"... should be governed by the principle of subsidiarity ..."
That is from the bishop's recently released letter to the "Priests, Deacons, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese of Fargo" outlining four "key principles that should always be used when evaluating the moral value and justice of a given plan to provide health care." They are:
2. The freedom of consciences must be safeguarded. The moral voice of individual 2. doctors, nurses, health professionals, as well as the general public, deserve reverence and respect.
3. Access to health care ought to be available to all people, including the poor, legal 3. immigrants, the handicapped, and especially the elderly and unborn members of society.
4. The means of providing access to health care should be governed by the principle of 4. subsidiarity, being reasonably and equitably distributed among members of society.
Read the entire letter (PDF format), which elaborates on each of the four points.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop Robert W. Finn have co-authored a letter (Aug. 22, 2009) to the "Dear Faithful of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, in which they also emphasize the essential role of the principle of subsidiarity:
This notion that health care ought to be determined at the lowest level rather than at the higher strata of society, has been promoted by the Church as “subsidiarity.” Subsidiarity is that principle by which we respect the inherent dignity and freedom of the individual by never doing for others what they can do for themselves and thus enabling individuals to have the most possible discretion in the affairs of their lives. (See: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, ## 185ff.; Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1883) The writings of recent Popes have warned that the neglect of subsidiarity can lead to an excessive centralization of human services, which in turn leads to excessive costs, and loss of personal responsibility and quality of care.
Pope John Paul II wrote:
“By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.” (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus #48)
And Pope Benedict writes:
“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3)—a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est #28)
They continue by discussing the "Principle of the Life and Dignity of the Human Person", "Principle of the Obligation to the Common Good," and "The Principle of Solidarity." Read the entire letter.
Related Links from Insight Scoop and Ignatius Insight:
• On poisoned water and the principle of subsidiarity (Insight Scoop, August 17, 2009)
• Governmental expansion and the principle of subsidiarity (Insight Scoop, March 4, 2009)
• On one hand, this should be obvious... (Insight Scoop, December 5, 2008)
• What Is Catholic Social Teaching? A Review Essay on An
Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching | Mark Brumley
• "Can Catholics Be 'Real Americans'?" | Mark Brumley
• On Being Catholic American | Joseph A. Varacalli
• The State Which Would Provide Everything | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Secularity: On Benedict XVI and the Role of Religion in Society | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
Does anyone else feel that we're fighting a losing battle here, in respect to the society in which we live? Not simply with respect to the health care initiative in the government at the moment, but in society and the nation at large. The basic respect for a virtuous life and the dignity of every single human being has been so utterly lost on even the best of those in power that it feels like fighting the health care initiative is like trying to put a tenth of a dam up in a river that is already flooding over.
How can our leaders possibly understand subsidiarity and the value of human life when they are active proponents of killing innocent children? Truly, we have become more sick of soul, sick unto death, than any nation in history I can think of. We are appalled by the crimes some states have committed in history, but the crimes of our country are so seductively hidden that we don't even recognize how far we've sunk. We are numb to our own illness --- Millions are dead; revolutions have begun over less than what we allow our government to do to us.
The mere thought of the magnitude of change that would be required to turn this nation around with the government as it is now, in even the slightest degree, is almost enough to drive someone to despair if they didn't have faith.
Where does one even begin to make an impact?
Posted by: Jim B. | Tuesday, September 01, 2009 at 11:31 AM