Posted on 11/14/2008 2:20:02 PM PST by Diago
Contact: Mary Ann Kreitzer Stephanie Block 540-459-9493 505-866-0977 kreitzr1@shentel.net athanasius@aol.com
OPEN LETTER TO THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES: REFORM THE CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
November 2008
Your Excellencies:
On November 5 the American people elected the most liberal candidate in the history of our country who has promised to advance abortion and same‐sex “marriage.” Sadly, his accomplishment could only be achieved with the active cooperation of millions of Catholic voters. What is particularly appalling, however, is that millions of Catholic dollars were funneled directly into liberal coffers through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). The fraud and financial mismanagement of ACORN was exposed recently and we applaud the CCHD suspension of grants for that organization. However, ACORN’s behavior was longstanding and every bishop in the country received detailed information ten years ago about their problematic agenda. Yet the vetting process at CCHD was apparently so lax that this agency received millions of dollars while they were engaging in immoral actions that directly conflict with Catholic teaching. Many other grant recipients follow the same model as ACORN. The Industrial Areas Foundation, Gamaliel, PICA, and others embrace the identical immoral philosophy that fueled the ACORN scandal. Alinskyite community organizations share 30‐50% of the CCHD pie. The faithful in the pew who believe they are helping the poor actually assist groups that network with enemies of the Church using immoral tactics to force government and private organizations to embrace their questionable goals. Those goals often directly attack the family, especially its weakest members, which has a devastating impact on the poor.
We respectfully call on the Conference of Bishops to reform the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) so that it truly aids the poor instead of channeling money into liberal groups that work with those advancing abortion, same‐sex marriage, and other moral evils. It is a serious wrong that Catholics in the pew who believe their donations help the poor are unknowingly funding a leftwing liberal agenda that opposes the dignity of the human person. We respectfully suggest the following actions with regard to CCHD:
• That the CCHD grant process be frozen and 2008 grants be suspended until a complete review and overhaul of the campaign can be conducted
• That all donations be placed in safe interest‐bearing accounts during the process
• That the grant application process be thoroughly studied and new policies developed that ensure only organizations that follow Catholic moral principles, i.e., pro‐life, profamily, pro‐marriage, and pro‐biblical morality be eligible for grants
• That the principle of subsidiarity be honored in the grant process
• That ACORN, the Industrial Areas Foundation and other Alinsky‐style community organizations that follow immoral principles of action be permanently banned from receiving grants
• That groups networking and interfacing with groups that advance pro‐abortion, prohomosexual policies be permanently banned from funding
• That whenever possible Catholic organizations be given preference over secular groups
The Catholic Media Coalition has developed a DVD and brochure which may be downloaded from our website, www.catholicmediacoalition.org. Be assured of our prayers as you carry out the difficult duties of shepherding the flock.
Sincerely in Christ,
Mary Ann Kreitzer President
• Jack Ames, Defend Life, Baltimore, MD • Janet Baker, Faithful Catholics of MD/DC, Washington, D.C. www.restore‐dc‐catholicism.com • Stephanie Block, Catholic Author, Albuquerque, NM, Athanasius@aol.com • Kenneth Fisher, Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Anaheim, California crcoa@dslextreme.com • James Fritz, Defenders of the Faith, Inc., Berkeley Springs, WV www.thedefender.org/contact.html • Camille Giglio, California Right to Life Advocates, callifeadvocates.org/blog • Alice Grayson, Veil of Innocence, West Falmouth, MA, www.veilofinnocence.org/index.html • Nancy Kokstis SFO, the Shepherds Warrior, Prentice, WI, kokstis @pctcnet.net • Mary Ann Kreitzer, Les Femmes, Woodstock, VA, www.lesfemmes‐thetruth.com • Valerie Lubitz, President, Los Pequeños de Cristo, Albuquerque, NM, www.lospequenos.org • Karl Maurer, Catholic Citizens of Illinois, www.catholiccitizens.org • Kathy Parker, Brothers and Sisters at the Cross, Birmingham, Alabama • Sheila Parkhill, The Holy Family Society of Tucson, http://hfsnews.org/ • The Orlando Truth, orlandotruth@rome.com • Vivian Ripton, Call to Holiness, St. Michael the Archangel Chapel, New York • Allyson Smith, Catholic Author, San Diego, CA, allysons@cox.net • Georgene M. Sorenson, Romans in the Desert, snownomore@cox.net • Donna Steichen, Catholic Author, Ojai, CA dmsteichen@aol.com • Carolyn Wendell, VOCAL, Portland, OR, http://vocalblog.blogspot.com/, carolyn@vocalnews.org
Ping to read the list of signees later
ping!
