Some ex-steward hospitals are abandoning their catholic roots. Here’s what it means.
Summary
Several former Steward Health Care hospitals are breaking from their Catholic roots following a bankruptcy sale. The Boston Archdiocese, which had controlled the hospitals until Steward's 2010 acquisition, is now demanding these hospitals change their names and return religious artifacts like crosses and statues, as the new owners choose not to maintain Catholic practices. This shift means the hospitals are now free to offer services such as elective abortions, birth control, and in vitro fertilization, which were previously prohibited under Catholic doctrine. The changes reflect a significant departure from the hospitals' Catholic identity.
Relevance
A complete abandonment of catholic identity due to bankruptcy is interesting in light of the project because it sheds light on the centrality of funding to continue with the catholic identity. Interestingly, the Archdiocese demanded the return of crosses and status since theses hospitals would no longer follow Catholic principles. Perhaps this is an attempt to detach Catholicism from any secular practices.