Showing posts with label CCHD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CCHD. Show all posts

Friday, December 4, 2009

Catholic Charities may Close in DC after all.

It might not just be a matter of refusing government funds in the future which will cost the Diocese upwards of $9 Million but of the government revoking state licenses required for Catholic poor relief. This is the reward for all of those years in which Catholic Charitable organizations weren't very active in proselytism for the undoubted financial support of the Government; strings are attached to that money. Perhaps now is a good time to consider closing Jesuit and Catholic Colleges in the Nation's Capital and converting those properties to better use than they are now currently engaged? Now we're increasingly facing a wonderful situation where the Catholic Faith is illegal. Deo Gratias. We're just happy the Bishops are being intransigent about this.

Yesterday, the DC City Council passed the "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009" with a nearly unanimous 11-2 vote, completing the first of three steps necessary to enact the bill into law.

In response to the tremendous support of the bill and the very high probability that it will pass the second step, in about 30 days, and continue into the books, the Archdiocese of Washington as well as other Christian religious leaders are weighing their options.

Although the bill does exempt religious organizations from celebrating same-sex marriages it does not protect nor exempt them from recognizing it as employers or social service providers.

The diminished capacity or capability is not just a monetary thing, it is also related to the certifications and licenses archdiocesan agencies need in order to provide particular services such as homeless services, mental health services, foster care, etc. Should the law pass, the city would be required to revoke current certificates and licenses or withhold their renewal. Therefore preventing the archdiocese, Catholic Charities, and other religious organizations, individuals, and agencies from providing those services because of their legitimately-held religious beliefs.

The Archdiocese of Washington has partnered with the other religious leaders around the nation, the ACLU, and other public-interest legal firms to assert their concerns regarding the narrowing of religious freedoms as well as seeking a balance of interests so that religious organizations, their social services agencies, and individuals can function without violating their faith tenets on same-sex marriage.

Link to original...

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Openly Lesbian "Catholic" Woman Is Member of USCCB Subcommittee For Health Care and Work

By James Todd
Pewsitter.com


December 3, 2009 - According to the USCCB website Mary Kay Henry was appointed to the USCCB Subcommittee for Health Care and Work in 1998. Now more than a decade later, Ms. Henry continues to provide consultation to the USCCB in this capacity – in spite of her open dissent from Church teaching on homosexuality.

Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV, who first reported this story, stated that when he called the USCCB their only immediate comment was that someone would get back to him. Mr. Voris in his daily video commentary states: “Where do the bishops find these people to consult? Surely, there has to be .. somewhere in America .. a faithful Catholic the bishops can turn to for advice on matters of health care.”

What Mr. Voris is referring to is the information found in Mary Kay Henry’s CV posted on the SEIU web site. The last paragraph of that CV follows.

“Mary Kay is also active in the fight for immigration reform and gay and lesbian rights. She is a founding member of SEIU's gay and lesbian Lavender Caucus. She and her partner, Paula Macchello, have been together for 20 years.”

There appears to be a growing distrust and credibility gap between faithful Catholics and the USCCB. Just last month the USCCB’s annual CCHD collection was challenged by a coalition of Catholic lay groups, over the CCHD funding of anti-catholic organizations.

Last year, immediately after the 2008 elections, CCHD finalized their decision to defund Acorn and end its many years of association with this controversial group.

Michael Hitchborn of American Life League, commenting upon CCHD funding controversy last month stated “Given how easily we discovered CCHD funding going to anti-Catholic causes, the only two possibilities are that the CCHD is incompetent or complicit.”

Mr. Hitchborn’s quote would seem to apply here, to the present association between Mary Henry and the USCCB, as well. A quick 5 minute search on the internet can uncover Ms. Henry’s CV including a statement about her “partner” of 20 years, her role as a founding member of a gay and lesbian organization, her active support for gay marriage, and her opposition to Prop 8 in California.


Link to original...

Monday, November 30, 2009

Do I hear 7 Bishops?

6th Bishop Refuses CCHD Collection.

By Patrick B. Craine

TULSA, Oklahoma, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma also chose not to contribute to the national collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) has confirmed, making him the sixth bishop confirmed to have done so.

In a letter to the pastors of his diocese, read at Masses on the weekend of the November 21-22 collection, Bishop Slattery informed the faithful that the funds contributed to the CCHD collection would be reserved for use within the diocese.

Msgr. Patrick Brankin told LSN that Bishop Slattery made his decision in the week before the collection, in light of the evidence released this fall implicating numerous CCHD grantees in activities contrary to Catholic teaching.

