything else, they would be wrong and safely ignored.

At no time, should a Catholic ever exploit the poor by "providing them" with "services" that are morally evil when their circumstances are such that they are distraught because of finances and considering irrational services that oppose God. Uneducated, uncatechized and emotionally upset persons will now, still, be able to obtain advice that is completely consistent with the Catholic Church. The Truth, the Whole Truth and NOTHING but the Truth. Catholics, from here and hopefully into perpetuity in Massachusetts will be able to practice medicine without violating their conscience.

If society wants to exploit the poor by telling them to kill their children - they have plenty of places to go in Massachusetts - and, we can provide many services that are healthy, wholesome, holy and righteous.

This miracle - and it is a miracle - was assisted through the intercession of Pope John Paul II. Boston Catholics are eternally grateful for his presence, his strength, his prayers, his coalition, his guidance and his petitions to the Lord on our behalf.

Thank you Papa!

Catholic Church = living in the DARK AGES

The last two Archbishops of Boston have been singular for their negative impact on the Church.

Law appeared to be a politician who never truly understood the moral dimension of much of anything.

O'Malley is clearly overmatched intellectually and not supported by an adequate staff (quality, not numbers). I'm also uncomfortable with some of his moral judgments such as moving the Chancery (with all the costs involved beyond Tom Flatley's donated building) or getting a new cardinalatial cape when his "good and faithful" priests are being harried about their underfunded pensions. Sad

Horray for Cardinal O'Malley! You did the RIGHT THING! In a time when political leaders and many in charge do the selfish thing when given the chance, it is refreshing to learn that someone still stands for principled leadership and morals. This is why the Catholic church (minus the rare scandalous acts of a few) will outlive the current moral decay America is suffering from, and will be there when we revive ourselves as a nation of people with good morals and care for our fellow man, who proudly defend innocent babies from selfish money-grabers disguised as "healthcare providers" (abortionists).

Thank you again Cardinal O'Malley!

Mr. O'Malley is an idiot.

Thank God and thank you Cardinal O'Malley. You have probably saved many lives. God Bless you.

"Moral concerns will trump monetary concerns at the Catholic hospitals," so reports Michael Paulson, which in the secular worldview the bottom line trumps rules dreamed up by celibate men in Rome. Mike expresses deep concern that Catholic hospital medical care will be compromised, meaning "women's health," which includes any anxiety she may have about giving birth to an "unplanned" child. It would be a tragic compromise not to alleviate it with a medical procedure involving the killing of the unborn child, whose existence was no fault of its own, but rather the poor "planning" of the mother. Thank "you," for the extraordinary insight: the Church setup Caritas to turn over grown up fetuses to be molested by priests, nuns and other Catholics. Obviously, its "black and white”—the sexually repressed clergy needs its playtime just like everybody else, but they’re to hypocritical to admit it. Got it!

Let the poor die to save the fetuses. Amen.

"Great....now sick poor people can not get health services because of the church. Nice!!!"

Hey, Wildbill you should actually say that now sick poor people can not get health services because of the LIBERAL SOCIALIST PRO BABY KILLERS ABORTIONISTS THAT WANT TO IMPOSE TO THE CHURCH THEIR IMMORAL KILLING PRACTICES. Now that is being truthful!!! Also, if the Catholic Church is so bad why do you care about the way they handle their business?

Posted by You's comment is hate speech and should be withdrawn.

Good for Cardinal O'Malley. It's about time someone stood up to declare what the Catholic church was all about. In an age where this immoral life philosophy rules, such as that professed by earlier commentatators on this thread, I find it refreshing to see the church stand apart from these unholy atheists.

If you are uninsured and does not have insurance, you should check out the website http://UninsuredAmerica.blogspot.com -California

Call me crazy but once the Catholit Church covered up the sex abuse by it's priests I think that lose there right to take the moral high ground on any issue.

Well Kurt, please permit me to oblige. You're definitely crazy. The Catholic Church, an arbiter of moral evils in the public square is distinct from the conduct of corrupt who violate it's precepts. Whether it is sexual abuse of children or killing them - we're here to remind one and all about the precepts. In fact, as people violate them, it's all the more important to speak about them.

Thank you, Cardinal O'Malley, for doing the right thing! God bless you for standing up for unborn children and for not participating in their killing.

If you think that the Church is being unreasonable in defending the unborn child's right to live - you were once an unborn child yourself, so give to others what you've been given - life!!

