The article touches on this - the practise began with orphans (from the regiemes executions!) and illegitimate children from poor single mothers handed over to

The article touches on this - the practise began with orphans (from the regiemes executions!) and illegitimate children from poor single mothers handed over to the church. But as social mores changed in the sixties, single parenting was not such a social stigma and so the "supply" dried up. At this point the church had people "alongside" management of hospitals etc, so the institutions were compromised, and the next more awful step could go forward. It's interesting to compare the institutions being compromised by putting idealogues in hierarchical power with Hitler and the SA / SS. It seems that is the "playbook".