A full-length column in a recent edition of the Catholic Register newspaper spells out how far one Catholic hospital has fallen in its enthusiastic adoption of the “gay” agenda.

St. Michael’s Hospital proudly announced that Toronto’s Gay Pride Week, June 20-27, which culminated in an obscene “Gay Pride Parade” was “sponsored in part this year by St. Michael’s Hospital.” This was the third year of St. Michael’s Hospital’s involvement with Gay Pride Week activities, but the first time the Catholic hospital endorsed “the celebration of gay and lesbian identity with a bronze sponsorship.” The Register article even included a glowing photograph of the gay parade.

A spokesperson for St. Michael’s Hospital, Rosemary MacGilchrist, proudly announced: “We celebrate diversity.” Rosemary, you should have said: “We celebrate perversity.”

Is St. Michael’s Hospital selling out its Catholic principles out of a fear of being taken over by the province of Ontario? The Catholic Church defines homosexual behaviour as “morally disordered.” Should St. Michael’s Hospital cave in to the homosexual agenda in order to save its bacon?

The article even quoted AIDS Action Now and the We’re No Angels Coalition as continuing “to call for St. Michael’s to be handed over to the province of Ontario and made a public hospital which would perform abortions, hysterectomies, vasectomies and (offer) birth control medications.” So these are St. Michael’s Hospital’s friends?! We all know that when the lamb lies down with the lion, it is not a happy outcome for the lamb.

St. Michael’s Hospital’s abandonment of many Catholic principles and lap dog currying of favour with the homosexual community will bring about the death of the hospital, not its renewal. So you have a Catholic hospital that condones and supports the Gay Pride Parade, an event that features nudity (among both sexes) rampant crudity and simulated sex; paraders spouting inanities and profanities, and politicians who would sell their mother for a vote. Are these the kind of sentiments that a Catholic-run hospital should espouse?

Sister Noreen, an aunt of my father’s, was an administrator of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto in the 1930s. Sister Noreen belonged to the Sisters of St. Joseph. She was born in Toronto of devout Catholic stock and if she knew about the new philosophy of St. Michael’s Hospital, she would be hopping out of her grave today and running screaming down the corridors.

St. Michael’s has published a pamphlet explaining its ethos, called “A Celebration of Culture.” It’s a mishmash of politically correct thinking and repetitious, meaningless public relations propaganda that nobody could quarrel with.

Good news! The pamphlet explains that, even if the hospital has thrown away its principles, it gets to keep the crucifixes and statues and chapel. However, even the crucifix policy is watered down. The hospital will cave in if the patient is uncomfortable with a crucifix in their room and they “may have it removed during their stay.”

Then we have a forthright sentence sneaked in: “In the Catholic tradition, the sanctity of life is valued from the moment of conception until physical death.” This is immediately followed by the copout that reads, “Physicians must make decisions and counsel their patients within the parameter of a confidential patient-physician relationship, and must respect the right of patients to make their own decisions with an informed conscience.” What happens if an “informed conscience” comes up with an “informed” decision that contradicts the teachings of the Catholic Church?

There are 27 other Catholic hospitals in Ontario. I wonder if their philosophy also consists much of the same double-think.

The pamphlet says that abortions are not performed at St. Michael’s Hospital, but nowhere does it say that the hospital will not do referrals. In London, Ont., there is a late-term abortionist, Dr. G. Fraser Fellows, on the staff of St. Joseph’s Hospital, a large Catholic institution. St. Joseph’s has made no effort to suspend Fellows’ privileges. So much for their Catholic values.

In a Catholic hospital, the St. Michael’s pamphlet states, “decisions around human reproduction and contraception are made in a thoughtful manner, taking into account what is best for the overall welfare of the family. Vasectomies are not performed, but like many other Catholic hospitals, St. Michael’s performs tubal ligations only under exceptional circumstances.” Thirty years ago, abortions were supposed to be done only under “exceptional circumstances” and two doctors had to approve them. How quickly it became a farcical form filled out in advance with only the woman’s name remaining to be inserted.

Years ago, the province of Ontario took over the role held by many Catholic hospitals, which was to operate an on-site nurses’ training facility. I felt at the time that the province wanted to take over the training of nurses in order to indoctrinate new student nurses with a pagan, anti-life philosophy. That is what occurred when Catholic hospitals reluctantly relinquished their role.

What comes to mind is the old story about the frog in the pot of water, who didn’t realize that he was being boiled to death until it was too late. Our desire to preserve the values of our Catholic hospitals requires a backbone and we had better wake up before we end up like that frog.