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PDF versionAn indecent, unchristian witch-hunt
Attacks on bishops’ staff and programs endanger the church
Mar. 02, 2010Viewpoint
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the “domestic antipoverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops,” has been the target of attacks from a group of conservative Catholic advocacy and media outfits during the past four months for allegedly doing business with groups that promote abortion and same-sex marriage.
The attacks were orchestrated by a coalition -- made up of the American Life League, the publication Catholic Advocate, the one-man show at Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, RealCatholicTV and other like-minded organizations -- that calls itself Reform CCHD Now. It wants the bishops to “thoroughly vet all [Catholic Campaign for Human Development] grantees for compliance with Catholic teaching on social justice, life and family issues.” Many antipoverty programs supported by the campaign are nondenominational.
The attacks drew unusual attention recently when the coalition focused on John Carr, executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the bishops’ conference, and who once served on the board of an antipoverty organization that includes staff who do not share the church’s teachings on a variety of matters. The charges leveled at Carr were just the latest in a long campaign, more rooted in politics than theological orthodoxy, to discredit the bishops’ social justice work.
The Center for Community Change, where Carr served on the board from 1999 to 2006, is a nationally recognized umbrella organization for social justice and community-organizing groups. Carr wrote in a statement responding to the charges, “My experience with [the center] was that it focused on poverty, housing and immigration and had no involvement in issues involving abortion and homosexuality. When I served, the board never discussed or acted on any position involving these matters and if they had, I would have vigorously opposed any advocacy for access to abortion or gay marriage.”
Last year, just before the annual parish collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the “Reform CCHD Now” group urged Catholics not to give. They claimed that 31 organizations that received some $1.3 million in funds from the campaign were “anti-Catholic,” and accused the Center for Community Change of being a “politically radical, anti-life, pro-homosexualist” organization.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is pushing back against the attacks. NCR obtained a memo that Msgr. David Malloy, general secretary of the conference, sent Feb. 2 to all bishops. Malloy wrote: “I regret that these recent stories serve to undermine the work of the conference and its unwavering fidelity to the church’s teaching about life and marriage by attempting to alienate the bishops from their staff where absolutely no division exists. I am sorry that your time and mine must be taken up by this unwarranted and uncharitable attack on the character of the staff of the conference.”
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At the InsideCatholic Web site, Deal Hudson inadvertently admitted that the charges against Carr amounted to guilt by association, writing, “But none of the reports contain anything about Carr’s personal convictions, only his associations.” The charges were repeated at countless conservative Catholic sites, but none of the bloggers ever contacted Carr or the Catholic Campaign for Human Development for comment.
Carr, meanwhile, has received significant public support from bishops he’s worked with in the past. In a press statement, Bishop William Murphy, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said, “I’m concerned about these attacks on John Carr and I know they are false and I think they are even calumnious. I am taking this to be a very sad, sad commentary on the honesty of some people in these pressure groups.”
The attacks on the campaign have a long partisan history. Back in the 1980s, William Simon, who was appointed treasury secretary by Richard Nixon, denounced the Catholic Campaign for Human Development as a “funding mechanism for radical left-wing political activism in the United States, rather than for traditional types of charities.” Simon was half-right: The campaign tries to help groups that teach the poor to help themselves. But, like the contemporary critics, he mischaracterized the campaign’s work as political.
It is curious, especially, that these conservative groups claim for themselves the mantle of hyper-orthodoxy even while they are attacking the bishops. And to be clear: These attacks are on the bishops, even though the darts are thrown at their staff. “The closer we look at the bishops’ conference [staff and programs], the more we find a systemic pattern of cooperation with evil,” Michael Hichborn, American Life League’s lead researcher into the charges, told LifeSiteNews. The charge was picked up by other right-wing mouthpieces.
Do members of this right-wing coalition really think that the bishops are dolts, that they are incapable of meaningful oversight of their own staff? Or do they all think that the bishops, too, are involved in a “systemic pattern of cooperation with evil”? That kind of hyperbole, of course, is not new. Judie Brown, the president of American Life League, accused Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley of “spitting on Christ” when he presided at the funeral of Sen. Edward Kennedy last August.
The Italians have a wonderful word for this kind of thing -- scatenato, which means “unhinged.” It is kooky stuff, except that when it is amplified over and over on conservative blogs and given airtime on EWTN, it is dangerous. Not to the reputation of Carr or O’Malley or the others the attackers put within their sights. These witch-hunts are dangerous to the church itself, to the credibility of the Gospel, in which Christ said that Christians should be known by their love, not by their hatreds. Sadly, if the anti-CCHD crowd has its way, Catholic Christians will be known by their witch-hunts. The attacks are indecent. They are shameful. They are unchristian. They are beneath contempt.