"What [the Bishop] decided was that he would take up the collection, but any of the funds that were generated would be used in the diocese," said Msgr. Brankin. "[The funds] would be used for the kind of self-help promotion groups that would be normally funded by [CCHD], but they would be under the bishop's oversight."

In the months leading up to the November collection, members of the newly-formed Reform CCHD Now (RCN) coalition produced several reports documenting how numerous CCHD grantees have promoted or are promoting activities contrary to Church teaching, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage." In fact, on the Friday before the collection, RCN claimed that $1.3 million is allocated to questionable groups.

Bishop Slattery made his decision due to concern about the "scandal" of CCHD's inappropriate use of funds, said Msgr. Brankin. "Obviously the reason [for his decision] is the bishop did not want to cause scandal, considering the lack of oversight that's been evidenced at the [CCHD]," he explained.

"It's an embarrassment that this scandal, that that sort of stuff, goes on," Msgr. Brankin continued. "Bishop Slattery did not want the people of the diocese to be scandalized, or God forbid, that the money that they contribute would be used for something that is inconsistent, or contrary, to Catholic moral and ethical teaching. Pro-life, pro-family - we've got to support that."

The week before the collection, Bishop Slattery joined the rest of his brother bishops at the USCCB plenary meeting in Baltimore. There they heard a defence of the CCHD from Bishop Roger Morin, chairman of the USCCB subcommittee that oversees the organization.

In making his decision, Bishop Slattery was "very conscious" of Bishop Morin's report, said Msgr. Brankin, in which, he says, Bishop Morin "addressed" the problems with CCHD and admitted the need for more "responsible" oversight.

"That's fine," he said, "but I think [Bishop Slattery] is taking a cautious stand in saying 'I want [CCHD] to succeed. I want them to correct mistakes. But I don't want our people to be afraid that by contributing to the [CCHD], somehow they might be contributing to this kind of anti-life, anti-Catholic effort.'"

This is the first year Bishop Slattery has chosen not to contribute to the national CCHD, and "he's leaving next year's an open question," said Msgr. Brankin.

"The bishop is very strongly pro-life," he added, noting, for example, that he had just been to a diocesan meeting planning for the January March for Life. "He wants as many people as can, here in Tulsa, to march in support and in solidarity with the March in Washington. So, he's just very strong in that."


See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Fifth Bishop Didn't Take Up National CCHD Collection
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112510.html

Bishop Bruskewitz on CCHD: Bishop Morin Was a "Bit Too Dismissive" of Concerns
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112410.html

Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112305.html

$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112306.html


List of Bishops:

Bishop Robert J. Baker - Birmingham, Alabama
LSN: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112305.html

Bishop John O. Barres - Allentown, Pennsylvania
LSN: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112305.html

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, Nebraska
LSN: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112410.html

Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, Florida
Statement: http://faithcatholicdigital.com/publication/?i=25105&page=1
LSN: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112510.html

Bishop Robert C. Morlino - Madison, Wisconsin
Statement: http://www.madisondiocese.org/Portals/0/OEC/SOWDI/CCHD%20Collection%202009%20-%20Faithful.pdf


Link to article....
Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, Oklahoma


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http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09113010.html

Bishop Bruskewitz addresses CCHD's Incompatibillity with Catholicism

"We question the ideology of [CCHD]," The good Bishop basically puts it in a nutshell and says what so many of his brother Bishops refuses to say.


LINCOLN, Nebraska, November 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) --Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska explained in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com today his reasons for dropping the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) collection in his diocese, saying that CCHD head Bishop Roger Morin was "a little bit too dismissive" of concerns brought against the organization.

Bishop Bruskewitz is one of five bishops confirmed so far to have chosen not to take up the collection this year for the national CCHD, the USCCB's domestic anti-poverty arm. The others included Bishop Victor Galeone of St. Augustine, Florida; Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown, Pennsylvania; Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin; and Bishop Robert J. Baker of Birmingham, Alabama. In addition, at least three other U.S. bishops have called for reform of the CCHD.

"We question the ideology of [CCHD]," the bishop explained in the interview, "and ... we are shocked at the scandalous participation with the ACORN organization and also the participation with other organizations of questionable moral values or standards."