And, yes, the Church DOES care about pregnant mothers and probably does more to help them than any other organization.

Praise the Lord! The prayers of millions have been answered. Thank you Cardinal O'Malley.

"Catholic Church = living in the DARK AGES"

Posted by factsNOTfiction

Actually, factsnotfiction, you are correct, the Catholic Church was living in the Dark Ages--those ages are usually thought of as 500-900 AD, after the fall of Rome, before the revival of Medieval culture. In fact, it was the monks of the Catholic Church who preserved western culture during those centuries of barbarian
invasions. The Church was 'living' prior to the Dark Ages, and was after, in the High Middle Ages, founding the universities and the beginnings of the physical sciences of which our modern culture is so fond. So, you use the words "living in the Dark Ages" as an insult, when you are apparently ignorant that this is actually a compliment, that the Church takes the valid insights from the ancients, Scripture, the medievals, to give a solid foundation to modern discoveries, especially the truth that every human being, prior to and after birth, is made in
the image and likeness of God, and therefore has an inherent inalienable dignity.

Gaudete at #6 - I agree with you that Michael Paulson should not be labeling people who are against abortion as "very conservative Catholics." Those Catholics who oppose abortion are simply "Catholic."

For as long as there has been a Catholic Church, it has opposed abortion. There is a Christian document from the 1st century, called the "Didache," in which abortion is condemned. Every human person, including those not yet born, have a right to life.

This is a great thing! Everyone has opinions but firm convictions say it all!
If I owned a clinic, hospital, etc. I would always provide dignity and respect and care for all. There would be no harm done to anyone just as I do with my own young family. The medical field is in trouble regarding true care and the US government is going to make it a disaster. Results of abortion are devastating
to so many poor babies and their parents. Someday we will see life as a joy!

I hope that Partners crushes Caritas and drives them out of business.

The catholic church has no right to deny legal options to women.

Anyone who doesn't want to provide legal services like birth control or abortion needs to get out of obstetrics. Period.

Some day people are going to wake up and see the catholic church for the sexist, outdated, hate filled, holocaust supporting, power hungry machine that it is. Luckily it won't be soon since most people, especially the very religious are SHEEP.

Posted by gaudete June 26, 09 09:43 PM
Posted by Peter June 27, 09 11:08 AM

Gaudete, Mr. Pauson's description of the "very conservative" was pretty accurate, though it would have been more accurate to deem them as "radical reactionary". And your church would like nothing more than a return to the Dark Ages, a time when it had far more political power than it now does.

Peter, did you support Bush and McCain in the last 2 Presidential elections? If so, how do you square your statement about everyone's right to life with the massive Iraqi death toll wrought by Bush and cheered by McCain?

C...
Some day people are going to wake up and see the catholic church for the sexist, outdated, hate filled, holocaust supporting, power hungry machine that it is. Luckily it won't be soon since most people, especially the very religious are SHEEP.

That statement makes you a BIGOT and a participant in HATE SPEECH...which as we all know is not allowed anymore thanks to people like...C I suggest you do the right thing and turn yourself in to face the criminal charges you rightly deserve to face. Tit for Tat C...Tit for Tat

1. I am against "choice" after the conception of a child. The available "choices" were made before conception, and, as with most choices, some choices preclude others. Abortion, as a casual choice, is murder.

2. I am not a conservative Catholic, a very conservative Catholic or even a church -attending Catholic, but I think I qualify as a political Libertarian. :)

3. The hate spewed in these posts is sad.

4. The INSTITUTIONAL Catholic Church has marginalized itself but the Mystical Body of Christ remains----thank God. :)

Dear C,

In the waxing and waning and ups and downs of moral philosophy in societies, the Catholic Church has never given a rat's patoot about whether we have political power. We ride the waves and the storms and we are always here to put the power of the truth into the public square so people can choose whether to take it or leave it. Lots of times throughout history societies have granted themselves license to kill or enslave people. That's when the radical reactionaries rise to the occasion. You never have and never will silence us. Insults, spittle and even executions haven't been able to do it throughout history.

Posted by Kurt June 27, 09 05:29 AM
Posted by Carol June 27, 09 09:35 AM

Wrong, Carol. Kurt is absolutely correct. The Catholic Church is not the arbiter of moral evils. It cannot be when it has been an active, willing participant in in the heinous evil of child rape on any level, let alone the virtually pandemic level uncovered over this past decade. Neither your corrupt hierarchy nor those of you who support it occupy any moral high ground whatsoever. If you want to claim some unique divinely based moral authority, you damned well better walk that walk. The Catholic Church doesn't come remotely close.

