What does "Catholic" mean?

A few days ago at morning prayer, we read the following excerpt from Joan Chittister's God's Tender Mercy, Reflections on Forgiveness: "Because history shows us that the church is a sinful church, it is the very place in which we should be able to find the greatest degree of mercy, of understanding, of compassion, of non-judgmentalism." 

It put me in mind of the unfortunate action of Bishop Thomas Olmsted in Phoenix when he had the Eucharist removed from St. Joseph's Hospital and stripped it of its Catholic designation for performing an abortion in November 2009 to save the life a pregnant woman suffering from severe symptoms of pulmonary hypertension.  Last May Bishop Olmsted excommunicated Sr. Margaret McBride, a member of the Sisters of Mercy (whose congregation founded the hospital over a hundred years ago) because she served on the hospital's ethics committee and was involved in the decision to save the mother of four other children.

While none of us is privy to the process Bishop Olmsted used to arrive at his decision, it seems that his harsh, legalistic application of punishment has done a lot of harm and saddened many ordinary Catholics - many who really would like to somehow find a way to stay within the walls of the Church despite its missteps.  The people of God display much more compassion and understanding than the Bishop of Phoenix does.  If just a few bishops in the United States would say (audibly) that Olmsted is over the top in the area of judging who sins and who doesn't and what must be done about it, then I think the small flame of hope will burn a while longer in our hearts.