The Catholic Bishops and Health Care

Except for the colossal failure in the sex abuse crisis, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have provided many years of reasonable, moderate, and pastoral leadership. However, conservative bishops now appear to be in the ascendancy. It turns out that being a conservative bishop appears to mean a number of things that run counter to core gospel values. Abortion is the only issue that matters. Orthodoxy is a close second, and imperial and even repressive authoritarian rule is the leadership style. All of this points to the Bishops refusal to support health care reform in Congress.

Well, after all, the issue of abortion is paramount, and of course the bishops would support the legislation if only the Congress would adhere to its principled stand in every detail. First of all, legislation doesn't work that way. Legislation moves forward through compromise. But of course monarchical bishops have no concept of what that word means. The notion that a group of Roman Catholic Bishops can and should be determinative on a bill affecting all Americans, a majority of whom are not Catholic is rather ludicrous. Unless of course you are a Catholic Bishop who believes no one other than yourself has any ideas worthy of consideration or respect.

How far have we come from the spirit of Vatican II? Collegiality seems to be a forgotten or at least ignored concept. There seems to be little or no respect for other Christian Churches, religions, or other points of view. Another ignored tenet of Vatican II is the recognition of the primacy of conscience as taught in the Declaration on Religious Liberty. Is not the Church also to be understood as the people of God? We all have the spirit moving in us. Paul tell us that we all have our individual charisms. It wouldn't hurt the bishops to listen to the Holy Spirit moving through the people of God once in a while.

More basic than Vatican II however, is the message of Jesus in the gospel. We are told that we are here to serve, not to trample down the weak. What about the social justice cry of helping the poor? Do we no longer subscribe to the worth value and dignity of every individual? The bishops proclaimed health care a right and not a privlege. Have they forgotten? The opportunity to achieve success in obtaining this right for the people now exists after decades of failure, and the bishops are suddenly willing to stand as a road block and contribute to its ultimate failure. Is this the way our bishops reach out to aid the poor the hungry and those jobless and without health care benefits?

The Bishops have now gone even further. In the nations's capital they have decided to stop providing charitable services through Catholic Charities because of the new same sex marriage law. They have even withdrawn health insurance to all new employees rather than risk being tainted with providing health care insurance to a gay couple. Does a gay couple not need health insurance? Is their right to health care abrogated because of their sexual orientation? Is it permissible to deny them needed services because you disagree with some action they have taken? What game do you play when even those couples who are not gay will be denied help lest some crumbs of service fall into the hands of a gay couple? Bishops may want to reread the story of Lazarus and the rich man in the New Testament.

The Bishops have managed to turn the good news of Jesus upside down. They sit smugly in their palatial domiciles and basque in their certitude, even though we know that our ways are not God's ways. We can never truly be certain of what God expects of us. Yet, if we know anything for certain it is that we are called to serve the least among us. The Bishops have put the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed, side by side with abortion and homosexuality, and they have concluded that people don't matter. Yet when Jesus speaks of what he expects of us at the last judgement we are judged by whether we fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, and ministered to the sick. In fact by ministering to those in need, Jesus tells us we are ministering to Jesus himself. Maybe the Bishops may want to reread a little of Matthew.

What immutable truth are these Church leaders upholding with their bizarre behavior? They are proving that they are in charge. Yet Jesus took a towel and washed the feet of his apostles. This was not meant as a quaint little ceremony to be repeated ritually on Holy Thursday evening. It exemplified a way of life that our leaders were meant to emulate. We are constantly humbled by the example Jesus gave us in the New Testament. How unfortunate it is that I see little to emulate in those who currently seek to be revered as leaders of the Catholic community.