Catholic hospitals urged to hold tight to religious identity

Published: 2004-06-10

CHICAGO (CNS) -- The state of health care, the church and American society as a whole would be diminished if Catholic hospitals and other health organizations were to lose their religious identity, health care leaders were told June 9. Peter Steinfels, a religion and ethics columnist for The New York Times and author of "A People Adrift: The Crisis in the Roman Catholic Church in America," urged participants in the Catholic Health Association's 89th assembly to cling to their Catholic roots. About 1,100 leaders of Catholic health organizations gathered June 6-9 in Chicago for the assembly, which was organized around the theme of ethics. The Catholic Church has historically made itself known in American society through health care, social services and educational institutions, Steinfels said. While such institutions were originally formed by and to serve an immigrant Catholic population, they now serve diverse groups with diverse staffs. Catholic health care providers have a particularly long history of reaching beyond religious boundaries, offering services in municipal and public hospitals, almshouses, prisons and orphanages throughout the 19th century, he said.

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