The lay Dirctor of the Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) at the USCCB was once a Democrat activist in the Minnesota Democrat Farm Labor party and a Hubert Humphrey protege. He has long supported ACORN through his control of the CCHD and disbursement of its grants. These grants were over a $ 1 million this year and $7 million over the last 10 years.
He knew all about ACORN’s involvement in helping liberal Democrat causes and probably kept most of that from the naive bishops, who thought all the money was going to help the poor.
He was in violation of the law, disrespectful of Catholic Church procedures for non-involvement in political campaigns, and dishonest in the misappropriation of Catholics’ contributions intended for the poor but channeled into his personal political agenda.
Should have posted this as a Catholic Caucus.
I think it has been re-named CHD. Not Catholic anymore, just the Campaign for Human Development.
Excellent! Hold their feet to the fire. Hopefully, this new crop of younger Bishops, is not steeped in the Seamless Garment carp of the 80’s.
“• That the principle of subsidiarity be honored in the grant process.”
This is no small matter as it is a principle of wondrous, God given wisdom for us all. Yet, show me more than a few American Bishops who would stand up for it, who would mention it in a pastoral letter, who would teach it with conviction...they would be accused of dare I say being “conservatives.” Yet, it is the disregard for this now prophetic term found in Rerrum Novarum that has lead to the statism and judicial despotism which has given us such shameful “principles” as “choice”, “gay marriage”, onerous taxation is patriotism, and welfare is charity.
The whole things is a mess, uts not just about ACORN:
http://www.catholiccitizens.org/platform/platformview.asp?c=10015
Just How Bad is the Campaign For Human Development? Thirteen News Reports With Information You Need To Share With Your Fellow Catholics
11/19/2003 8:35:00 PM - Assembled by Kevin Killion
Thanks to our friend Kevin, below are several stories designed to tear back the curtain on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, or CCHD, or as I call it, Catholic Cash Helping Democrats...
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http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9908/public.html#time
Time for a Step Further, by Rev. Richard John Neuhaus
The criticism of CCHD is fine so far as it goes, says an old hand at inner-city community organizing here in New York, but it doesn’t go far enough. ... the criticism of some of the more egregious abuses in CCHD funding is having its effect, and that’s good. But now it’s time to go further and make the case that the “Catholic” in the Catholic Campaign for Human Development should indicate more than the source of the monies and other resources employed. It should be an honest indicator of all the ends to which they are employed.
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http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2002_11.html
Follow the money
This is a good time of year to ask where the money is going, because parishes will soon be taking up their annual collection for the “Catholic Campaign for Human Development”, which probably has the most doubtful value of any project the U.S. bishops sponsor. ... Over the years protests from conservatives have led to increasing restrictions on the program; and if the hard Left is squawking, they must be an improvement. Under new management, CCHD has started honoring the new restrictions, at least when a violation is brought to its attention. Still, I doubt I’ll ever be willing to give a red cent to CCHD.
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http://catholiccitizens.org/press/pressview.asp?c=8423
Catholic Citizens of Illinois, How One of the Most Potent Weapons Serving the ‘Culture of Death’Lies in the Pockets of Catholic Donors
CCI NOTES: The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is an annual collection taken up in Catholic parishes around the United States. Over one third of their grants go to Alinsky-styled political organizations. The largest are the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), Pacific Institute for Community Organizing (PICO), Direct Action and Research Training Institute (DART), Gamaliel, and ACORN. ...
These so-called community organizations DO NOT provide direct services to relieve the suffering of the poor, nor do they provide economic development grants for the poor. Rather, they organize institutions - particularly in and around churches - to fight for political power.
Illinois Catholics are advised that in spite of laudable CHD undertakes, your donations are also being used to sabotage Church teachings. Catholic donors to CHD are paying for organizations who fight for health clinics that dispense contraceptives and make abortion referrals. Catholic donors to CHD pay for political organizing that supports pro-abortion politicians. ...
