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We recently concluded our 28th NCBC/Knights of Columbus Workshop for Bishops which explored the very important topic of updating the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs). The ERDs enumerate the guiding principles for Catholic health care ministries and professionals in the USA. It was beautiful to have the possibility to discuss bioethical topics in person with our shepherds.

I felt the hand of Providence protecting the workshop. Many thought it could not be done due to the ongoing pandemic. The Omicron variant peaked in January just before the event, and a significant winter storm badly disrupted the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport just days before we were set to begin. The NCBC staff had to work extra hard to keep everything on track, but they managed brilliantly. Travel for most bishops was not unduly disrupted, and we benefited greatly from being together in person.

A unique aspect of this bioethics workshop is the large number of bishops who attend. It is always one of the largest gatherings outside of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) own meetings. Normally significant numbers of Mexican, Canadian, Caribbean, and Central American bishops come as well. COVID travel restrictions and visa issues reduced the international bishops attending to a handful this time.

We began our days with an early Mass and finished with evening prayer and adoration after supper. A eucharistic chapel kept the Lord’s Real Presence at the center of our meeting. Bishop Burns and the Diocese of Dallas staff did a wonderful job of welcoming the bishops and planning the liturgies. The Knights of Columbus not only generously underwrote the costs but also provided their signature service by picking up and dropping off all those who flew in for the workshop.

It was a real joy and privilege for the NCBC to work for several days with so many engaged bishops. They took significant time out of their busy schedules to focus on the theme of “Renewing Ecclesial Guidance: The ERDs in the Twenty-First Century.”  The latest approved modifications to the ERDs were issued in 2018, but the last major update came in 1995. With the rapid development of health care technology and emerging cultural challenges, a living document like the ERDs benefits from frequent updating. Adding to the urgency is the lack of guidance in the ERDs for some significant bioethical issues that were raised during the COVID pandemic. In my talk, for instance, I brought up the need to direct that crisis standards of care or triage protocols should never employ utilitarian or consequentialist reasoning in determining which patients receive critically scarce resources, like Intensive Care Unit beds, when hospitals face overwhelming numbers of critically ill patients.

We were very blessed to have Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, Esq., address the always important topic of religious liberty and Catholic health care. It was particularly timely due to the indications from the Biden administration of their intent in the near future to make federal regulations that would violate conscience and religious liberty rights regarding abortion and many other issues, including transgender policies and interventions.

Other major topics addressed included the history of the various revisions of the ERDs, opportunities for renewed ecclesial guidance for medicine in our very secular world, gender affirmation and the ERDs, and ethical integrity vs. referral for unethical actions. Bishop Ricken of Green Bay spoke on the significance of clinics for witness in Catholic health care—a topic that has not received enough attention in the past. We also discussed the many issues surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, Catholic morality in end-of-life care, and life-limiting prenatal diagnosis. This latter topic also was recently reported in the press as some prenatal screening genetic tests have shockingly high percentages of false positives.  

We also had some very interesting social science data from Dr. Pat Fagan on how marriage and religious practice have enormous health and other social benefits. Dr. Steve White did a presentation on proclaiming the Gospel in medicine. He is the president of the exciting new Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance (CHCLA) that the NCBC helped to launch in January 2022 with the mission of promoting Christ-centered care.

The workshop did not downplay the many challenges facing Catholic health care in these times, but we made strong recommendations for different ways to strengthen the Catholic identity of our remarkable Catholic health care infrastructure in the USA. Updating the ERDs to reflect the latest issues is a vital part of this process.

We also had the pleasure of a preview of the upcoming feature film on Mother Cabrini with comments from its principal backer, Mr. Eustace Wolfington. Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini overcame incredible obstacles on her way to founding Catholic hospitals, orphanages, schools, etc. in a very hostile environment a little over a century ago. May God grant us a portion of the zeal that led Mother Cabrini to spread the faith and create Catholic institutions to assist the poor and the sick!