[Michael Sean Winters is a regular NCR contributor.]
Why is this considered to be
Why is this considered to be an indecent witch-hunt?I must say that I too have concerns regarding how monetary donations from the U.S. Catholic Bishops are distributed. My understanding is that a large contribution was given to Acorn and I find that disturbing -- perhaps this continues to be an ongoing donation. Can't we soften the accusations, folks?
Signed: Musician
"I must say that I too have
"I must say that I too have concerns regarding how monetary donations from the U.S. Catholic Bishops are distributed."
Gosh, Musician, I couldn't agree with you more!
Here in our local archdiocese, monetary donations were used by our bishop in political elections to ban gay marriage. Like you, I find that VERY disturbing. Feed the hungry like Jesus did? Heal the sick like Jesus did? Spread the Good News of the greatest commandment to Love One Another? Who needs that when the bishops can use donations from the Catholic Faithful to bash gay people?
I agree totally. The Bishop
I agree totally. The Bishop in our diocese sends money to Maine to support their political agenda to ban gay marriage. It is about time for Catholics to be upset.
why would Catholics be upset?
why would Catholics be upset? they are not "bashing" gays. They are trying to preserve the truth about marriage between a man and a woman, which is Catholic doctrine, and in which bishops have the responsibility to teach- the truth.
Did you google Catholic,
Did you google Catholic, bishops, and Acorn to find out?
CCHD has not made a grant to
CCHD has not made a grant to ACORN in three years following the discovery of the internal problems at ACORN and because of partisan political activity. Grants prior to then had been made to local ACORN chapters not to the National ACORN office. It is unfortunate that the low income people struggling to improve their neighborhoods around this country who were this group's members were ill served by some of the staff and leadership of the organization. The malfeasance of some does not discreit their members work or their struggle to get out of poverty.
Gee, guess I touched a nerve
Gee, guess I touched a nerve (or struck a chord as they say) -- so glad that people did some research. Did NCR ever mention this -- that the Bishops Conference had stopped funding to ACORN? I doubt it. Who is doing the name calling? Right-wing crazies or left-wing crazies? Musician
CCHD has not made a grant to
CCHD has not made a grant to any ACORN's affiliates in three years. All grant making was suspended to the group following the discovery of internal problems and participation in partisan political activity. CCHD's grantmaking was focused on funding ACORN's local chapters not it's national offices or staff. It is unfortunate that this fact and the fact that ACORN's low income members and chapters were doing good and needed work in their communities at the local level has been overshadowed by the misdeeds and poor judgement of some of their natioal staff and leadership. ACORN, nationally, is in the process of disbanding. It is time for folks to put concerns and criticisms about ACORN and CCHD to rest. This chapter in the history of community organizing is over.
Randy, Some conservative
Randy,
Some conservative activists within the Archdiocese of Baltimore used the fact that I was associated with a CCHD funded project to attack CCHD. They googled the Directors and staffs of CCHD funded groups and found out "dirt" on them. Then they produced literature that was used in many parishes to attack the idea of giving to CCHD. They discovered that one staff member of a group was a Sex Offender - but what they were really upset about was that Nathan Sooy of the Save Middle East Action Committee in Baltimore was a Socialist and defender of progressives. And horrors upon horrors - registered people to vote. All of this was published on the right-wing FREE REPUBLIC blog as well. So, now their work and accusations are now part of what comes up when you google my name. Well, I am a progressive. I used to be a Socialist and am still willing to defend Democratic Socialists. And I certainly believe in registering people to vote. It certainly had nothing to do with the mission of our organization and its work on behalf of families in East Baltimore. They learned their lessons from Glenn Beck and how he used Van Jones to attack Obama. That is what they are going to now. Not to attack me. But thru someone like me to attack CCHD. The right-wing is into destroying progressive infrastructure - ACORN, CCHD, etc.That is what they are after.
Anonymous Musician, using the
Anonymous Musician, using the "seek and ye shall find" principle, I found the answer to the question that disturbed you within one minute by googling USCCB + ACORN. From the USCCB website, http://usccb.org/cchd/acorn-faq.shtml:
Why CCHD has stopped funding local ACORN groups
Report on CCHD and ACORN
of Bishop Roger Morin
Chairman, Subcommittee On Catholic Campaign For Human Development
– Nov. 11, 2008
What is the current status of ACORN's CCHD funding?
In June 2008, CCHD cut off funding of grants to ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) groups because of questions that arose about financial management, fiscal transparency and organizational accountability of the national ACORN structures.