Posted by CCH June 27, 09 02:22 PM

So your church isn't sexist? Doesn't hate, frequently with a vengeance? Is current in matters of human rights and science? Put their lives on the line to fight the holocaust, including today's deniers? Isn't power hungry?

Where are the inaccuracies, and which Massachusetts or US law did C violate? Please reference the statute number and quote it appropriately.

"Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate". This is the Latin expression often termed Occam's Razor, "Simplicity of explanation is preferable".
Certainly, the overuse of euphemisms regarding abortion often disguise what is really occurring. Nowadays the advice is frequently, "KISS", i.e., "Keep It Simple Stupid".
Abortion is the taking of a human life between conception and birth.
The Catholic Church cannot teach in doctrine nor witness by example, contrary practice. no matter what the US Supreme Court has said. It's the bottom line.

says CCH:

So your church isn't sexist? Doesn't hate, frequently with a vengeance? Is current in matters of human rights and science? Put their lives on the line to fight the holocaust, including today's deniers? Isn't power hungry?

Not quite short why you bother with a list of questions when you are obviously blind and deaf to opinions other than your own.

OnTheLeft at #29 - Why are you changing the subject? This post is about supporting or preventing abortion.

Besides, war and abortion are two different subjects and cannot be considered on the same terms. War is sometimes justified if it is undertaken for self-defense. Abortion can never be justified because the unborn child is an innocent victim.

(P.S.: Before you accuse me of supporting the war in Iraq, I do not think it was a just war and the many victims are a horrible tragedy. Nevertheless, war can still sometimes be justified.)

On the Left,

I seem to have struck a nerve.

Oh well. Like it or lump it, people who rape other people and the Catholic Church makes about as much sense as saying the homosexual community and the homosexual pedophiles are interchangeable dynamics. Grow up.

You're as free to ignore the warning that cigarettes cause cancer and puff away as you are to reject the Arbiter of the World's moral compass - Jesus Christ's Church and it's Deposit of Faith.

Peter - haven't you been following ontheleft's posts? He can't discuss abortion without changing the subject to Bush, or Iraq or anything other than the topic itself. He loved Saddam Hussein, the Taliban and loves Ahmadinijad, oppression and torture of women, and hates unborn children, especially girls. Why would he not want to change the subject?

Hi Mike, All,

ST: Looks like the Right Decision

Well sadly from a current view of ethics it looks like the right decision. Owning or partly owning something that does something that you stand against is currently viewed as unethical. By also sharing in the profits it compounds the ethical problem. Budha didn't support working for weapon producers for this reason (I know another religion). Yet when you make money by building weapons for someone who kills are you not a supporter of the killer.

I say sad because I don't know the full mechanics for how the poor person gets referred in and then out of Cartis when they want or when they need an abortion. Nor do I know how they handle providing all the guidance needed to support life and family as the preferred outcome. An outcome that should include the church as a participator.

Posted by KJR June 27, 09 07:39 PM

Well, that's an utterly stupid post, KJR, even for you. Care to offer any quotes to back up your idiotic little rant? Yes, genius, I'll keep tossing your support of Bush right back at you, every time you try to play your little "moral superiority" game. I'll remind you of your support for Bush's foray into mass murder and torture. My word, you are on a projection binge here, aren't you? Only someone with your vastly limited intellectual capacity could claim that those of us who support women's rights hate women and girls, when it is you who insist that all women are nothing more than breeding machines, put here to obey the terrified likes of you. Saddam Hussein? Seems to me that he was your boy Reagan's man, wasn't he? The Taliban and Ahmadinijad? That's funny, coming from someone who is himself little different from either. They're just like you, KJR - know-nothing religious extremists.

So are we to presume you'd like to see even more warfare out there, KJR? Is that the lame point you're trying to make, while you claim to be pro-life? You are a terrified little boy, aren't you? Terrified of women, terrified of Muslims, terrified of anyone who doesn't hold your little hand and tell you that (in spite of your abject ignorance) you're somehow right.

