Colorado Bishops: Catholic Supporters of Health Care Bill do - ´A Grave Disservice'

'Do not be fooled. Nothing has changed. The Senate bill remains gravely flawed on the issues of abortion funding, conscience protections and the inclusion of immigrants.'

P>DENVER, CO (Catholic Online) - What a week it has been in the fierce battle to prevent the current version of Health Care from being enacted, without a real vote, on Sunday. Without Amendment the Bill is fatally flawed. It will result in federal funds being used to take the lives of innocent children in their mother´s womb, calling such an intentional killing "health care."

The official opposition of the US Catholic Bishops to this current legislation is very clear. From among their ranks, few have articulated as clearly the reasons for such opposition as the Archbishop of Denver, Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

In an article which appeared in the Denver Catholic Register entitled ´Catholics, Health Care and the Senate's Bad Bill´, he once again called the legislation "fatally flawed". He also strongly warned the Catholic faithful of those Catholic voices who have rejected the clear admonitions of the Bishops using these words:

"Groups, trade associations and publications describing themselves as "Catholic" or "prolife" that endorse the Senate version - whatever their intentions - are doing a serious disservice to the nation and to the Church, undermining the witness of the Catholic community; and ensuring the failure of genuine, ethical health-care reform."

As the week progressed, the use of such groups by those who want to force this legislation through without life saving amendment has intensified. It is also confusing the faithful. The letter sent to Congress by a group called ´NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby´, signed by 60 leaders of religious communities of women in the United States supporting this seriously and fatally flawed Bill is one of the worst examples.

This letter was distributed extensively by those who do not recognize the fundamental Human Right to life and want the legislation, without amendment, to become law.  In this letter the signatories not only opposed the US Catholic Bishops but they accused them of misinforming the faithful. They also supported Sr. Carol Keehan, the CEO of the Catholic Hospital Association who publicly supported the legislation in a letter which was released at the beginning of the week. 

The signatories of this latest letter claimed to represent 59,000 religious sisters and nuns. However, the numbers were later shown to be inflated. In fact the alternative leadership group, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, released their own letter. In it they stood with the US Bishops in opposing the legislation, without the absolutely necessary life saving changes. 

Now, the Archbishop of Denver and his assistant Bishop, another great pro-Life champion, Bishop James D. Conley, S.T.L., have issued a formal warning to the faithful of their Diocese. We publish it below. We ask our readers to distribute it as widely as possible.

In addition, another giant of the pro-Life cause, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, has written an exceptionally clear article for the Diocesan newspaper The Leaven in which he articulated the reasons why this Bill must be opposed by genuinely Pro-Life Catholics and all Pro-Life people of Good will.

He opined that "The Catholic Health Association´s position, in effect, provides cover for any member of the House who chooses to buckle under the pressure of the President and the Democratic leadership to accept government funding of abortion....They can now defend themselves by pointing out that Catholic Health Care leaders recommended they vote for the bill."

Archbishop Naumann cut to the chase in commenting upon Sr. Keehan´s claim that the issue of federal funding of abortion was a "technicality". He wrote "Either the bill permits previously prohibited government funding of abortion or not. This is not a technicality...If the Senate had wanted to prohibit federal funding for abortion all they had to do was accept the language that had been adopted by the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority." Well said.

Here is the warning issued by the Bishops of Denver:

TO THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO

In the past two days, congressional leaders and the White House have brought tremendous pressure on prolife Democratic members of Congress to support a fatally flawed Senate version of health care reform.

Regrettably, groups like Network and the Catholic Health Association have done a grave disservice to the American Catholic community by undermining the leadership of the nation´s Catholic bishops, sowing confusion among faithful Catholics, and misleading legislators through their support of the Senate bill.

Do not be fooled.  Nothing has changed.  The Senate bill remains gravely flawed on the issues of abortion funding, conscience protections and the inclusion of immigrants.  Unless seriously revised to address these issues, the Senate version of health care is unethical and should be firmly opposed.

+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver

+James D. Conley, S.T.L.
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

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