Caritas in Communion: A Summary of Catholic Health Care Order in the CHA Store

Caritas in Communion: Theological Foundations of Catholic Health Care

Caritas in Communion, begun as a white paper commissioned by the Catholic Health Association, engaged theologians, economists, public policy experts, health care executives and sponsors in a year-long study regarding the changing health care environment and its impact on the Catholic health ministry. The resulting book, authored by M. Therese Lysaught, moral theologian at Loyola University, Chicago, explores topics of Catholic Identity, the Principle of Cooperation, and ministry implications of for-profit business models. While this book was written specifically for Catholic health care, its implications for Catholic Identity in a pluralistic world extend beyond this ministry to Catholic education and social service organizations as well. This article serves as an executive summary of the book.