Friday, August 05, 2011

Public wants church to get out of hospitals

Three out of four people now believe that the Catholic church should pull put of the ownership and governance of healthcare institutions in the wake of yet another scandal about the church's role in child abuse and the cover-up of that abuse.

In our latest readers' latest poll, irishhealth.com asked whether, in the wake of the damning Cloyne report, the Catholic church should be allowed maintain any involvement in healthcare.

Seventy-five per cent said no, 21% said yes, while 4% were unsure.

The poll result reflects public concern over continuing church involvement in the running of many hospitals, including children's hospitals, in light of the abuse scandals of recent years.

The Cloyne report, published last month, revealed that some 40 people were affected by clerical sexual abuse in the area of Cork up to as recently as 2009.

It found that the Catholic Church's handling of allegations was poor or non-existent, and stated that the former Bishop of Cloyne John Magee, deliberately misled the authorities and 
took little interest in dealing with this issue until as late as 2008.

Since the publication of the Cloyne report, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has launched a scathing attack on the Vatican over its role in the Cloyne scandal.

"For the first time in Ireland, a report into child sexual abuse exposes an attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic, as little as three years ago, not three decades ago. In doing so, the Cloyne Report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and the narcissism that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day, " the Taoiseach said.

The role of the Catholic church in the ownership and governance of hospitals that are almost completely State-funded is still significant.

The Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of Charity orders still own two of Ireland's biggest hospitals - the Mater and St Vincent's.

The Sisters of Mercy ran a number of industrial schools in the past including the notorious Goldenbridge. 

The Sisters of Charity were also involved in running institutions where abuse took place.

The institutions run by both of these orders featured in the Ryan Commission report on institutional child abuse published in 2009.

The Mater Hospital's website states: The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is a single member company limited by guarantee with a share capital...the company is a subsidiary of Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and the Children's University Hospitals Limited...the majority of the members of the parent company are Sisters of Mercy and the remaining members represent the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, the Catholic Nurses Guild of Ireland, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the medical consultants of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and of the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street."

A recent Mater newsletter, referring to the hospital's 150th anniversary this year, includes a history of the Mercy order, which, among other things informs us: "The Patroness of the Mercy Congregation is Our Lady of Mercy who is also Queen of Heaven."

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin is still Chairman of Crumlin Children's Hospital and Holles Street National Maternity Hospital. 

The  Murphy report in 2009 revealed how two appalling cases of abuse by two priests working at Crumlin hospital were neglected and covered up by predecessors of the current Archbishop.

At Holles Street Hospital, the Catholic Archbishop is Chairman, and three local parish priests are on the board.

A list of of hospitals in which the Catholic church has a major involvement in ownership and governance includes:

* Children's University Hospital, Temple Street (Sisters of Mercy).

* St Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire (Sisters of Charity).

* National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dun Laoghaire (Sisters of Mercy).

* Our Lady's Children's Hosital, Crumlin (Chaired by Catholic Archbishop of Dublin).

* National Maternity Hospital (Chaired by Catholic Archbishop of Dublin)

* Cappagh National Orthopedic Hospital (Sisters of Mercy).

Two voluntary hospitals formerly run by religious orders - Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda and Portiuncula in Ballinasloe, became State-run hospitals in recent years.