The organization came under fire in the months leading up to this past weekend's national collection due to reports documenting how numerous grantees have promoted or are promoting activities contrary to Church teaching, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage." In fact, the Reform CCHD Now coalition announced last week that $1.3 million is allocated to questionable groups. Additionally, critics have charged CCHD with favoring "left-leaning" groups in the spirit of infamous community organizer Saul Alinksy.

CCHD ceased funding ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a liberal network of community activism groups, last year due to concerns about "financial management" and "political partisanship." CCHD had given ACORN over $7 million in grants during the previous ten years. ACORN came under renewed scrutiny this year after sting operations caught several ACORN offices condoning child prostitution and sex trafficking.

"It's so extremely controversial," the bishop said about CCHD. There have been "many negative resonances about it from people throughout the diocese and beyond the diocese," he said, adding that the "controversial character made it appear that [CCHD] was not effective" in meeting its purposes.
His diocese doesn't "rule [CCHD] out entirely," he said, but he would only reconsider the collection if there were "some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals."

The collection "served very little purpose for us," he said, noting that the Lincoln diocese has not received funds from CCHD. "We do have a very extensive Catholic Social Services, St. Vincent de Paul activity here in the diocese," he said, "which supplies the needs of those who are impoverished, of those who need assistance to come out of poverty."

Bishop Roger Morin, chairman of the USCCB's subcommittee on the CCHD, delivered a passionate plea in defense of the organization at last week's USCCB plenary meeting. While pledging their commitment to ensure grantees' respect for Catholic teaching, he decried the "outrageous" allegations made by CCHD's critics that it funds pro-abortion or anti-family organizations.

But Bishop Bruskewitz expressed displeasure with Bishop Morin's report, saying the bishop did not adequately consider the criticisms brought against the CCHD.

"I didn't think [the report] took into account sufficiently the negatives that have been bantered about with regard to the organization," he said. He said Bishop Morin was "obviously defending the organization he had been involved in different areas," and now for which he's the chairman.

The report, further, "lacked some of the interests" that concerned people "have brought to the fore," he said. "I think he was perhaps a little bit too dismissive of them."

Nevertheless, he maintained that he has "no objection" to people supporting CCHD should they choose. If "people [who] like this organization ... want to send money to it, even from my diocese, they can," he said. "But I'm not going to take up the collection."


Link to original...

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Bishops Should Fight Obamacare With All Their Might

The first entry comes from Cardinal Rigali and shows some really decisive leadership.

The other entry by Father Robert Sirico at last asks the right questions and puts the social teachings of the Church in relation to her traditional role as the true source of Charity in her hospitals, orphanages, schools and soup kitchens. She has always fed and clothed the poor and this legistlation threatens what.


(CNSNews.com) - A top Roman Catholic cardinal told CNSNews.com that there is “no way” Catholic members of Congress can support the Senate health care reform bill as long as it includes a provision that allows tax dollars to go to insurance plans that cover abortion.

At the National Press Club on Nov. 20, CNSNews.com asked Cardinal Justin Rigali, the archbishop of Philadelphia: “The Senate health care bill that Majority Leader Reid released this week permits tax dollars to go to insurance plans which cover abortion. And my question is: Would it be a mortal sin for a Catholic member of Congress to vote for this bill knowing that this provision is in it?”

Read further...

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Powerblog

Posted by Rev. Robert Sirico

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

As the health care debate moves to the U.S. Senate, much of the focus has been on how the Catholic bishops’ support of the amendment by U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, the Menominee Democrat, to prohibit the use of tax dollars to fund abortion was a major victory for the pro-life side. The bishops urged the House of Representatives, through local parishes and in a Nov. 6 letter, to ensure that “needed health care reform legislation truly protects the life, dignity, health and consciences of all.”

All people of good will, all those who value human life and dignity, should cheer this development.

But there’s more to this health care juggernaut that should give us reason to oppose it in its current form. We should first be concerned with the vast expansion of government reach into the private lives of millions of Americans.

This “reform” will create a system that will put bureaucrats in charge of personal health care decisions — not doctors. It will give the federal government an avenue to nationalize more than 15 percent of the U.S. economy, putting bureaucrats and elected officials in the role of manager and regulator — much as we’ve seen in banking and automobiles.

Amazingly, with the push for a $1 trillion-plus health care package and the attendant debt, we may soon see Canada with lower government spending (as a percent of gross domestic product) on heath care than the United States. All this, too, is a threat to human dignity.

Read further...

Related articles:

Recent news about the Baltimore Conference in Summary.

Bishop Bruskewitz mildly criticizes Bishop Morin regarding the CCHD.


