The Latest On How the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Is Not Cleaning Up It's Act

Over the past 3 years, Reform CCHD Now! (RCN) has been looking into how the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has been distributing the money it receives to see how much goes to  organizations that promote abortion, birth control, homosexuality & even Marxism. The results have been anything but encouraging. Despite repeated claims by CCHD representatives that CCHD does not fund such groups, as well as supposed increased oversight by the USCCB, RCN has witnessed a rising trend in granting money to organizations that support abortion, birth control, homosexuality, &/or Marxism either directly or through coalitions. 

RCN has just published its latest grants report. They found that $2.9 million Catholic dollars went to organizations promoting abortion, homosexuality, birth control & even Marxism, either directly or through coalitions. 

Addtionally "RCN found that $2.8 million of the total $7.6 million (38%) in CCHD grants went to organizations undermining the Church's efforts to protect human life and dignity."

The full report, as well as the previous ones, can be found at the Reform CCHD Now! website by clicking on the links at the top of the page.

According to RCN "The full findings were not to be made public prior to review with bishops and National CCHD staff. Unfortunately, the executive director of National CCHD canceled the scheduled meeting with the explanation that, “We see no reason to meet at this time.” We sent the full report to every diocesan bishop and are now making the report available to the public."

I can't say I am surprized that they didn't want to meet as they knew that they couldn't defend themselves. So rather than meet, they literally ran & hid.

FYI: Most dioceses that take the CCHD collection only retain 25% of the collection money for local use. The other 75% is sent to national CCHD, who then redistributes that collected money to organizations like those listed for the individual dioceses in the report.
Some dioceses no longer collect for the CCHD. Others, like the Archdiocese of Dubuque, have a Fall 3-in-1 campaign that includes them. That letter is sent out & the collection taken up in September. Even though you can designate where it goes, that money that isn't will be used to make up the shortfall for the goal of each collection.

This ongoing willingness on both the diocesan & national level of the CCHD thumbing its nose at Catholic teachings cannot be allowed to continue. It is clear that something drastic must be done. & it must be done by the Bishops, individually as well as collectively to clean up the mess at the CCHD. The only answer I can see is to shut it down completely & start from scratch. But it will have to be much more than cosmetic changes, the new progam will have to have huge safeguards built in to ensure something like this never happens in the future. That means that those working for the new organization on every level must be people who fully support what the Catholic Church teaches in word as well as action. It means that groups must be carefully vetted. This also includes doing the same for Catholic Relief Services as well.

Mille grazie to Reform CCHD Now! for all the work they are doing to get the truth out there.

Real Catholic v Heretical, Faux "Catholyc" for VP Position

As everyone probaly knows by now, Paul Ryan from Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District has been selected by Mitt Romney as His running mate.

Cong. Paul Ryan

Naturally, the attacks from the left have begun, especially from those on the radical left who oppose his attempts to rein in the run away budget during his time in Congress as head of the House Budget Committee. He stands in stark contrast with the current Veep, Joe Biden. 

V.P. Joe Biden

Both of them were baptised Catholic, but there the difference ends. Ryan is faithful to authentic Catholic teaching, while Biden isn't

Biden supports ObamCare, gay marriage, abortion & the Obama administrations attack on the Catholic Church & freedom of religion in general.

Biden was rebuked by his own Bishop as well as many others for his stand on abortion & his misstating Catholic teachings.

Meanwhile, the press is claiming that the Catholic Bishops have attacked Ryan's budget proposal. The truth is something totally different.

Yes, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairmen of the Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development did issue a statement listing concerns, but it was hardly blistering. & it wasn't totally accuurate either. Unless you are a part of the radical left that only likes what the Bishops say when they can twist it to their agenda to promote the nanny state controling our very lives. Remember, these same leftists opposed the Bishops call for the Fortnight for Freedom. (The link is just 1 example.) & given the scandals coming out of the USCCB lately, the slant in the statement reflects the political leanings of those running things as showed by what they allowed CCHD & CRS to do.

On the other hand, the 1 bishop who does have the authority to judge Ryan's actions, Bishop Morlino of Madison, has defended Ryan's actions. Again, it is interesting how the left tries to promote freedom of conscience when they oppose teachings that leave no room for prudential judgment & attack it when someone applies it authentically & is supported by his bishop for doing so,

Paul Ryan also supports religious freedom , & the Catholic Church's teachings on gay marriage & abortion.

