<em>Is Anybody There?</em>: Bishop Roger Morin - CCHD Worse Than You Are Willing to Admit

Bishop Roger Morin who has oversight of the CCHD sounds a lot like Canadian Archbishop Martin W. Currie did last Summer when the D&P scandal was coming into full flower. Back then he co-authored an investigation into the allegations made by LifeSiteNews about D&P.

The report said: "we believe the allegations by Lifesite News … are not founded on the facts." After meeting with LSN representation & seeing the evidence first hand, the bishop stated apologetically, "I just should have followed up more."

Last Tuesday Bishop Morin gave his report on CCHD to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Fall 2009 General Assembly in Baltimore. Sadly, rather than admit the problems were as serious as they are, he admitted some problems, but used his talk to lash out at the critics instead.

He said: "Some [critics of CCHD] are motivated by a concern for the poor and respect for the Church, and some are seeking answers to legitimate questions about what and how and why CCHD does what it does, and how it can be made better."

He went on to say: "There are a few who have their own ideological or political agendas, they repeat or spread outrageous claims that the bishops are funding groups that are pro-abortion, groups that are not in support of the family, or other untruths," Morin insisted. "For these groups, this seems to be just another way to attack the Church and its shepherds."

he added that that these groups, "constantly insist that the bishops are not as faithful to their responsibility to their caring for the life of the unborn."

Bishop Moran, rather than covering up your failures, why don't you come up & admit the truth, that a good number of Bishops have failed to do their job. Didn't you learn anything from the scndal that resulted from the cover-up of priests sexual misconduct a few years ago?

These groups are not attacking the Catholic Church. There are just sick & tired of the failure of a number of you to do your job. Many of you HAVE failed your responsibility to defend the unborn, let alone uphold other Catholic teachings. Sadly, this statement is another attempt to cover-up & whitewash another scandal.

Your claims that 3 "very particular isolated instances" were just that, isolated, doesn't hold up to the evidence that has been presented by Reform CCHD Now & others. In fact, on Monday the American Life League, an RCN member, revealed that they had discovered six more CCHD grantees engaged in activities contrary to Catholic teaching, such as promoting birth-control through sex-education, as well as Marxism, homosexuality, and greater access to condoms.

Add to that the information ALL's Michael Hichborn and Rob Gasper, founder of BVM, presented when they appeared Friday on EWTN's "The World Over" program with Raymond & it doesn't sound like they are all that isolated.

Your denying the allegation that CCHD gives to any group "that is specifically involved in any activity contrary to church teaching," & emphasized that CCHD has a "zero tolerance" for grantees who violate the conditions of their contract, which requires respect and promotion of the Church's core values isn't exactly holding up in the light of truth.

Bishop Morin. I sincerely hope that your promise you made in your speech to your fellow bishops that reform & "renewal" of its mission is in the works for CCHD is true. You said: "We are using new tools to help ensure that groups keep their commitments, to avoid actions which conflict with Catholic Church teaching, and to not engage in any partisan political activity." I hope so. Yet the question remains, how could ALL & others involved with Reform CCHD Now uncover the facts "with far less information than the CCHD receives through its granting process" when the CCHD had a system in place that should have already done so? I have to agree with Michael Hitchborn when he describes those at the CCHD as either "incompetent or complicit." In fact, I suspect both.

Bishop Moran, the recent actions of some Bishops in speaking up about the health care reform problems & standing up to politicians like Patrick Kennedy & Kathleen Sibelius has begun to undo the damage of decades of silence & looking the other way when it came to the issue of abortion. A true reform of the CCHD into a truly Catholic campaign will go far in continuing that damage repair. Unfortunately, what I have seen from you this week doesn't exactly give me much confidence. In fact, it strikes me that you are helping to cover-up the truth & enabling those at CCHD to continue to undermine Catholic teaching as well as abet Obama & the Dems in their attempt to enshrine abortion as a central tennant of health care reform. I hope I am wrong but fear I am right, time will tell. & it all lies in your hands.