Bishop Morin Equivocates about CCHD.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Clergy are cafeteria Catholics too

The clergy are aware that people are angry about this and some of them are probably more forthright about it than others, but this priest isn't atypical in his response. Seems like there's a real crisis of confidence. It's as if he were uncertain as to why he became a priest in the first place.

By Dianne Skripek

As a Catholic I was stunned when after Holy Communion the Pastor announced how there wouldn't be (but would be) a Second Collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development last Sunday, November 22.

After offering a cursory, confusing explanation of the CCHD controversy, Father stated there wasn''t a collection in typical fashion of basket passing but designated baskets were available in the vestibule. If someone wanted to donate to CCHD, the parish office would send a check on contributors'' behalf. After googling for facts, I thanked God I don''t typically give to Second Collections unless it directly supports missionaries or the needy.


Read further...

Monday, November 23, 2009

31 CCHD-Funded Groups Supported, Trained by Pro-Abortion, Homosexual Marriage


31 CCHD-Funded Groups Supported, Trained by Pro-Abortion, Homosexual Marriage

The coalition's latest discovery exposes 31 organizations partnered with Center for Community Change. CCC is a politically radical, anti-life, pro-homosexualist organization whose board members include Heather Booth, former consultant for the National Organization for Women and Sara Gould, president and CEO of pro-abortion Ms. Foundation for Women.

community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education," according to their web site.

Since the coalition began the investigation at least two dioceses, Allentown and Madison, have publicly announced they will not be participating in the Nov. 22 collection. Gamaliel, one of the CCHD grantees partnered with CCC, reports that five diocese have backed out of this year's CCHD collection.

Socialist roots of CCHD and Connections to Political struggles ongoing in relation to Healthcare Reform.

Defense by Archbishops Nienstedt and Chaput, although Archbishop Nienstedt suggests giving money to other worthy Catholic organizations instead.

Bishop Morin's equivocations on behalf of CCHD.

George Soros' support for Liberal causes within the Catholic Church, particularly the CCHD another dire portent of socialist infiltration.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

CCHD Provides an Opportunity for Liberal Socialists to Undercut and Distract during the Healthcare Debate

Words on the relative success or failure of CCHD will be interesting to read, possibly on Monday, but is seems safe to say that given the pre-emptive attempt to head off the criticism and disatisfaction they knew was brewing as a result of their tacit approval for the various anti-Catholic organizations they've been supporting with the Catholic Church's popular clout, for years.

We've known about this for years and years, and we're surprised that an issue is being made about it now, but we're not surprised that some Bishops are denying the fact they knew about it at all, or just as bad, that we should believe them that something effective will be done in the future.

Court Jester is looking for news on Dicoese that don't collect here...

More on Bishop Roger's equivocations here...


Raymond Arroy's credibillity has even been called into question by Bishop Morin. He's a bit like one of those villains in a melodrama, and it's as if this is the first time in throughout the years that we've known about this. In previous years not more than a few occasional boos emanated from various places against these villains. People almost seemed to take it for granted that Bishops didn't take their religion seriously. Why should they, no one else does. Just a few crazy "Lefebvrists" and " Catholics United for the Faith" type people.

Perhaps there is truth to the suspicion that the politicos are taking shots at the USCCB for their support of the Stupak Amendment. If that's the case, the Bishops have only themselves to blame for being as cynical as the Democrats who must surely be engineering this campaign against them, or perhaps, finally, Catholics are truly coming to their senses and might at any moment show up outside episcopal bungalos with pitchforks and burning torches.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Archbishops Nienstedt and Chaput defend the nefarious CCHD

We're surprised that Archbishop Nienstedt is openly supporting this intitiative. He must have been dragooned into doing so. When we asked a priest recently what he thought of it, he gave a very cautious answer. It seems that the Bishops are very solicitous of their programs which promote heresy, homosexuality, waste of government funds and socialism.


Minneapolis, Minn., Nov 21, 2009 / 04:50 am (CNA).- Responding to concerns about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), Archbishop John Nienstedt and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput have said the CCHD still does “much good,” despite several “disturbing” incidents and “mistakes” in which the campaign funded groups that worked against Catholic teachings.

In his Nov. 19 column Archbishop Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis called attention to the collection for the CCHD on the weekend of Nov. 21-22.

He said the Campaign aims to “break the cycle of poverty” for 40 million people in the U.S. by funding local “self-help, anti-poverty” organizations. Many of these are not under the auspices of the Church, but agree to follow guidelines which prevent them from violating Catholic teachings, the archbishop explained.