And one last point - you get to make up your own mind (such as yours is), KJR. You don't get to make up your own facts. Your last post was quite instructive. It shows you to be a typical right winger. Not content to be an utterly ignorant know-nothing, when you have no ability to refute an argument (and you have indeed no such ability), you simply lie. Not surprising, given your contempt for the ideas women's rights, gay rights, the basic right to life of the living, and your blind syncophantic support of a bunch of people who allowed child rape on a massive scale. You support war, you support torture, and you apparently lack any discernible personal integrity. In short, you're just another religious extremist. You are one pathetic, terrified, little man.

Posted by Carol June 27, 09 07:33 PM

And you're free to take moral direction from the enablers of child rape, if you choose, Carol. But the Roman Catholic Church is most definitely not the arbiter of any moral compass, let alone humanity's. The vast majority of humanity agrees with me on this one, I'm afraid. Like it or lump it, that's simply objective reality. Deal with it.

Posted by Peter June 27, 09 07:14 PM

Peter, it's not a change of subject, and you didn't answer my question. So I'll reiterate my point - if you voted for Bush or McCain, you voted for war and its accompanying massive civilian death toll. Did you vote for either or both? If so, please tell me how Iraq is a "just war" and how someone who votes for mass murder can call himself "pro-life"? You anti-choicers like to call yourselves "pro-life" while voting for the wholesale slaughter of others. I'm challenging your contention that you're pro-life. It's all part and parcel of the the same subject. It's just the part that a lot of you like to ignore while you attempt to insist that the rest of us see you as moral beacons.

My posts to this story are being deleted by the Globe because my posts are critical of the Globe and its long standing anti-catholic bias. Its ok to criticize the Catholic Church and call the Cardinal anything vile, but not the Globe.

Trouble sleeping last night, ontheleft? Conscience won't let you rest? Where is Kai when we need him? At least he makes some effort to make a conversation, to grant a few of his opponent's points, even for the sake of argument. But on the left, you like to go nuclear in every one of your comments; that's just abnormal. I challenge you, the next Paulson blog post which interests us, let's try to, of course not convince or convert one another, which we'll never do, but at least find something commendable in the other's thoughts or feelings. I will take my own challenge.

Posted by 4America June 28, 09 10:45 AM

Enough of the "anti-Catholic bias" nonsense. This was the big whine 7 years ago when the Globe broke the child rape scandal, and it's the whine every time the Globe doesn't bow and scrape to your cardinal. If you want pro-Catholic propaganda, read the Pilot.

Posted by gaudete June 28, 09 10:56 AM

Nice try, gaudete, but my conscience is fine. Don't tell me that you zealots have a problem with my hours? Bit of a control freak, gaudete? Now, I'm not about to read anything into your hours, or even your potential fascination with mine. I'm also not going to agree with points that I find absurd, simply for the sake of agreement. Neither are you. And I'll wait for you to take your own challenge, gaudete. There are occasions, rare though they are, when you actually have. I've also seen you do your best Limbaugh. Now, I presume you'll also make a comment to KJR about his posts? Oh, but he's one of yours, isn't he? Never mind - what was I thinking?!

gaudete - you really unnerved ontheleft. He simple cannot reconcile his rantings about Bush and his implied support of the Taliban, Iran, Saddam, all the torture of women in which they engage, and of course, his hatred of unborn baby girls. He was happy with all that abuse, and the abuse of abortion. If it were up to him there would be two more despotic nations, and there would be more killing of unborn children. His conscience is really bothering him, and that is the first step toward conversion, as we all have experience in our lives.

Where in the Hebrew scriptures or Greek scriptures does it mentions Pope, archBishops or cardinals and all of those titles? It seems that people have a godly devotion but they prove false to it's power! Abortion is flat out wrong. But the solution to these problems is not only abstinence, but education of the bible and how sex it viewed by our loving Creator. Not by some guy who says it's wrong or greedily trying to save his assets while publicly appearing as if he truly cares about people and how they make their choices. He honestly doesn't care nor can he do anything about it except figure out ways to gobble up the assets that you poor people are supporting him because he is merely agreeing with you. He probably don't even know how God feels about abortion anyway!

Congratulations Cardinal O'Malley for taking the right stand on this crucial issue. Catholic hospitals must save lives and have nothing to do with the scourge of abortion.
You are a true shepherd!

cm2lifesh2ofree:

"Where in the Hebrew scriptures or Greek scriptures does it mentions Pope, archBishops or cardinals and all of those titles?" Read Matthew Chapter 16 carefully, and with an open heart, you may see something you never saw before.