During the CCHD Bishops Subcommittee meeting November 8-9, 2008, the Subcommittee voted unanimously to extend and formalize ending CCHD funding of ACORN organizations. This decision was made because of serious concerns regarding ACORN’s lack of financial transparency, organizational performance, and questions surrounding political partisanship.
CCHD discontinued donations
CCHD discontinued donations to ACORN when they were aware of problems with the organization. For many of these grassroots organizations that are creating positive change in communities across the country, CCHD is their only (and at least first) source of funding.
CCDH no longer contributes to
CCDH no longer contributes to Acorn.
Acorn is not funded by the
Acorn is not funded by the CCHD any longer. They were investigated and found to have some financial irregularities as I recall. Not that any other organizations we are aware of have financial irregularities well except for banks, insurance companies, any number of large corporations an assortment of congressmen. Acorn is a or should I say was a good organization and like many good organizations had some folks that tried too hard. IT can be difficult to help the poor with limited resources. Acorn also hired the poor. Unfortunately, you can not be poor in this country and survive without doing illegal acts. Talk about soften accusations and witch hunts Acorn was a witch hunt if I ever saw one. I worked on a CCHD committee and have visited with CCHD funded projects in three dioceses. The Campaign does excellent work and is an organization that Catholics should be proud of. These so called Catholic organizations that are going after them are either lying or extrapolating a few mistakes to reflect on the organization as a whole. I have followed John Carr's work for 15 years as a colleague and know and worked with members of his staff including some that work on CCHD. They are outstanding folks full of the spirit of Jesus. Believe it or not folks there are conservative organizations, well there is no sense in mincing words here, that lie. They do not tell the truth. Why? I guess they think their cause is worth it. The questions is what is their cause? Is it gospel? I am sorry but the Jesus I see in the gospels was about integrity and truth is at a premium.
No one is saying that the
No one is saying that the CCHD still funds ACORN, although they were only defunded a year and a half ago, not three years ago. But the CCHD never answered as to why ACORN received 7.2 million from US Catholics when not only their partisanship, but their corruption were long known. That it took 10 years to defund them should concern more of you than it seems to, regarding the CCHD's ability to discern grantees' worthiness.
Second point, like all the defenders of the CCHD, Winters/NCR ignores the actual, documented charges. Why is that? Anyone who knows how to use Google can find the same information in short order. CCHD grantees boast of their work to defend "gay marriage" and "reproductive health". Why should Catholics support these groups?
Finally, who says that Catholics shouldn't feed the hungry and clothe the poor? THAT ISN'T WHAT THE CCHD DOES, by their own admission. And it is highly debatable that ACORN-like groups still receiving CCHD funds agree with the Church on the nature of the human person, thus their prescriptions for "helping" the poor often take disturbing forms. The carefully cultivated naivete required to ignore this common sense conclusion should be rejected by all thinking Catholics.
Anonymous: Catholic or
Anonymous: Catholic or Republican - which are you representing?
The bishops have helped
The bishops have helped foster these right-wing crazies and now are having these groups turn on them as well. When you breed attack dogs, you have to be careful not to be bitten yourself.
I agree with Dennis N. Our
I agree with Dennis N. Our leadership seems to have aligned itself more and more with the political right in recent decades; why should this leadership now be surprised that even they themselves are not conservative enough for their conservative allies?
Well said.
Well said.
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, RCC
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, RCC implosion! The leadership is imploding the Church.
Poetic justice.
Poetic justice.
I agree with Dennis, too. As
I agree with Dennis, too.
As another variant on his saying puts it, when you lie down with dogs, you can expect to get up with fleas.
I have no sympathy for the bishops in this matter. They are receiving the ire of forces they themselves have set into motion long since--unwisely, and uncharitably, with little regard for the future of the church.
I agree with Dennis. In my
I agree with Dennis. In my diocese, rather than push back at the right wing years ago, the bishop just kept negotiating and 'making nice.' This simply emboldened them and his acquience made the fence-sitters think that maybe the wing-nuts were right, thus expanding their base. And did it ever come back to bite him later! They organized against many of the things he later tried to do. And he was so shocked!
Acorn was also found to be a
Acorn was also found to be a victim of a deliberately untrue smear attacks that culminated in a Congressional witchhunt denying it all funding on false innuendos.
See -- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122275494
& "Tables Turned -- Acorn stalker & false pimp arrested by FBI -- http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/tablesturned_acorn_stal...
As the story about the Curé of Ars advised the old gossip, "Trying to repair someone's reputation after trashing it is like trying to catch a bunch of feathers blown about by the wind...Avoid wickedness and don't do it in the first place!"
A "social justice
A "social justice organization" had "no involvement with issues like abortion"? Why not?
Any person with a simple education knows that unborn children are human beings. All you need is a basic understanding of DNA, or an ultrasound.
