Monday, June 22, 2009
GOVERNMENT NOW BLAMING CHAPLAINS FOR REMOVAL OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS
North Shore MP Jillian Skinner has described as outrageous an attempt by Health Minister John Della Bosca to now blame hospital chaplains for the removal of religious symbols – including bibles and crucifixes –from the Royal North Shore Hospital chapel.
Mrs Skinner revealed she was in possession of a letter written by the Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Dr Andrew McDonald, which sheeted responsibility directly to the chaplains and away from the Northern Sydney and Central Coast Area Health Service.
``The bureaucrats have banned crucifixes, bibles and other Christian symbols and now they have the audacity to claim it was the work of the chaplains,’’ Mrs Skinner said.
``Not only has the whole episode been an example of bureaucratic madness, the Government is now trying to cover up its responsibility in making this crazy decision.
``This is reprehensible, it appears there are some very heavy-handed tactics being used in this matter, ’’ she said.
The Minister’s letter claims:
``Media reports wrongly claimed that hospital managers had ordered a ban on religious symbols and as a result we have received many letters, telephone calls and emails from people concerned about the issue.
``No decision was taken to change the way the chapel at Royal North Shore Hospital operates. The hospital’s chaplains have always been in charge of the chapel, and remain so.’’
Mrs Skinner said the Government previously conceded that a hospital bureaucrat had been instrumental in making the chapel ``symbol free’’.
``This situation is occurring in other hospitals and I would hate to think that the future of our chaplains in the hospital system was being called into question in any way,’’ Mrs Skinner said.