Where does it say in the Hebrew scriptures or Greek scripture about the title of "Trinity"? You believe in the Trinity, don't you? After all, the Trinity and doctrine of a "triune" God and His nature is the common thread in Christianity, isn't it?

Finally, go read the Catechism on sexuality and I think you will be very impressed with what the Church says about it..

"Moral concerns will trump monetary concerns at the Catholic hospitals," this is an INTERNAL (not public) concern of the Catholic Church. If a decision like this was made by any other religious group - it would be met with...no comment.

As always because it is the Catholic Church, everyone who from OUTSIDE the Church feels very free to comment.

I would NEVER critize one way or the other a group of Orthodox Jews, or Jehovas Withnsess on what they havd decided on an internal matter - yet as always Catholics are held do a different standard. I support the Cardinal.

Okay, we get it.
"On the Left" is a sodomy-rights activist.
Those "On the Left" now control the Presidency, the Congress and the Media.
Why so angry?
You now have a secular heaven on earth!
From here on, we get blame you for all the ills of the world.
Hope this doesnt sober you up.
Have a nice day.

On the Left, here is the Mass statute

CHAPTER 265. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON
Chapter 265: Section 37. Violations of constitutional rights; punishment
Section 37. No person, whether or not acting under color of law, shall by force or threat of force, willfully injure, intimidate or interfere with, or attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere with, or oppress or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the constitution or laws of the commonwealth or by the constitution or laws of the United States. Any person convicted of violating this provision shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both; and if bodily injury results, shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both.

I feel intimidated and oppressed, I am free to practice my religion and you want to stop me, please turn yourself in!

No one told me it was beat up on ontheleft day. Don't worry ontheleft no matter what they say I still love you.

God Bless Cardinal O'Malley for standing up for Catholic Moral Teaching. No blood money for Catholic Caritas! Too many catholic hospitals these days are trading God's Law (namely the 5th commandment Thou Shalt Not Kill) for thirty pieces of silver .

God Bless Cardinal O'Malley for having the courage to stand up for what the Catholic Church stands for inspite of financial problems. I believe the Lord will bless his actions and send financial aid from places they would never think of.
God is watching and will support the right decisions.

ontheleft - are Mary and Jo men who are terrified of women? You ought to think before your dopey posts.

"I feel intimidated and oppressed, I am free to practice my religion and you want to stop me, please turn yourself in!"
Posted by CCH June 29, 09 10:50 AM

CCH, just because I don't worship you and your hierarchy doesn't mean that you're not free to practice your religion. Did you go to Mass on Sunday? Did anyone stop you? Perhaps you should turn yourself in - martyrdom doesn't suit you.

"ontheleft - are Mary and Jo men who are terrified of women? You ought to think before your dopey posts."
Posted by KJR June 29, 09 10:25 PM

No, but you are a man who is terrified of women. Nothing dopey about that statement, I'm afraid.

Posted by ed June 29, 09 10:39 AM

Wow, a "sodomy rights activist"! That's a new one. Ed, I can tell you this as a happily married straight man - standing up for equal rights isn't going to have a deleterious effect on your own sexual identity. But your description certainly exposes, as it were, some interesting issues on your part. By the way, do you really believe that your hierarchy isn't living a "secular heaven on earth"?

Posted by KJR June 28, 09 07:47 PM

Back on the conversion kick? Give it up, man. KJR, I have to tell you that it takes a whole hell of a lot more than you and Gaudete to "unnerve" me. Now, since you brought up Bush, why don't you explain your support of him and his war. I'll ask you again to explain how his war in Iraq meets the qualification for a "just war". Perhaps it's you who needs a bit of a conscience tune-up, given your unswerving support for the right wing death culture, and your unswerving obedience to the enablers of pedophiles.

ontheleft.

Honestly man what is your basis for saying KJR is terrified of women? Please somone else who supports onthelefts positions please tell him this si a dope statement.

Unless your just making this up to press the proverbial buttons with that statement and believing 100% Doctrine following Catholics follow pedophiles you need help man.

Actually maybe that is it. Your just messing with us.

God bless the Truth. God bless O'Malley.

Have any of you who throw the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church around so readily ever researched to see that the Church was never alone in this? Do you realize that it is a problem in our liberal society and that it is a problem in schools, churches of all dominations and everywhere in our society that adults work with children? Are you aware that there are numerous churches (non-Catholic) that cannot obtain insurance because of the sexual abuse of children that has been rampant among their clergy? Are you aware that the ONLY reason the Catholic Church has been singled out is because of a perception that the Church is rich and has deep pockets so the John Edward type attorneys couldl go after huge settlements? Do you ever research anything before you post such vile talk?

ontheleft - what is your opinion of obama's ramping up the conflict in Afghanistan, turning it into a war and taking soldiers from Iraq to fight there?