It is clear to me that Romney's choice makes it clear which side he comes down on. & it is on the side of the Catholic Church. You can be sure the attacks from the left & their propaganda arm, the Main Stream Media, will continue. But you can also be sure that it isn't because Paul Ryan is a bad Catholic, but because he is a real Catholic, unlike Biden.

Catholic Relief Services Has Blown It Big Time, & Now They Refuse to Take Responsibility for Their Actions.

Over the past few years, I have rpeoprted on the huge scandals involving the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), as well as the Development and Peace (D+P) scndal in Canada. Earlier this year I shared about the Papa Benedetto's call to Caritas International to clean up its act as well.

The other day I shared about another CCHD scandal involving Obama. I also mentioned the fact that a scandal involving Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has come out. It turns out that CRS gave $5.3 million dollars to CARE, a group that promotes abortion & birth control. CRS tried to justify its actions, saying the money didn't go to any of those activities. I didn't buy it & neither do others in the Pro-life movement.

As I pointed out in that post, I have gotten some mailings from them, & I easily figured out that abortion & birth control go hand in hand with everything they do. I said "If I could figure that out from just reading their brochure, surely CRS could have figured it out as well." I went on to add "The only answer is that they intentionally ignored those facts & went right ahead giving them the money." Or, you could say that they intentionally didn't want to figure things out.

Now it is getting worse, according to LifeSiteNews, CRS is also a dues paying member of the CORE Group. Additionally, CRS is represented on CORE Group’s board of directors by employee Mary Hennigan . It also co-chairs CORE Group’s “working group” on HIV/AIDS through CRS employee Shannon Senefeld.  Guess what, CORE Group is a major advocate for the spread of artificial birth control.

& it gets even worse than that. In 2008, CRS got a $21.8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As I have pointed out, that foundation is a huge promoter of artificial birth control & abortion. & as I mentioned the other day, the Gates Foundation is a huge supporter of CARE as well.

Throughout all this CRS tries to claim innocence of any misdeeds. “CRS always has taken very seriously decisions we make about the groups with which we collaborate or form partnerships to ensure that we are not violating the Church teachings. We do not fund, support or participate in any programming or advocacy that is not in line with Church teaching, including artificial birth control.”   The only problem is, the above 3 connections prove otherwise.

So, what can be done to ensure that your money you gives goes to groups that uphold Catholic teaching not undermine it? Obviously, the 1st thing is to avoid giving to CCHD, D+P or CRS until they actually do clean up their act. Reform CCHD is 1 group working to see that they do.

If your diocese is like the Archdiocese of DBQ, they may have a 3-in-1 collection that includes CCHD or CRS. Don't give. Don't even designate the money go to one of the other causes. All that will do is free up money from other donors to go to CCHD or CRS. As I have said before, money is fungible. These multiple collections either set an amount or percentage of the collection to go to each cause. So if I give $500 to cause A, that means $500 given by others doesn't have to go to it & can go to CCHD, thus making it just as if you had donated to CCHD.

I would like to suggest a few other places to send you money instead. These are all organizattions that I regularly support myself.

The 1st is Cross Catholic Outreach (CCO). CCO, does all of the outreach to the needy that CCR claims it exists to do, & does it by giving to Catholic ministries out there that uphold Catholic teaching. At this point, I have to ask 1 question, "IF CCO can find them, why can't CRS?*" (You can read more about their core values here.)
When I 1st heard of CCO, I looked into who they were & what they stood for. I didn't have to go very far as I recognized 3 names that I was very familiar with. Well, in 1 case, I should say the father's name. I am refering to Jim Cavnar who founded CCO. I was familiar with his father, Bobbie Cavnar through my involvement with the Charismatic renewal. The next name was Bishop Sam Jacobs who I had met when he was in DBQ. The 3rd name was Sr. Linda Koontz, who had also been in DBQ several times.

