Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has recommended approval of a deal to turn the nonprofit Caritas Christi Health Care system into a chain of for-profit hospitals, says The Boston Globe.

The report issued yesterday by Ms. Coakley’s office imposes several conditions intended to assure that the buyer, Cerberus Capital Management, keeps the six Boston-area Catholic hospitals open for at least five years, fully finances pensions for their workers and retirees, and pays for continued state oversight of the institutions.

Cerberus must still secure approval from the state’s highest court, which has final say on the transfer or charitable assets into private hands, and must obtain new hospital licenses from state regulators.

Caritas officials have said the cash infusion from the sale is necessary to maintain and improve the hospitals, but critics of the proposed deal have raised concerns about its impact on the hospitals’ church affiliation and provision of charity care.

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