Catholic colleges, hospitals must show Catholic identity, pope says

Published: 2004-06-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting with bishops from the U.S. Northwest, Pope John Paul II said Catholic schools and health care facilities must give "convincing witness" to church teachings -- especially on such key issues as respect for human life, marriage and the family. The church's many religious, educational and charitable institutions "exist for one reason only: to proclaim the Gospel," the pope said June 24. "It is of utmost importance, therefore, that the church's institutions be genuinely Catholic: Catholic in their self-understanding and Catholic in their identity," he said. The pope was addressing 11 bishops from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, who were on their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican. The visits are required of bishops every five years to report on the status of their dioceses. The pope's speech touched on some sensitive points of debate in the United States, including academic freedom at Catholic universities and the potential strings attached to state funding of church-run hospitals.

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