Anyone who can count knows that housing and community organizing are silliness, at a time when we have the killing of 1 million children a year.
Any decent person demands that society take all necessary actions to protect the lives of weak and innocent people. But liberals dont. Why not? Why do you say abortion should be legal? I assume you would say the same of infanticide? At what age does it become wrong?
Do you really think providing
Do you really think providing decent housing and aid for the poor has no impact on abortion?
Community organizing is not "silliness." Better, safer communities have the potential to bring hope to women in despair over the kind of lives their unborn children will have. If you're wealthy or middle class you don't have to worry so much about "community organizing." The social structures and the habits of "community" are already in place. In poorer neighborhoods, often the only structure that exists is provided by gangs. Gangs don't exactly promote a reverence for life.
PHudson states the problem
PHudson states the problem that is plaguing the church -- if I spend any time or money caring about anything other than abortion, then I don't pass the 'decent person' test. If I feed the hungry, it's silliness. If I advocate for decent housing, it's silliness. If I protest war or the death penalty; if I give money to promote the cause of health care; if I join a coalition advocating decent wages -- it's all sillinesss to these people. Every word, every action, everything is through the lens of abortion.
well said
well said
If housing is 'silliness' in
If housing is 'silliness' in your opinion, just where would you propose to put the million aborted children should they be born? Many of them would likely be poor, so where would they live if not "housing"? Tent cities? The backseat of a car? Typical of so many prolifers, you can't seem to see the forest for the trees.
My Medical students and PhD
My Medical students and PhD candidates called me too conservative, my Bishop might think me too Liberal. I have never believed in abortion but the Catholic Church does not know the medical definition of abortion, and it confuses ideas of when personhood and ensoulment occur. Over the past few years with their desperate attempt to be RIGHT about forbidding the use of the BC pill, some Catholic leadership has used the excuse that this pill causes abortion. Their reasoning is that any thing that causes a fertilized ovum not to stick in the uterus causes abortion. First of all these human structures are called blastocysts and most normal blastocysts never implant in a normal woman, but are lost in monthly menstruation. Second, it is only a side effect of the BC pill that causes some uteruses to be less ready for implantation. BC pills primarily work by preventing ovulation. There are many conditions that cause a uterus to be less likely to implant a blastocyst. Many uteruses become less likely to accept implantation if the woman exercises like a marathon runner or a basket ball player. If a woman is going through mental or physical stress like depression or malnourishment, the uterus becomes less likely to implant a blastocyst. Many other medications including the majority of cancer drugs cause a woman to be less likely to implant a blastocyst. Therefore the fact that some BC pills have a side effect causing the same conditions could hardly be called causing an abortion. The point that most- 60 to 80% of all normal blastocysts in healthy women without any of the above causations - never get to implant can not be under emphasized. The Catholic Church’s definition in these cases would make nature or the God who creates nature an abortionist. The Bishops are not listening to what the scientists are observing. They are not taking into consideration what the Holy Spirit is inspiring our scientists to discover. This happened at the time of Galileo and is repeating itself today.
It is only a recent definition by the Church that claims that life begins with fertilization of an ovum. Several ancient fathers and popes taught that the beginning of life was at "quickening" the movement of a baby at about 12 weeks gestation. So historically the current crop of Bishops are distorting what was thought by many of the early fathers. When I attended Catholic grammar school in the 1950's, I was taught in my Confirmation class by the priests and sisters that no one knows when life begins.
The lesion of identical twinning is important. The blastocyst may spit prior to implantation into the uterus or after implantation. So how do we know when two individual lives begin? Many religious people recently have stated that science has shown us that a fertilized ovum has all the DNA and all the potential to grow and develop into a human. This is true but does not define when human life begins because large mammals, the first was Dolly the sheep, have been cloned. Using an utter cell that is injected into an evacuated ovum mammalian life can be started. This is a very important piece of information. It means that an utter cell and in the case of other mammals many other types of cells of the body when correctly stimulated have the full potential to grow and develop individual lives. It is very clear that such an event as cloning is more than possible for a human. So we get back to what my Confirmation class taught me. NO ONE KNOW JUST WHEN LIFE BEGINS. When Bishops claim by creeping ideas of infallibility that life begins with fertilization, they are deluding themselves. They are claiming for themselves an omniscient power that just does not exist and they are interfering with medical developments that are very promising for the cure of disease. So P Hudson's comment "Any person with a simple education knows that unborn children are human beings. All you need is a basic understanding of DNA, or an ultrasound," is certainly a very simple and incorrect understanding propagated by the omniscient mind set of bishops that believe in their own creeping infallibility. It would be laughable but for the fact that so many P. Hudsons believe it and are propagating the use of such Episcopal omniscience not for the growth and development of mankind or to human improvement but to defend a Catholic leadership imploding over its own feeble explanations. Explanations attempting not to propagate scientific observation of truth but to falsify it attempting to defend their own belief of being omniscient. This is an attempt at control pure and simple. It comes from the mind set of a totalitarian belief system.
