America Writers Named Bishops

I watched and winced at  that 'Hardball'  bishop Tobin shipwreck again. Having known Msgr. McElroy for 25 years I can assure you he would never have been caught so far off base and tagged out as Bishop Tobin was by Matthews. McElroy was the 'go-to-guy' on Church public policy for the San Francisco Archbishops Quinn, Levada and Niedreraurer. He not only writes well, he can articulate lucidly and appealingly the many Church's positions in the public square/media, a skill we need to see more of.  His San Francisco designation has long been 'the smartest guy in the room', so his aappointment as auxillary is both long overdue and a hopeful sign.  

And then there is this Kristyun response from the tighty-rightie "Catholic" website of ill-repute:
 
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=00c59b1f-555a-435e-8af8-3a8f98fd7adf

One of the real problems those of us in medicine must face is the lack of support from our fellow ''Catholics'' especially, our politicians.  Most of us, including myself, have found that if we don't refer for abortions, or give abortifacients to women, we will not be hired  for medical positions, or will find ourselves persecuted.  It is easy to dismiss the occurrence of these prejudicial attacks on Catholic, and others including  PA's, nurses, nurse practitioners and MD's, because the press will not address these issues. I fear that Catholics who won't do abortions, either chemical or surgical, and who will not refer for abortions will be excluded in the future from participation in the new health care legislation.
For bishops,  priests and politicians  who approve of abortion in special cases, and I suspect there are many, the fate of medical professionals who try to adhere to the dictates of their consciences is of little consequence. Please, however, be aware of the real persecution of medical personnel that  is happening out there, and don't shove our concerns under the blanket and brand us as of no importance, or our concerns of less importance than our political fellow ''Catholics''. Life is hard enough as it is, and the prejudice of our fellow ''co-religionists'' doubles our burden in trying to act responsibly in conformity with our beliefs.