Catholic Charities of Richmond Helps Girl Obtain Abortion
(Hat tip: Feddie)
And to think I thought things were improving in my former home Diocese of Richmond:
Federal authorities are investigating the actions of a Catholic charity in Richmond which helped a 16-year-old Guatemalan girl to receive an abortion in January, in possible violation of Virginia law.(emphasis added)
Officials have called the matter to the attention of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) headquarters in Washington, urging it to prevent any repetition of the incident.
Four employees of Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Richmond, (CCR) have been fired and one supervisor with the bishops' Migration and Refugee Services agency has been suspended, according to federal sources and a secret April 29 letter written by three bishops to 350 bishops nationwide.
The two-page missive from Richmond Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester and Bishop Michael P. Driscoll of Boise, Idaho, was prompted by a federal investigation requested on April 23.
The bishops' letter, first publicized Friday by the Wanderer, a national Catholic weekly newspaper, detailed a series of botched management decisions that preceded the Jan. 18 abortion.
The unnamed girl, who already had one child, had been fitted with a contraceptive device provided by CCR two months earlier, the letter said. CCR members signed the consent form necessary for a minor to have an abortion and had someone drive her to and from the abortion clinic.
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The bishops' letter said all MRS staff will receive training on "the primacy of Catholic teachings and beliefs as they impact their work or professional ethics ... to assure that such unacceptable incidents never happen again."
[More]
Holy crap!
I agree with Feddie that Catholic Charities of Richmond needs to be shut down immediately.
Labels: Bishops, Catholic Identity, Catholic Social Teaching, Culture of Death, Pro-Life, Social Justice, The Old Dominion, What the ****?
posted by Pro Ecclesia 3:48 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
I once knew a former priest who obtained an abortion for a minor while he was a priest. She said she was scared of her father's reaction. He said he was conflicted but he prayed and felt it was the right thing to do.
I've prayed for him ever since. And the mother.
yikes! They need to fire people from the top on down. Not surprising, Catholic groups like Catholic Charities and Catholic Hospitals hire many non-Catholics who don't know, don't care, or are downright hostile to the Church. When I was a 3rd year med student in 2003, I rotated through DePaul Hospital in Norfolk for ObGyn, and the residents and attendings would counsel patients on contraception and just not document it in the chart (which is unethical and unprofessional) and would write perscriptions for contraceptives on Norfolk General perscription pads. They also scheduled sterilizations from the clinic there at Norfolk General. The hospital currently is on its last legs and will probably close soon (perhaps a little divine intervention?).
On a positive note, there is hope with the seminarians:
http://www.catholicvirginian.org/archive/2008/2008vol83iss17/pages/article3.html
My sister was counseled by a priest..."have an abortion and go to Confession." She didn't listen, but she's more protestant than Catholic these days. Hard to blame her with that kind of hypocrisy as an example.
It is sad that we cannot trust Catholic Charities and it is also sad that many Catholics are not as serious about being Pro-Life in this country than many Protestants in this country.
OHIO JOE
Catholic Charities have mostly cultural Catholics than practicing Catholics on their staff. That has been my experience in my interaction with Catholic Charities. There are a few practicing Catholics, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
I agree, the bishop should shut them down. If not, fire people beginning at the top(!) and do a cleansing of unCatholic practices at that despicable charity.
Wow. I'd always donated to CC, thinking it was the one organization I certainly wouldn't have to worry about researching ahead of time. No more. What a shame.
Steve
Horrifying. Also, arguably a question of potential abuse that the CC people might have glossed over.
However, it looks like there were several firings, which shows discipline at work. I wouldn't toss out the entire organization for this.
Not another farthing goes to Catholic Charities until a full accounting is made of this. NO MORE COVER UPS!
I have been so disgusted with the disconnect between Rome and my local parish that I've curtailed my donations severely. Instead, I've been donating to the African, Indian and Filipino priests who have served local parishes while they further their educations.They seem so much more "Catholic" than the products of our "Land of Lakes" universities.
Other donations went to retirement for religious, EWTN and Catholic Charities...no mas, CC, no mas.
I'll tear up the next donation request I get.
Rather than not contributing to Catholic Charities and assume they can all read minds, how about hitting them where it will make a difference?
Inform the Papal Nuncio in Washington D.C. of the horrific scandal we have all had to endure. Ask for the removal of the Richmond Bishop, Francis Dilorenzo. Maybe if enough good Catholics who put $$$ in the collections express their concern and disgust, something will be done.
The bishop needs to resign or be dismissed.
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