May we work for the grace of true peace and understanding,
R. Dennis Porch, MD
Thank you Dr. Porch for your
Thank you Dr. Porch for your excellent explanation of the medical definition of abortion. I hope that the Bishops and all those who are right wing conservative, catholics who are constantly condemming anyone who disagrees with their point of view read your comments. I also agree with Mr. Winters article about the "unchristian witch-hunt that has been going on for many years from the conservative catholic, republican, extremist who have cause so much discord within the Catholic Church in America. I hope that the Holy Spirit will continue to give our scientists his grace to make discoveries that will help all people live a better life. I am not for abortion, but I would like intelligent, rational medical scientists to help our church leaders to make more informed judgements about this important subject. God bless you Dr. Porch and I hope that more medical scientists will begin to step forward.
While I normally disagree
While I normally disagree with you, I agree with you here on two points at least. (1) The estrogen pill should not be referred to as an abortion causing method of contraception. Indeed it's essential purpose is not even contraceptive but it can be used that way. (2) The point of fertilization is not a likely point for ensoulment for the reason you state about the expulsion of fertilized eggs during the woman's menstrual cycle. I read that about 2/3 of the fertilized eggs are expelled this way. I would think the point of implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus is a more likely point for ensoulment.
It should also be noted though that the Church has not officially ruled on this question. However, it is possible that God implants the soul in those fertilized eggs which He foresees will at least make it to the point of implantation in the uterus.
I agree that abortion is the
I agree that abortion is the cause that American Life League and Human Life International, two of the organizations that are part of Reform CCHD Now. I do not see attacks against individuals but against organizations that apparently do not vet the charities or, if they do, don't care that they violate Catholic doctrine. Here is the first announcement I heard. It says nothing of what has been reported above. It just says that CCHD has to clean up its act.Campaign Update: Reform the CCHD Now!
--------
by Stephen Phelan
HLI Communications Manager
Dear Friends of HLI,
Many of you know that HLI has joined a coalition of Catholic groups calling for a reform of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the domestic social justice arm of the USCCB. The CCHD finally defunded the deeply corrupt ACORN last year and has cut off some other bad groups recently after more reports of malfeasance, but the problems remain and more reports are forthcoming. Check out the campaign's website at www.reformcchdnow.com for more details.
For now, we just wanted to let you know about a couple of timely issues related to the campaign.
Beginning Saturday, November 14, join us in a novena asking for a thorough reform of the CCHD and a healing of the division it is causing in the Church. Click here for details and send it around to friends!
Tonight, Friday, November 13, watch EWTN's The World Over Live with Raymond Arroyo. Reform CCHD Now coalition members Rob Gasper of the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry and Michael Hichborn of American Life League will discuss the issues with the CCHD and how we would like to see it reformed. See it at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Do you still meet people who think that the problems with the CCHD have been solved? Well, the problems have not been solved, although the CCHD have defunded a couple of the worst grantees. Send them to http://bellarmineveritasministry.org/ to see the things that are still going on. And be assured there are more reports coming.
This campaign will not end until the CCHD undergoes a thorough reform, so that Catholics can have faith that the CCHD finally understands the differences between truly Catholic Charity and Justice, and the false versions of Charity and Justice that it currently funds. The campaign has already yielded great fruit, and we're encouraged by the feedback and the coverage that it is receiving.
Share the Reform CCHD Now website on Facebook, Twitter, other social networking sites, forwarding and otherwise sharing the Reform CCHD Now page. It's easy to do via the "Share" image on every page of the site. Let's try to get our collection boycott coupon into the hands of every faithful Catholic by November 22!
And here is a similar comment from March 3:
Spirit & Life®
"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 05, Number 08 | Wednesday, March 3, 2010
.................................................................................. www.hli.org
Reform the CCHD Now!
Dear Friends in Christ,
Please join me in signing the Reform CCHD Now (RCN) petition here (www.reformcchdnow.com).
The language of the petition is very simple: "To ensure no more Catholic dollars are spent to support organizations advocating abortion or same-sex marriage, I respectfully request the bishops suspend all national CCHD grants until the grants process has been reformed."
If you haven't been following the ongoing scandal with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and would like to get caught up, check out the news page on the RCN site.
