Health Care. Headline in today's Wall Street Journal (page A4): "Catholic Church Emerges as Key Player in Legislative Battle." The 'news' article is a puff piece on the Church leaders attempting to flatter them into becoming shills for the complete health care legislative package.
Unfortunately the stance the Church leaders have put themselves in lends itself to precisely this political maneuver. Spokesmen for Catholicism have in essence become a one-issue lobbying group on the abortion issue in the health care debate. They have neglected to even try to comprehend the overall picture of what the health care legislation means, and instead have tried to bring their weight to bear on the abortion and a couple of other issues. And in so doing, they leave in silence the noble history and teaching of Jesus and the Church on compassion towards all.
No one doubts that the Church leaders influence on abortion has been a commendable undertaking, but by concentrating on the issue without regard to the context of what the cryptocracy is trying to do with this legislation, the Church leaders let themselves be positioned to support the legislation in return for an amendment on no abortion spending.
The key quote in the WSJ article is, "They [the Catholic leaders] actually wanted to pass the bill. That's why they had status. Other groups that had similar views on abortion weren't interested in passing the bill," Representative Mike Doyle (D, Pa).
In other words, 'you support our bill and we will give you a little on abortion and complement you.'
But to repeat for the umpteenth time: this legislation is designed to kill the idea of compassionate health care and replace it with government-control under cost-cutting guidelines.
The Church brought Jesus' teaching to the world on compassion toward those who are ill. The Church founded the first hospitals. These hospitals treated all regardless of circumstance and 'cost-effectiveness'. These great institutions lived in a world where insurance protocols and medicare guidelines would have seemed barbaric, which they are.
The legislative leaders and the media are hyping their 'reform' as 'health-care for all.' But all their blather is just misdirection for what is really happening: a fundamental change in the way medical care is performed.
One wants to cry out when it is realized that the Church leaders actually take the legislative leaders at their word. Believing these thieves-called-legislators is always a mistake, but in the case of something as central as health care, believing what they say is a colossal mistake bordering on criminality. It certainly is a betrayal of the centuries of compassionate charity toward the ill by the Church.
Will the Church leaders take the cryptocracy bait and actually formally endorse the legislation? Time will tell. But, be prepared. They have certainly given the impression that that is precisely what they plan to do.
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The Church leaders try to chalk up their support for health care for immigrants as continuing the Church teaching on compassion. Of course, such support is in keeping with the Church, but it falls so short of what is needed in this situation where the compassionate health care of all is jeopardized.