Another organization is Aid to the Church in Need. (International here, USA here)  They are "an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need’s mission is to help suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide." They have a wide variety of programs, including aid to refugees, helping with the formation of priests & nuns,  & helping rebuild churches, schools etc where needed.
In this case, when I 1st got a mailing from them, I knew a little about them. They have regularly had programs on EWTN about their work so I knew how solid they were.
The next 2 are funds that go to aid a specific ministry.
The 1st is Mission to Magadan. I have talked about them in my blog many times. I 1st heard about this on Fr. Benedict Groeschell's show on EWTN when Fr. Michael Sheilds appeared to talk about what he was doing in Magadan, Russia. From the time of Stalin, Magadan was a part of the gulag/ prison camp system. After the end of the Soviet Union, there were huge needs for the people of the area. Because of the former prison camps in the area, there were many victims of that cruel system in need of help, physical, psychological & spiritual.  The Mission has helped these people to be restored to the God given dignity they deserve. Another huge area of work is in the area of Pro-life. Under Soviet rule, abortion was encouraged by the state. The Mission offers women, married & single, who find themselves pregnant, with alternatives to abortion. One of those is Nativity Inn.
There are 2 ways to donate money. The 1st is through Paypal, here. The 2nd is through the Archdiocese of Anchorage, here. (Note: You cannot send money directly to the Mission as they cannot cash checks or convert foreign money.
Finally, we come to the Bishop Gassis Sudan Relief Fund. I first heard of it through a mailing. But it wasn't until Bishop Gassis appeared on EWTN, again Fr. Groeschell's show, that I knew it was OK. Bishop Macram Gassis is the bishop of the Diocese of  El Obeid. The diocese was originally located in the southern part of Sudan, but since the creation of South Sudan, it is located in both countries. For those of you not familiar with the situation, Sudan is a Muslim country. The regime in charge has been carrying out a 20 years plus program of religious persecution, enslavement, rape, torture, starvation & murder against the Christian & non Muslim  population. Over 2.2 million people have died in this much ignored genocide.
In 1988, Bishop Gassis testified to a United States Congressional committee on the massacre of more than a thousand Dinka minorities in southern Darfur, drawing attention to the brutal policies of the Sudanese government toward minority groups at a time when little was known about these atrocities. Due to his testimony Bishop Gassis was forced into exile and set up headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Even now, his life is still in danger when he goes back home on relief missions. The rest of his time he spends making people aware of the ongoing genocide. This past week he appeared on EWTN's The World Over as well as the Laura Ingraham show.
The fund helps to build schools & hospitals in the area. They also help to build wells. & they are very active in helping refugees. Despite the seperation of Southern Sudan, the attacks continue, including bombings that often destroy what has been built.
As I said, these are 4 that I recommend you send your money to rather that CCHD, CRS or D+P. There are many others out there as well. & unlike the funds spent by CCHD, CRS & D+P, you can be sure they are upholding the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church & not aiding & abetting in promoting abortion or birth control. 

___________

* Again the only answer I can come up with is CRS doesn't want to.

Now Why Didn't This LifeSiteNews Headline Surprize ME/

Catholic bishops helped to fund Alinsky training for Barack Obama, according to documents

Anger me?, yes, disgust me?, yes, surprize me?, NO!!!!!

What happenned was that in 1986, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Campaign for Human Development” paid a young Barack Obama’s airfaire to a training program on community organizing given by the Industrial Areas Foundation, an organization founded by leftist radical Saul Alinsky. This is according to a new book released today, No Higher Power. The book was written by conservative activist & Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly along with journalist George Neumayr & was released today.

The book focuses in on Obama’s “war on religious freedom.” The book looks at the war Obama has declared, but it also how Catholics & Protestants are helping him in this war. In addition to the above the authors highlight other problematic funding & allegiances between the Catholic & other Churches & ultra-liberal causes.

In Chapter 6 the book the authors state:"In the 1980s, the Catholic archdiocese of Chicago contributed to the training of Obama in the very Alinskyite radicalism that would culminate in such anti-religious measures as the HHS mandate. In fact, in the course of writing this book, we met a source who once had access to copies of documents from the archives of the Chicago archdiocese. This source supplied us with never-before-published copies of invoices, checks, and letters that confirm the Church’s support for the man who would one day seek to destroy its religious freedom.

In a series of appendices, we have reproduced the check and invoice showing that the archdiocese of Chicago paid for Obama’s plane trip to a conference in Los Angeles run by the Industrial Areas Foundation, the community organizing group founded by Alinsky." Those documents can be seen at the LifeSiteNews story (here) or The Blaze story (here).

In short, the Catholic Bishops have to take a huge part of the responsibility for the mess we are in today. They failed to reign in the Leadership Council of Catholic Women years ago, & now the Vatican has had to step in. Many of them failed to correct dissident Catholic politicians like Mario Cuomo, Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi. Some like Sibelius' in Kansas did. Unfortunately rather than humbly accept it, they opted to continue to rebel. With few exceptions, like Bishop Brustkewitz, they failed to go after dissenting groups like Call to Action. They let most Catholic colleges become Catholic in name only. & that is only a part of the list.