It really shouldn't be too much to ask that money given by Catholics not go to those who oppose the Church, and who do so in the name of "social justice". True social justice recognizes the dignity of every human being from conception to natural death, and it values the the family enough to defend marriage as being between one man and one woman. To deny either of these basic truths is to oppose the Church.
It really is that simple. We just have yet to see and evidence that those who decide which groups get CCHD funds truly understand this.
Please forward this invitation to sign the RCN petition to your email list, and join me in praying for a timely and just resolution to this ongoing scandal.
-----------------------
I don't know the details, but I respect both American Life League and Judy Brown and Human Life International and Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer for their dedication and hard work in the fight to stamp out abortion. I know how hard they work. If the bishops had been half as dedicated or really cared about eliminating abortion, they would have fought it tooth and nail, they would see that abortion mills were picketed, they would speak out about the evil, they would keep abortion supporters from the Eucharist, etc. What have they done? Most have done nothing. They ignore the issue. They are cowards who are afraid of losing tax benefits if they speak out about anything. They have been neutered. They have created Catholic Conferences in each state to talk for them. What is it the scriptures say about not being able to serve both God and mammon? They are serving mammon! And, here in the Richmond, VA diocese where I reside, the local Catholic Charities actually counseled, encouraged and paid for an abortion in the face of the local bishop who could not or would not stop it. I agree with those I trust, ALL and HLI and other courageous organizations who are taking a stand for right. I'm not giving to CCHD until I know they meet true Catholic standards. The bishops can't or won't make it happen, but maybe courageous organizations will.
Is there any info on how much
Is there any info on how much money these protesters have given to CCHD in the past?
A North Carolina pastor
A North Carolina pastor admitted a number of years ago to destroying CCHD promotional materials. I notified his bishop as well as other potentially interested parties. This is a manifestation of the paternalistc crap that self-righteous, judgmental, "orthodox" pastors can manage to foist on their "sheep" if the laity blindly go along with whatever such "Fathers" say and do.
You are just another
You are just another verminous liberal, CCHD is corrupt from top to bottom and will be cleansed no matter how much you liberals scream. Too bad I am not in your parish after your reported the good pastor you would have gotten a visit from friends of mine.
"Verminous", "cleansed",
"Verminous", "cleansed", "reported"? Ouch, that is more than a bit on the harsh side. I ask you to reexamine your spirituality through the lens of personal spirituality and helping others and not as a rulebook checklist.
"...gotten a visit from
"...gotten a visit from friends of mine."!!!! Sounds like bullying to me. We will know them by their works--if friends of yours show up like that, they are declaring that they are not Catholic.
Thanks, Michael. This makes
Thanks, Michael. This makes it obvious that the money I was going to give to Charities of Washington will instead go to CCHD.
Yes, the bishops will now
Yes, the bishops will now reap what they have sowed. Their actions on behalf of right wingers are now going to bite them and bite them hard.
I agree with dennis n. Ever
I agree with dennis n. Ever since the Bishops decided to climb into bed with the Republican party they have opened themselves up to political charges. And now they are being attacked for not being right-wing enough.
From what I can discern, Catholic Orthodoxy, when it is overlayed on the American political spectrum, sometimes finds itself on the conservative wing and sometimes on the liberal. Trying to contort Catholic social teachings so that they are all liberal or conservative in the American politicial tradition, is an attempt to twist us away from what real Orthodoxy is all about: a challenge not only to our society in general, but to each of us individually.
We could get back to human
We could get back to human basics before worrying about the finances.
A biology book or internet info reveals that not all blastocysts (new embryos) adhere to the uterine wall. 1/2 to 3/4 do not adhere and are absorbed into the uterine wall and flushed out with the menstrual cycle. Thus, the reproduction system has an abortion process. God has given us example. Let's discusss this basic before Catholic action.
I would hope you understand
I would hope you understand the difference between natural death and murder, but it appears you may not.
I understand. If you want to
I understand. If you want to understand "natural death" then tell that to a 36 year old woman in hospice care since you understand it so well. Frankly we don't know as much as we think we know about death. To learn more be a hospice volunteer and find out. Unless you walk in someone elses shoes keep your mouth shut. I do not think one of those so-called Bishops have been pregnant and I know from personal experience that they are too busy being active in abortion rallies to give any attention to the portion of their flock who are dying.
The "attacks" as you call
The "attacks" as you call them have listed specific monetary amounts and specific groups. Why does this author not address those specifics?
I was once a paying member of
I was once a paying member of the American Life League. After reading their material, I knew this could not be of God. It was self-righteous and hateful. I now pay no attention to these so called "pro-life haters." Thank you Judie Brown.
