Is politics the key to human development? An olfactory question

The United States Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development has announced its 2014 grants. Our news story summarizing the grants suggests that a very large number of them fund political advocacy. It would be very interesting to know what percentage.

As compared with what? Well, as compared with direct charitable activities in which Catholics help those in need to adopt the values required for human well-being, acquire the education and formation necessary to spiritual and material success, develop the habits and infrastructures necessary for economic and community development, and fund specific initiatives (such as new businesses) which put people to work.

Is there anything fundamentally wrong with political advocacy? No. Are there grave problems with a vision which sees politics as the key to human development? Yes.

I am not claiming that habitual critics of the CCHD are doing better. But political advocacy is most often the easiest way to sieze the moral high ground. This makes it both the cheapest and least substantial form of self-justification. Or, to put the question in terms Pope Francis might use: How often do we really smell the sheep in politics?

Catholic Campaign for Human Development approves $14M in grants

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the US bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program, has approved $14 million in grants “to empower poor and low-income communities to overcome poverty and injustice,” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

$10 million has been allocated to “regular annual” grants, which “will support community-based organizations addressing the structural causes of poverty, such as unjust immigration and criminal justice policies, as well as organizations promoting economic development, through initiatives such as cooperatives and community lending institutions.”

$4 million has been allocated to “strategic national” grants, which include

support for the launching of a Catholic institute dedicated to addressing systemic economic and social problems along the Mexico-U.S. border; the promotion of community land trusts on nationwide scale to promote affordable homeownership; a statewide organizing effort to promote quality public education for poor and low-income communities in Pennsylvania; and support for a major initiative of the Washington State Catholic Conference to both get African American and farmworker communities engaged in the public square and to create support networks for expecting families.

“The bishops also voted to provide support to four targeted dioceses across the country to increase enrollment in Catholic schools of Latino and Hispanic children, who often lack the means to attend,” according to the USCCB.

Additional sources for this story
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Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Approves Over $14 Million in Grants to Combat Poverty, Injustice (USCCB)

The USCCB has consistently, as a body, supported this Saul Alinsky styled community organizing effort. (Yes, I know that individual bishops, including possibly your bishop, have stopped their support...but that doesn't change the fact that this hydra still exists)

The big thing is that many of these bishops have gone and changed the name of their second collection so that you may not even realize that you are donating to support it.

Be very, very, very careful of what you support...particularly with those "second collections."

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