Washington, D.C. (19 April 2010) – American Life League president Judie Brown issued the following statement along with letters of appreciation to Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt of Greensburg, PA, and Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, RI, after both bishops rebuked the Catholic Health Association for the group’s endorsement and support of the Obama health care plan.
“In the wake of the Catholic Health Association’s betrayal of the Catholic faith and the lives entrusted to the group, Bishops Tobin and Brandt have set the record straight: You cannot claim to be Catholic and support initiatives that attack the personhood of human beings.
“CHA has turned its back on the Christ-centered health care that has been a hallmark of Catholic ministry in this country since the very first missionaries set foot in the New World centuries ago.
“Thousands of priests, religious and laity have spent their lives in imitation of Christ and His call to care for the sick. It stands to reason, then, that opposing the injustice of abortion and other attacks on human beings’ lives would be central to CHA’s mission.
“CHA’s support for the pro-abortion Obama health bill is a sickening abandonment of the sacred mission entrusted to them. Catholics around the country are left confused, misled and betrayed. Is it any wonder that so many are ignorant of the Catholic Church’s teaching on human personhood when the Catholic Health Association blatantly defies it?
“Bishops Tobin and Brandt have shown themselves to be true shepherds of their flocks by their swift rebuke of CHA. We hope their brother bishops unite with them in upholding sound and uncompromising moral principles.
“For this, we express our gratitude and assure the bishops of our prayers for their work.”
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
- The Catholic Sun: Bishops take actions against nuns, CHA over stand on health reform (16 April 2010) http://www.catholicsun.org/2010/april/16/cnstobin-brandt.html
- National Catholic Register: A ‘Catholic’ Social Justice Lobby? (19 April 2010) http://www.ncregister.com/register_exclusives/a_catholic_social_justice_lobby/