Indecent, unchristian
Indecent, unchristian witchhunt is just what this is. If the Bishops vetted every grantee for "compliance on Catholic teaching" there would be no interdenominational work done. I wonder who would benefit by such actions? Perhaps the very groups who smear the CCHD would then be in the running for the peace and justice monies. Hmmmmm...
The Catholic Church and the
The Catholic Church and the CHHD has done wonderful work with the poor and disadvantaged in the world. Until the poor are aided and empowered to "fish for themselves", there will always be poverty. One way to reduce abortion is to work against poverty and FOR empowerment of women in society. Much of society is still male dominated and as long as women are considered second class citizens who are at the beck and call of any male figure, there will always be issues.
Did Jesus not love and reach out to the Samaritan woman? Why would Cardinal O'Malley NOT preside at Sen Kennedy's funeral? Be pastoral. Poverty is a national problem not singled out by party lines.
We are ALL human and yes we make mistakes. What has the American Life League done besides criticize and blame?
In response to Musician I
In response to Musician I would say the attacks qualify as indecent witch hunts because the organization making the charges failed to validate their accusations before broadly disseminating them. Anyone who bothered could have read the Campaign's responses to charges on line months ago. But the charges continued unabated and uncorrected.
Anonymous, this is just
Anonymous, this is just bizarre. The RCN's charges are well documented, if you would just look at them (see http://reformcchdnow.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14...). Also note that the CCHD, after promising that all problems were solved last year, defunded three more groups before promising again that all the problems were solved. And they haven't addressed the latest reports, which again show that CCHD grantees, to no one's surprise, still support gay "marriage" and abortion rights.
Of course NCR won't report on any of this, as it doesn't fit the narrative. Nor will their lemmings here do any research before condemning (without any sense of irony) the "partisanship" of those who call the CCHD to accountability.
I hear voices of "trust me",
I hear voices of "trust me", been there and done that.
We as consevative and liberal catholic christians are the some of the most generous and giving peoples in the world.
Is it to much to make sure that it is then spent for those projects in true alignment with our faith.
The harsh words need to stop and the Bishops need to make themselves accountable, yes I do belive they can be "dolts". I do not believe it to be intentional but you also have to depend on staff and the further up the line of command you are - often the less real unfiltered truth you recieve.
Faith in people - is a funny thing it can make you a hero or hurt you also.
Good article, although the
Good article, although the title is nonsensical. The Witch-hunts were conceived and carried out by Christians. I'm not sure what an "unchristian witch-hunt" is.
The Witch-hunts were
The Witch-hunts were conceived and carried out by Christians. I'm not sure what an "unchristian witch-hunt" is.
There is a difference between non-Christian and un-Christian..."non-Christian" signifies s a group which is not made of up Christians, e.g., Buddhists, Islamics, etc.; un-Christian signifies a Christian group which is not acting in a Christian manner, e.g., spreading lies & calumny.
"Good article, although the
"Good article, although the title is nonsensical. The Witch-hunts were conceived and carried out by Christians. I'm not sure what an "unchristian witch-hunt" is."
Is anyone else surprised that a person who would write such a comment is a fan of NCR's reporting?
How very true!
How very true!
Francis George has stated his
Francis George has stated his concerns about who can say they're Catholic. Let's see if he is as ready to denounce these nut groups as he is to denounce "liberal" groups.
Funny, it used to be that the
Funny, it used to be that the right supported subsidiarity, efforts to help the poor help themselves, and measures to avoid welfare dependency. Until, of course, "community organizing" became something associated with Barack Obama, and hence to be opposed. So sad to see Catholics taking their cue from the noise machine.
And don't forget that Judie Brown is a proud supporter of torture. She's not one to lecture anybody.
Their funding to ACORN ended
Their funding to ACORN ended in 2008.
This is just a recent example
This is just a recent example of what happens when right-wing Catholics march. Remember Fr. Charles Coughlin? (Sp?), Sen. McCarthy? Fr. Feeney? They all received some legitimacy from bishops and they came back to bite the bishops in the ass.
Hopefully, the bishops will at least realize that most "Catholic" websites are right wing and many teach down right heresy. And all we get is Cardinal George's speech saying that New Ways Ministry can't call itself "Catholic." I have always thought that, "What's good for the goose, is good for the gander.
Seems like any charity toward
Seems like any charity toward the poor or other disenfranchised group is considered "far left wing"...odd, it's the work Jesus told us we were to do...
Thank you for this. Helping
Thank you for this. Helping the poor empower themselves is always a threat to the power structure, just like Jesus was.
CCHD no longer gives to
CCHD no longer gives to Acorn.
CCHD no longer gives to
CCHD no longer gives to Acorn.