Now they are reaping what they sowed. Unfortunately, they haven't yet learned from their mistakes. While some efforts at clean-up have begun, the scandals continue.  It recently came out that Catholic Relief Services (CRS), “the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops” has recently given millions to CARE. The are an organization that doles out contraceptives, including abortifacient ‘emergency contraception.’ Some months ago I got a fundraising letter from them. (I have since gotten a couple more.) The organization claims it  exists to fight poverty When I got it I looked over the brochure they emphasised how the especially work with women. & how they promoted "reproductive health care" & providing "family planning" resources for them. Anyone who knows anything about the "culture of death" agenda knows those are code words for abortion & artificial birth control. If I could figure that out from just reading their brochure, surely CRS could have figured it out as well. The only answer is that they intentionally ignored those facts & went right ahead giving them the money. While CRS can claim the funds went other purposes, the claim doesn't stand up. In doing so, CRS enabled CARE to free up other funds to promote birth control & abortion. As I have pointed out before, in organizations like this, money is fungable.

Another clue should have been the connection between CARE & the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that actively promotes birth control & abortion. I recently posted on this fact here. The relationship goes back to at least 1999 (here) when it was still the William H. Gates Foundation. The relationship was cemented in 2005 when the CARE Board Named Dr. Helene Gayle As New President/CEO. At the time she was a senior executive with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

While I applaud the recent actions by the USCCB to defend religious freedom, there is much more they need to do. They need to stand up & take responsibility for their failures in doing what they were called to do, shepherd the Catholic Church & protect it from the wolves getting it. They also need to start taking major action to clean up these messes. If not, even if  those fighting this current battle against the Obama administration for religious freedom win, they will continue to be aiiding & abetting the enemy in not only the battle against the "culture of death", but the battle for the very souls of the people whom they are called to protect. & I wouldn't want to be in their shoes when they stand before God to answer for that. 

Cardinal Sarah - Again Reminding Us That Everything the Church Does Is Done to proclaim the Gospel

In May I put up some posts about the Caritas International gathering in Rome & the strong message from the Vatican that what they were doing was not simply social work, but a part of the Church's evangelical mission. Part of that message was given in an address by Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which oversees the Church’s charitable institutions. This week he wrote an article for L’Osservatore Romano marking the 40th anniversary of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. & once again he repeated the same message.

In the article he said that the Catholic Church's charitable efforts must be integrally connected to the proclamation of the Gospel. “Proclaiming the Gospel, which is not proselytism, is an integral part of charitable activity. The witness to charity finds its measure in Christ. The search for justice does not fulfill the task of charity.”

The Cardinal said that when Pope Paul VI instituted Cor Unum on 15 July 1971, he already saw the need to affirm this evangelical witness as a response to “some of the misunderstandings that undermined the proper understanding of charity within the Church and that would unfortunately be confirmed in time.”

He went on to explain that Cor Unum was founded in a “moment of doubt, when the nature of Christian witness in the world was being questioned.” At that trying time, he says, the Church risked a rift that could have “conceal[ed] the evangelical witness and missionary zeal for a limitless exaltation of earthly realities.”

Blessed John Paul, at his 1st meeting with Cor Unum in November 1978 said “We must also take care to set advancement carefully in the context of evangelization, which is the fullness of human advancement, since it proclaims and offers man’s full salvation.”

He said that Papa Benedetto feels the same way as well. He said that the Pope understands “that the absence of God is the most dramatic problem that torments and weakens modern culture.”

In short, what we are seeing is another of the multi-pronged attack on relativism by Papa Benedetto that began even before he was elected Pope. You can be sure that this message isn't welcome by many of those in the agencies like Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Development + Peace & other organizations that have been involved in the recent scandals where it has come out these organizations have funded groups that promote abortion among other things.

It is going to take time to clean up the mess. But is strikes me that Cardinal Sarah is definitely the right man to head up that task. He made it clear that Cor Unum’s activities are concerned with “conveying this inspiration to evangelize towards all of the Church’s pastoral works of charity.” & as head of it he is doing what he can to ensure that mission is carried out.

