What the Crap?!

What the crap are some Roman Catholic Bishops thinking when they decided this week to help legislate healthcare reform. When Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Bishop Robert Finn wrote a joint pastoral statement on the subject this week, they sounded more like some right-wing think tank than spiritual leaders. This is in spite of the Associated Press reporting the letter “was not meant to scuttle reform or help Republicans.” Naumann and Finn were not alone. Many other Catholic Bishops who agree seem to also be more worried about costs and out-year deficits than morality. Naumann and Finn write:

The writings of recent Popes have warned that the neglect of subsidiarity can lead to an excessive centralization of human services, which in turn leads to excessive costs, and loss of personal responsibility and quality of care.

If Bishops were concerned about abortion issues or end of life issues, I could understand why they would be obligated to give guidance on the morality of such sections of the legislation. I however, think they should rethink their political stance. Centralization may be producing better results than they might think.

Since the bishops are now policy wonks and have mentioned Medicare insolvency by 2019, I am confused by what is said later:

A hasty or unprincipled change could cause us, in fact, to lose some of the significant benefits that Americans now enjoy, while creating a future tax burden which is both unjust and unsustainable.

The key to Medicare solvency and our nation’s ability to reduce its debt is the reduction of exploding healthcare costs. They mention the exploding costs while seeming to advocate the status quo. They are also silent regarding healthcare profiteers and what I believe are immoral profits by insurance companies and pharmaceuticals. Protecting the status quo for profiteers is sadly what right-wingers do. These Bishops and their supporting peers seem to have caste their lot in with the right wingers. They latch on to a few items in a bill which has not even been voted out of committee in the Senate and try to scare us to death about healthcare reform. Unlike the right wing politicians however, they do this with the vestiges of the Roman Catholic Church.

The moral authority of the Roman Catholic Church can be a powerful catalyst for change. Archbishop Desmond Tutu helped bring down Apartheid and Pope John Paul the Second helped bring down the Soviet Union. This power however, brings with it, at a minimum, a social responsibility. Using the church’s clout to make political hay seems beneath the Bishops. Maybe they should keep in mind the Catholic Church has also been a part of other governments in history with less than stellar results.