These people are phobic and
These people are phobic and can't think of anything else than abortion and gays. They should try psychoterapy to see what is wrong with them... Or perhaps they are just at the bottom of the scale of the evolution from primatas into humankind?
shucks and I thought this
shucks and I thought this referred to the whole Millea ROde debacle
Musician, All funding to
Musician,
All funding to ACORN ended, although it was necessary to end funding to ACORN there were many courageous projects completed that can be attributed to ACORN affiliates. Helping the poor and marginalized find a voice in their communities is worthwhile.
In the United States we are now seeing another form of community organizing by people that feel they are being marginalized by the government. Yes, they are organizing from coast to coast in what could actually become a third political party in a two party system, they call themselves the Tea Party.
However, isn't easier to keep the poor and marginalized quiet and voiceless? No, not if we are going to call ourselves Christian or Catholic. Today, I'm reflecting on the Gospel for the Second Thursday of Lent. Lk. 16:19-31 The parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man didn't end up in hell because he was rich, it was because he failed to recognize the needs of Lazarus.
Signed: Lector
Musician, All funding to
Musician,
All funding to ACORN ended, although it was necessary to end funding to ACORN there were many courageous projects completed that can be attributed to ACORN affiliates. Helping the poor and marginalized find a voice in their communities is worthwhile.
In the United States we are now seeing another form of community organizing by people that feel they are being marginalized by the government. Yes, they are organizing from coast to coast in what could actually become a third political party in a two party system, they call themselves the Tea Party.
However, isn't easier to keep the poor and marginalized quiet and voiceless? No, not if we are going to call ourselves Christian or Catholic. Today, I'm reflecting on the Gospel for the Second Thursday of Lent. Lk. 16:19-31 The parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man didn't end up in hell because he was rich, it was because he failed to recognize the needs of Lazarus.
Signed: Lector
I see this as a
I see this as a Catholic-spinoff of the faux ACORN witch hunt. This is highly political. Many of the voices going against the CCHD appear to be doing this because President Obama was elected in 2008. President Obama did work with CCHD money during his time in Chicago as a "community organize (another GOP attack point). They feel they can get some personal redemption if they go after Obama in this way, but all they will hurt are those who are helped by the CCHD.
All that apparently matters to them is abortion and gay marriage (surprise, surprise). If any organization has had a moderate view on abortion or a realistic one on gay marriage (e.g. another project in their org supported Prop 8 in CA), that is all they freak out about. So now we have to continue to hurt the GLBT community or the poor, a horrible choice to ignore one or attack another.
On the Reform The CCHD website they actually link to an article calling for a Catholic-only Tea Party. This shows you the outside fringe that is pushing this.
Archbishop Nienstedt of St Paul/Minneapolis even wrote about this last fall when it first started, and as "orthodox" and Vatican party line as he is, thought it was best to keep the CCHD collection going and it was counterproductive to hurt the weak. He has not said anything recently, and I doubt he will go along with the current bashing as there will be a groundswell of complaints in the Archdiocese over this.
http://thecatholicspirit.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2...
I am disgusted that 7 bishops have chose to hold back on the CCHD collection (Madison and Green Bay WI bishops are the closest).
During the 1990's, I served a
During the 1990's, I served a three year term as a member of the advisory board for CCHD and reviewed many applications to fund projects in the southeastern corner of the country. It was a privilege to serve the poor and the church in this way. I was never more proud to call myself Catholic than when taking part in these deliberations. I cannot recall anytime when projects we reviewed were aimed at purposes that undermined or may have been perceived as undermining church teaching. Our focus was on empowering organized groups of low-income men and women engaged in self-help projects that would lift them and others out of poverty or would address issues of injustice.
I am disturbed by the singling out of this organization for criticism and most especially the criticisms aimed at John Carr. He is, in my opinion, a very modest, humble and holy servant of the church. In my current diocese, the bishop has decided to exclude CCHD from the upcoming special collection which will include CRS and Peter's Pence. I intend to send my contributions directly to CCHD and CRS, by-passing the diocesan collection. I would encourage others to do likewise.
Perhaps the Conference should
Perhaps the Conference should also thoroughly vet the American Life League, the Catholic Advocate, Bellarmine's Veritas Ministry, RealCatholicTV, the Catholic League , EWTN, and other like-minded organizations for compliance with Catholic teaching on social justice, life and family issues, particularly support for women who may be seeking abortion, support for the poor, support for immigrants and comprehensive immigration reform, and support for health care reform.
C'mon Concord, you KNOW that
C'mon Concord, you KNOW that ain't gonna happen. These rightwing keepers of the flame would become extremely aggitated by even the most politely veiled criticism. Any bishop daring to challenge them would be bullied publicly and unmercifully. The bishops understand this and are cowed into silence, that is unless a "liberal" needs to be reprimanded.
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