Another CCHD funded network is ACORN, which generally takes 5-6% of the national CCHD annual budget. It’s one of the most flagrantly political among CCHD’s grantees, having formed a political party, the New Party, in a political alliance with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), among others. ... There’s no secret about ACORN’s political activism. ... The New Party is pro-abortion. It’s website links to such “friends” as the Abortion Rights Activist Home Page, NARAL (National Abortion and Reproduction Rights Action League), and NOW (National Organization for Women). ... ACORN is also pro-abortion. Maud Hurd, ACORN’s national president, was a speaker at Expo ‘96 for Woman’s Empowerment. The purpose of the exposition was to develop a response to “the conservative use of ballot initiatives to attack women’s rights and to galvanize a right-wing voteŠ”
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http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/magazines/1999/may/torres.html
Philanthropy Roundtable magazine, March/April 2002, Closing the Fungibility Loophole, Is the CCHD getting back that old time religion? by Justin Torres
“Every November just before Thanksgiving, American Catholics dig into their pockets to support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), a nationwide program ... Most Catholics in the pew, however, are unaware that CCHD has recently been enmeshed in controversy over criticism from both sides of the political spectrum-including conservative charges that the organization has funded anti-Catholic activities, and liberal concerns that the group is abandoning the poor. ... CCHD does not even allow funds to be dedicated to ‘direct service projects’ such as health clinics or homeless shelters for the poor. ... It will come as no surprise that this focus on advocacy instead of actual services has led CCHD to fund left-wing organizations that seek to block welfare reform, redistribute income, and build networks of left-wing advocates.
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http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=1&art_id=800
The Catholic Exchange - Your Faith. Your Life. Your World.
A Different Kind of Collection, by Kathryn Jean Lopez, 11/18/00
This weekend congregants in most Roman Catholic parishes across the United States will be asked to contribute to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Most will probably write out a check or throw money into the basket for this - just another second collection. This particular second collection, however, should give pause. ... In the past, some CCHD grantees have been involved in projects that are clearly contrary to what Catholics believe. Yet every year Catholics give millions to CCHD. ...
In years past, CCHD has encountered difficulty with grants to groups that sometimes oppose Catholic teaching, and grants to coalitions that include groups like the avidly pro-abortion National Organization for Women (NOW). Revised guidelines issued last year - shortly after the name change that added “Catholic” - addressed these concerns ... But there are still reasons for concern. This year’s “Fight the Right March,” run by the National Organization for Women, was endorsed by ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which receives substantial funding from CCHD. In 1999-2000, CCHD granted a total of $517,000 to 17 state and local chapters of ACORN - an 18 percent increase over the previous year’s grants. ... And the list goes on.
It’s as if the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is living in a different time. CCHD is stuck in, as one observer called it, a “Sixties time warp,” happy to fund left-wing political mobilization and “anti-poverty” groups. ... CCHD granted $28,000 to the Kansas-based Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice in the 1999-2000 cycle. In March, the radical organization sponsored a campus lecture at Kansas State University which devolved into a “Free Mumia” rally. ... Another CCHD grantee is the Missoula, Montana-based WEEL (Working for Equality and Economic Liberation), which was granted $30,000 in 1999-2000. ...
Typical of CCHD grantees, WEEL’s rhetoric is a thinly disguised attack on free market and pro-market politics, described as “belief and policy systems which keep people oppressed.” ... To fund groups that take positions contrary to Catholic teachings and to ostracize anyone who doesn’t share CCCD’s politics are serious concerns for Catholic churchgoers. But how can truth and justice prevail if they won’t help anyone get to it?
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http://www.capitalresearch.org/pubs/pubs.asp?ID=106
Capital Research Center, November 1999, Campaign for Human Development Improves ..., But Significant Flaws Remain in Catholic Anti-Poverty Program
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http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3838368207a8.htm
CCHD [Catholic Campaign for Human Development] Continues to Fund the Left
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http://www.lospequenos.org/Pepper%20Issues/NOV02Pepper.doc
Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Where Does CCHD Money Go?
“... not one dollar to CCHD will ever be earmarked to feed anyone. CCHD didn’t claim that it would. In fact, if you dig a little, the CCHD will admit it doesn’t support any “direct services” to the poor. “We’re not really involved in charity,” said Rev. Alfred LoPinto when he was the CHD executive director in 1987. “We fund self-help projects, and it’s considered funding for justice.” ... So, where does the other 80% of CCHD funding go? The majority, according to the CCHD chart, goes into “community development,” housing, and what are called “family issues” - homelessness, youth programs, childcare, education, anti-violence, healthcare, etc. A further breakdown shows that fully one third of all CCHD grants go to Alinsky-style organizations, such as Albuquerque Interfaith and ACORN. CCHD-funded Alinsky organizations aren’t about feeding the poor; they’re about drumming up support for a radicalized political agenda.