Source:Catholic charity must be tied to proclamation of Gospel: Cardinal

Papa Benedetto's Revolution

At the end of May I put up 2 posts about how Papa Benedetto was trying to get Caritas International to shape up & be Catholic like it should. (here & here) Yesterday, via The Hermenutic of Continuity I came across an article that does an excellent look at what is going on in Caritas & what Papa Benedetto is doing to deal with it. (Challenges for the Caritas Network) The article was written by Matthew Hanley. In it he calls Papa Benedetto's "attempts to reform the Caritas network as revolutionary". He calls it that because the Pope is "is reasserting control over an entire area of the Church’s vital activity in agencies that have veered far off course."

Wow, talk about hitting the nail on the head.

While Hanley focuses on Caritas, he could just as easily be talking about Canada's Development + Peace or the USCCB" Campaign for Human Development. & he does bring up some interesting info about Catholic Relief Services that confirms some suspicions I have had about them for a while. Everytime I get a mailing from CRS, they seem to be permanantly in crisis mode. (& am I the only 1 sick of those angel coins?) In Africa he heard CRS refered to as "the non-Catholic Catholic Agency". OUCH!!!!! He goes on to show how much different the attitude is in the CRS HQ in Baltimore as compared to what the African Bishops really want CRS to be.

"African bishops would tell me (after my talks about AIDS) how surprising it was to hear a young Western CRS employee speak the common Catholic language, whereas my superiors back in Baltimore told me that I would change my thinking about the way we should approach AIDS prevention – that I’d begin to oppose Church teachings – once I spent yet more time in Africa." (emphasis mine)

The African Bishops want Catholic teaching upheld, yet what purports to be a Catholic organization is encouraging dissent from Catholic teachings. This pretty much confirms my decision to no longer give to CRS & stick with a couple other private "Catholic" organizations that work with groups that do uphold Catholic teaching.

The article goes on to take a look at the problems with Caritas, problems that equally apply to CCHD, CRS & D+P, as well as how to correct them. Rather than repeat what he says, I suggest following the link below to read the entire piece.

But I will add that I agree with his conclusion wholeheartedly. Papa Benedetto has made it clear how Catholic charitable organizations are supposed to operate. CRS et al would do well to pay attention to & impliment "Benedict’s original and enlightening vision of charity." & espicially to uphold & promote the “non-negotiables.”

As Hanley says: "The “non-negotiables” may represent sources of contention between Catholics and the rest of the “development community”, but they are, in fact, nothing short of indispensible to authentic human development. Catholic charities need to be led by people who really believe that." I can add nothing more to that.
Read the entire article here: Challenges for the Caritas Network

Papa Benedetto to Caritas International - You Must Hold Up Non-negotiable Catholic Values

On Friday Papa Benedetto addressed those assembled for the Caritas International gathering in Rome. In his talk he made it clear that there are certain values that absolutely MUST be upheld. Not only must they be upheld, they must be promoted. He said"(A)ll Catholics, and indeed all men and women, are called to act with purified consciences and generous hearts in resolutely promoting those values which I have often referred to as ‘non-negotiable’.”

Those values were mentioned in "Sacramentum Caritatis". There he said that those "non negotiable" values include "respect for human life, its defence from conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage between a man and a woman, the freedom to educate one’s children and the promotion of the common good in all its forms."

His address follows up on the one given by Cardinal Sarah that reminded those participating that what they do must bring people to Christ. In other words, they must evangelize as a part of their work.

These 2 addresses come after some pre-Assembly actions that made it clear that it is time for Caritas & its affiliated groups like Development + Peace (D+P) in Canada & the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) in the USA to clean up their act. 1 of those 2 actions was the refusal by the Vatican to grant the current Caritas General Secretary, Lesley-Anne Knight, the “nihil obstat” (“nothing obstructs”) declaration required for candidates to be eligible for the office. Apparently part of the reason is a statement she made in an interview with the Non-Catholic Reporter. In it she suggested that the millions of dollars the organization receives from Western governments could be jeopardized if they become too explicitly Catholic. Not a good thing to say given the Vatican wants groups that call themselves Catholic to be truly Catholic.

In the interview she also asked “Does the Holy See actually know what Caritas is doing?” IMHO the answer is yes, they do. & they don't like what they see. 1 of those things they didn't like was 1 of the people invited to speak. The speaker was Fr. Timothy Radcliffe a former head of the Dominican order. He was set to deliver the keynote opening address last Monday. Before the document banning homosexuals in the priesthood came out, Fr. Radcliffe wrote an article for the London Times. In it he said “If it were to contain such a ban, which is highly unlikely, most Catholics, at least in the West, would find it unacceptable. Any deep-rooted prejudice against others, such as homophobia or misogyny, would be grounds for rejecting a candidate for the priesthood, but not their sexual orientation.” Any wonder the Vatican said "NO!" to his speaking to the assembly? If I were in charge at the Vatican I wouldn't want someone giving the keynote address who is working to undermine authentic Catholic teaching & Church discipline.

