Deus Ex Communication

This cartoon is, of course, in reference to Sister Margaret McBride, the nun working for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona who was excommunicated for approving an abortion.

If you’ve been reading/watching the news lately at all you know the bullet points of the story: The woman in question was already a mother of four with pulmonary hypertension, which doctors said would have killed her and her 5th baby if she carried it to term. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who is not a doctor, “disagreed” (How you “disagree” with medical facts, I’m not sure.) and excommunicated the nun for her decision, a decision which pretty much any logical person, despite their beliefs, would have made. Despite the immense amount of media coverage this story has received, a few extra details haven’t been widely reported involving Bishop Olmsted and the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

For instance, Bishop Thomas once refused giving communion to a 10-year-old autistic child who could not swallow. (Exactly what he was supposed to swallow isn't known.)

Worse, Olmsted himself replaced Irish-American Bishop Thomas O’Brien, who, according to an official report, “allowed priests under his supervision to have contact with minors after becoming aware of allegations of criminal sexual misconduct” and acknowledging “transferring offending priests to situations where children could be further victimized.” O’Brien was also later convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, after running over a man in Phoenix. There was no evidence that O’Brien had been excommunicated or that Olmsted considered this a necessary step.

Surprised? Didn't think so.

=Lefty=