Poor sick people only become 'sicker, poorer, & deeper in poverty' when contraceptive & abortion services are deemed an acceptable resolution. Thank you Cardinal for protecting that which is most important for the whole of humanity.
On another note, WHEN Catholic hospitals are faced with closing OR providing abortion services, you will see 30% of the health care system shut down overnight without apology or regret because protecting the dignity of life from conception to natural death IS THAT IMPORTANT! We pray it does not come to this, but the resolution of US Bishops on this matter will not waiver.

1. I pray every day that all of the Catholic bishops will have the courage to do their jobs, and I thank God for the ones like Cardinal O'Malley that do.
2. Gaudete left out the fact that what evolved into the modern hospital system was begun centuries ago by Catholics in Europe as charities that took in both travelers and the sick who could not pay for medical care. "Hotel" and "hospital" have the same Latin root.

The Truth is always choose LIFE!!! No health services are being denied, only death services are not being instituted. Why can't you whackos who believe in killing the unborn see the depth of what has happened and is happening to this nation and the world because of your doctrines of death. Woe to you who call evil good and good evil.

Bless you Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley. Bless everyone who encouraged him to stand for what is right and not cave in to those who would nit and pick and call names and defile those who defend the rights of the unborn.

Shame on you who hold so little value for human life. I pray that your eyes will opened and your ears shall hear before there is no more time for you to embrace that which is righteous, amen

Catholic Church takes bold leap into the 17th century. Religion will always be doctrinaire and retrograde as long as they insist that the totality of society must conform to their superstitional belief that their made-up god creature plugs a soul thingy into a zygote at formation. I mean really, can any idea be more of an inane relic to drag into the 21st century?

Please don't blame Fr. O'Malley....go to your bible and read GOD,s commandments "Thou shall not kill"

God Bless you Father

I am a 100% on board practicing Catholic who frankly does question some of Cardinal O'Malleys postions/decisions. This one is a no brainer. No one who has a personal prayerful relationship with Jesus could ever support abortion.

Thank you, Cardinal O'Malley, for your courageous defense of the TRUTH.
You have provided much needed leadership for other leaders of the church to fearlessly ensure that Catholic institutions maintain their Catholic identity in spite of worldly pressures. May God Bless You in your mission to spread the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I find it interesting that, even though a dangerous procedure at the time, the Catholic Church allowed abortion until 1869, up to the point of “quickening” which they defined as 40 days for male fetuses and 80 days for female fetuses (?)*. Any abortions performed after 40 days, but before 80 days were presumed to be female. The actual ban, as in making abortion a sin was not codified by the Church until 1910. Does anyone else see a bit of hypocrisy involved in this entire discussion? You will not find any references to the above information in Catholic archives, but a study published by the Quakers does cover it. The Catholic Church purged the information from their records, big surprise in that. The information can be found in a publication that came out in 1970, that was mysteriously “liberated” from many public libraries (gee, I wonder why?)entitled; American Friends Service Committee “Who Shall Live? Man’s Control Over Birth and Death”
(New York: Hill & Wong)

* The point of quickening was believed to be the point where god infused the fetus with a soul. Evidently males were deemed as more worthy of a soul at an earlier point by the Catholic Church, go figure.

David Long is either a liar, an idiot or just one of the numerous enemies of the church who like to sputter nonsense that might be swallowed by a causal reader.
The church has taught abortion to be grave sin since the first century. His comment about it making abortion a sin as late as 1910 is ridiculous.
Jeff

Jeff - I assure you that the Church has only adopted the stance it maintains now, as official policy, since 1910. As is the usual procedure of religions, "scholars" were sent into the voluminous archives of the Church to find justification in earlier writings that would back the new dogma and they were retroactively given the blessings of the Church. As many early writings of Christianity have been purged has been shown to happen with regularity during the period when a monopoly on learning was held by the priesthood, it is little wonder that a seemingly seamless stream of dogma could be easy to construct. It is more difficult today because the franchise of education has been expanded to institutions that are actually interested in uncovering truth, and not just to serve the greater glory of your god filtered through accepted dogma.