“Our country suffers the scourge of an attack on the dignity of human life,” the cardinal said.
He pointed to the increased acceptance of abortion, euthanasia, and “the pervasive view of the human body as a tool to be used for achieving maximum personal convenience and pleasure.”
To counteract these influences, he said, it is essential for Catholic institutions to maintain their religious identity and their ethical principles.
Among the dangers facing Catholic institutions, Cardinal Burke said, is the reliance on “financial support and assistance which is given under conditions which obscure of even betray the Christian identity of the Catholic health-care institution.”