He then noted recent controversies in which the CCHD had to stop funding for three projects that violated those guidelines. He said CCHD funding was “immediately cut off” when violations were made known.

As an example, he referred to an immigrant workers’ rights group that began advocating against California’s Proposition 8 and for same-sex “marriage.” Such a position, Archbishop Nienstedt said, “obviously has nothing to do with the rights of immigrants.”

Link to... CNS

Friday, November 20, 2009

Bishop Morin's equivocations about the CCHD are starting to sound Pathological

Bishop Morin's denials of episcopal malfeasance are beginning to look very dodgy. What could be more encouraging to potential donors than the fact that CCHD draws its inspiration from the most anti-Catholic Robert Kennedy and offers an award named after a Cardinal who had masonic pallbearers and had the Windy City Gay Men's Chorus sing at his funeral.

Even if we didn't take into account his false and desperate claims about CCHD before the second collection this Sunday at Mass, we'd still be forced to look at how certain "Catholic" hospitals, Universities and Religious orders promote or dispense abortion and birth control.



Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Mississippi, the chairman of the US bishops’ Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), has denounced recent criticism of the controversial anti-poverty effort as “outrageous” in a November 17 report at the US bishops’ meeting in Baltimore. At the same time, he lent credence to some of the criticism by reporting that CCHD has rescinded three grants in the past year because the organizations receiving the grants acted “in conflict with Catholic teaching.”

Link to ... Catholic Culture.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Socialist Snakeoil in the CCHD

Capital Research Center

That’s not quite the way I see CCHD. The charity only reluctantly cut off ACORN last year and continues to fund the equally radical community organizing group Industrial Areas Foundation that was founded by Saul Alinsky himself. It also funds PICO, DART, and the Gamaliel Foundation.

The most noteworthy thing about this is the name Saul Alinsky, Hillary Clinton's mentor, who was one of the intellectual lights behind Cultural Marxism in the United States. Notworthy in all of this is the Bishop's tacit support for Marxist organizations that talk a good game about charity and fishing, are actually engaged in destablilizing what's best in the Republic and turning the Church into a government controlled Bureaucracy.

Link to CRC...

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Don't support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

California Daily

Editor: The following announcement comes from the website www.reformcchdnow.com.

Every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, many Catholic parishes take up a second collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Recognize that organization? If you don’t, you should. Here’s why:

Until 2008, the campaign had been funding ACORN for several years, giving over $7 million to the corrupt organization. The same organization that is being investigated for voter fraud, embezzlement, and other wrongdoing was recently caught in undercover videos in recent months helping a pimp and prostitute set up a business and traffic underage girls for prostitution.

Read further...

Thursday, November 12, 2009

George Soros is Funneling Funds to Liberal Catholic Organizations

A flock of carrion birds and packs of liberal Internet wolves, some in sheep's clothing have descended from the dark master's cavernous lair. The atheistic George Soros has been attempting to divide the American Catholic Church still further by relying on existing liberal organizations within the Church, like the USCCB, and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to promote immorality and politically hamstring the Bishop's ability to preach the Catholic Faith.

Still more interesting in all of this is Soros' connection in this case to President Obama and the Saul Alinsky style community organizing that has been a real wet blanket at Diocesan Offices teaching the Catholic Faith. Sometimes the distinction between these charlatans and diocesan employees is completely blurred.


The critical role of the Catholic Church in passing national health care reform legislation is coming under serious media scrutiny. But the story has taken a strange turn. It has now been revealed that George Soros, the billionaire hedge fund operator and well-known atheist, has been pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into "progressive" Catholic groups that are significant players in the national debates over health care and immigration.

On the surface, it would appear that Soros would be opposed to many positions of the Catholic Church.


A major financial backer of the ACLU, Soros supports such causes as drug legalization, the rights of "sex workers" and felons, euthanasia, radical feminism, abortion rights, and homosexual rights. He does all of this in the name of promoting an "open society."

But a review of the records of his Open Society Institute finds that a group calling itself

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) has received $200,000 from them over the last several years.

James Todd of Pewsitter.com, which represents traditional Catholics, calls such groups "CINOs," or Catholics In Name Only. He explains, "This group and several others have sprung up recently-I suspect purposely organized and funded-to counterbalance the growing influence of the faithful Catholics AND to try to deceive and mislead the middle of the road Catholics that have determined the last 13 Presidential elections."

Read further...

Pewsitter Blog.