The People Running Our Catholic Hospitals and Why They Behave Like They Could Not Care Less

Your Excellencies:

In earlier communication, I have provided detailed documentation regarding immoral practices in Philly's Catholic hospitals:

1. the paucity of NFP-only physicians, 
2. "privileges" for IVF specialists, 
3. "privileges" for associates of practices involved with "fetal reduction", 
4. provision of information on "advance directives" which fails to specify that Catholic teaching must be honored - particularly with regard to provision of nutrition and hydration.  

Salaries of top administrators at our Catholic hospitals are astronomical:

• Holy Redeemer ($732K), 

• Catholic Health East ($2.5 million), 

Mercy Health System ($1 million - plus Mercy Fitzgerald ($381K), Mercy Philadelphia ($481K), Mercy Suburban ($285K), and Nazareth ($362K))

Saint Mary ($744K) (See http://www.philly.com/philly/business/175896851.html?c=r).

In any field of endeavor, enormous salaries provide a clear temptation to maintain the status quo. And looking at the political contributions of some Catholic hospital executives (Try http://www.opensecrets.org, for example.) could lead some to wonder whether they even share values consistent with Catholic teaching.  

The USCCB's Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (2001) tell us that, "as a rule, Catholic partners should avoid entering into partnerships that would involve them in cooperation with the wrongdoing of other providers."  Exacerbating immoral conditions at Catholic hospitals is the "cover" provided by incompetent presentations of "cooperation," which suggest loopholes....

• As per Holy Redeemer Health System and Abington Health: Seeking to Serve the Community (National Catholic Bioethics Center, 7/29/12): "Immoral procedures at the non-Catholic entity may or may not need to be ruled out based on the principle of cooperation with evil and concerns about causing moral scandal" 
• As per A Theological Reflection on the Principle of Cooperation and the Catholic Health Care Ministry (Health Care Ethics USA, Winter 2013 Issue), "Currently, some Catholic organizations are avoiding the problem by creating a corporation which does not have Catholic identity but which manages one subsidiary composed of Catholic hospitals and another subsidiary that operates community hospitals that continue to provide direct sterilizations.  

There is little reason to believe that administrators of our local Catholic Hospitals will do anything other than provide lip service to Catholic teaching and go on with business-as-usual.  My prayer is that our archdiocese will honestly assess the amoral situations in our hospitals and follow Pope Benedict XVI's guidance:

"Art. 11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic' [Emphasis added.] and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge (Apostolic Letter Issued 'Motu Proprio' of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI on the Services of Charity).

Sincerely,