Sabotaging Respect Life: Environmentalism no substitute for saving babies.
“...there are more than 5,000 babies aborted in the State of New Mexico each year! The most powerful and richest church on earth can do a lot to change this, if it had a focused will to do so.
In the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, it doesn’t seem to. Along with fine words and little strategy, Sr. Joan Brown (a supporter of New Mexico’s Call to Action) gave a presentation about the “Care of the Earth.” This was also offered as a life issue. Please don’t misunderstand. I know we need to be responsible stewards of the earth that God has given us dominion over, but Brown’s handouts, “Parish Ideas to Care for God’s Creation” and her prayer for global restoration were downright pagan: “Integrate more earth elements into services such as water, rocks, plants.” What has this to do with the saving power of Christ? What has this to do with saving babies in immediate danger of abortion? Has our leadership lost direction, given up on the unborn, and abandoned these babies?
What right have a people to incorporate into their worship services “Let us pray for the earth,” as Sister’s handout suggests, who have not said “Let us pray for God’s murdered unborn and for His forgiveness?”
What right have a people to “give thanks for the hawk, desert willow and water,” who have failed to be thankful for the one creature created in His own image?
http://catholiccitizens.org/press/pressview.asp?c=9657
CCHD: The Catholic Campaign to Help Democrats?, By George Kocan
George Kocan is a Republican Committeeman in Warrenville, Illinois, and a long-time activist in Catholic causes.
Every Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, the Catholic bishops collect money at Mass for their Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). ... Curiously, the CCHD prohibits giving money to organizations that actually feed, clothe or house needy persons. The funds must go to organizations that push social or structural change. ... For thirty years, the bishops have been paying lip-service to the right to life, while putting Catholic money into Alinsky-style organizations like the IAF. They gave IAF a million dollars. They gave a million to ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) ... Joseph Cardinal Bernardin gave a million to the Chicago Metropolitan Sponsors (CMS) (while shutting down parochial schools) so that it could hire IAF to organize United Power for Action and Justice (UPAJ). ... Catholic bishops gave millions of dollars to organizations that oppose everything Catholic, to ACORN, to IAF, to CMF but not a cent to struggling pro-life operations like Joe Schiedler’s Pro-life Action League or Conrad Wojnar’s Womens Center. Both of these devout Catholic men endured great legal and financial difficulties when NOW sued them in federal court for “racketeering”. ... The bishops give no real support to the cause of life and the family because that would undermine Democrat power. Serious Catholics must affirm their faith by rejecting the financial trick that the bishops turn every Thanksgiving into a treat for the culture of death.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b2136ed0f0c.htm
Why Is Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Funding Leadership Training for NARAL?
“If you visit the link for the Campaign for Human Development, you will find that a $30,000 grant was made to “Organize! Ohio’s” ... If you then go to the “Organize! Ohio’s” webpage, you will find listed as a member organization of OO is the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League of Ohio.”
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http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b45e6806535.htm
LifeSite.net Investigates Catholic Diocese’s Funding of Radical Abortion Group
CLEVELAND CATHOLIC DIOCESE DONATED $30,000 TO GROUP WITH TIES TO N.A.R.A.L.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/569153/posts
Catholic Campaign for Human Development?
“My parish is again asking for donations to the Campaign for Human Development. Does anyone know if they ever cleaned up their act, or are they still helping to support pro-abortion groups?”
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http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=2885
A Commentary on the Industrial Areas Foundation, The Wanderer Forum Foundation, Inc., December 1998
This commentary was prepared in response to proposed changes in the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) guidelines. It provides information about the Industrial Areas Foundation, which receives the largest percentage of CCHD grants of
Ping to myself
Thanks for the post Diago,
You and other faithful Catholics may want to join us in the “Great ACORN Rebellion of 2008”. This simple protest can be viewed on my blog Orate Fratres:
The poor of the world (and those of the Church) need the authentic Gospel preached to them so they can find the true Christ—let us pray that the last commandment of Our Lord will become the first priority within our hearts once again... This is the poverty forgotten, or ignored.
Thanks again and prayers,
james mary evans
I don’t think this will be nearly enough. The Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. is long overdue for a serious overhaul. As I type this I’m conflicted about continuing to provide financial support to my own parish in light of the knowledge that communion will be freely offered out to the Obamacans.
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