Editorial

Ethical identity

Catholic social organizations that function in a secular society have a twin responsibility. On the one hand, they must carry out their social mission -- education, healthcare, social work -- with utmost professionalism. And on the other hand, they must be true to their religious mission.

This is not always an easy task. We have seen a Catholic adoption agency in Massachusetts close down because the state insisted that they assign children to gay couples. Rather than violate the teachings of the Church, the agency ceased facilitating adoptions.

This week's cover story addresses an issue that has long been a point of contention in many dioceses and many Catholic health care institutions. It concerns medical procedures -- specifically sterilizations -- that have taken place in Catholic hospitals despite Church teaching on their impermissibility.

The story specifically reports on data compiled by anonymous whistleblowers regarding nearly 10,000 sterilizations performed in 23 Catholic hospitals in Texas between 2000 and 2003. Because most of the hospitals are run by national health systems, there is at least some reason to be concerned that the finding could be repeated in other Catholic hospitals across the country.

As we reported, the records produced are at least five years old, and it may well turn out that many of the hospitals named in the report have since done a better job of implementing the U.S. bishops' ethical directives for health care. But the fact that some of the spokesmen for the hospitals still seem confused about the Church teaching on sterilization suggests the problem has not yet been fully addressed.

When Catholic social ministries fail to abide by Catholic ethics, the result is not only scandal but also a derailment from their mission. An egregious example is last month's report of Virginia's Catholic Charities, which, with the knowledge of employees at the U.S. bishops' office for migrants, helped a minor obtain an abortion. It also appeared to violate federal and state law.

A partial diagnosis by several bishops who learned of the situation was that the staff members "were not sufficiently aware of Church teaching." They suggested regular seminars for employees.

Training in Church teaching is a step in the right direction. But such ethical lapses require something a bit stronger, too: It should prompt Catholic social ministries to step back and re-evaluate their role in society. What is it that Catholic hospitals and charitable organizations have to offer that justifies their being called Catholic?

It is not just the best possible medical care or the best possible social services. Operating in harmony with Catholic ethics -- that is, with full respect for human dignity -- is a key part of these institutions' value to society.

Catholic hospitals have come a long way from their origins as clinics caring for the indigent. One of the Catholic health systems involved in the sterilization report, Ascension, is the third-largest health care system in the United States, with annual revenues in the billions of dollars.

As disheartening as it is to learn of unethical practices in Catholic organizations, it has provided this country's bishops an excellent opportunity to review their relationships with the Catholic health institutions in their dioceses, to call for corrections where necessary, and above all, to exhort them to fidelity to their Catholic identity.