I am sure that behind the scenes there has been a lot of grumbling about what the Vatican is doing to make it clear that it is time to clean things up. & while most of what has been done has been indirect, it is clear the Vatican isn't going to sit back & let things go on as they have in the past. Either Caritas, D+P, CCHD & other groups clean up their act & become truly Catholic or they face direct intervention by the Vatican, & that may include their being shut down. Hopefully the Bishops' conferences will start getting the message. I'm not holding my breath however. The way I see it, it is going to take a major scandal that forces the Vatican to step in with some group that will force the other Bishops' conferences to do something before they are next.

In the meantime I would suggest that Caritas et al, go back & reread (or more likely actually read) Papa Benedetto's Caritas in veritate to get a clearer idea of how they should be operating.

You can read Papa Benedetto's complete address to the Caritas General Assembly here.

Cardinal Robert Sarah - Charity Without Evangelization Isn't True Charity

This isn't going to sit too well with those who have tried to ignore the fact that the Catholic Church exists to evangelize & that all her activies must be aimed at doing just that. Pope Paul VI made it clear in his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiani. It has been repeated time & time again by both Blessed John Paul the Great & Papa Benedetto.

Throughout history we have seen that lived out by those saints who founded hospitals, started schools, provided for the poor, etc. At the heart of their efforts was bringing Jesus to those whom they ministered to.

Unfortunately, over the past 40 years that idea has been tossed out by those who saw relativism as the guiding light, not authentic Catholic doctrine. & that is why we have seen so many of the scandals involving Development + Peace (D+P) in Canada & the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) in the USAamong others.

I am sure this speech of the Cardinal's didn't sit well with those in attendance who want to maintain relativism as the guiding light of their charitable deeds. But they had better realize that the Vatican is getting serious about what is being done in the name of the Catholic Church. It MUST uphold Catholic identity as well as Catholic teaching, including issues like abortion. Both CCHD & D+P are affiliated with Caritas International. & representatives from the group attending this Assembly. Whether they got the message remains to be seen. (Although as this LifeSiteNews opinion piece points out, D+P is still playing the same old games.) For now, I suspect the Vatican is giving the US & Canadian Bishops a chance to clean things up. But it is clear that the Vatican isn't going to sit still forever. & if something substanstitive isn't done, then the Vatican will likely take some more direct steps to ensure things are cleaned up.

Vatican Cardinal warns of ‘silent apostasy’; says Catholic charities must evangelize

ROME, May 25, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an address to the General Assembly of Caritas International today, Cardinal Robert Sarah, who heads the Vatican dicastery dealing with the church’s charitable institutions, stressed that the main mission of all Church groups, charitable groups included, was to bring people to Christ. “Today, dear Friends, the tragedy of modern mankind is not lacking clothing and housing. The most tragic hunger and the most terrible anguish is not lack of food,” he said. “It’s much more about the absence of God and the lack of true love, the love that was revealed to us on the Cross.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah
The assembly comes at a time of major restructuring for Catholic charities which especially in the West have been beset by loss of Catholic identity. Funding of questionable groups by the charitable arms of the Canadian, American, British, French and Austrian Catholic Bishops conferences have had many Catholics calling for change. While Bishops in these nations have been working toward reform, the Vatican is working to reform the umbrella group for them all - Caritas Internationalis. LifeSiteNews reported in February that the General Secretary of Caritas was not permitted to stand for a second term in office due to concerns about ‘Catholic identity’ among other issues.
Cardinal Sarah added, “Regarding coordination with the charitable organisations of the Church … it is not merely philanthropic and humanitarian assistance aimed at relieving a certain kind of distress, but also and above all it entails giving back to human persons all their dignity as children of God, and promoting an anthropology that also encompasses the religious dimension of human persons, namely their encounter with God.”
Cardinal Sarah quoted both Popes John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI decrying the “religious indifference, secularisation and atheism” of the West.
“Together with enormous material, scientific and technological progress, the West is now experiencing a serious moral regression and a gradual “silent apostasy”, he said.
“Undoubtedly, since the beginning of his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI has considered this ‘religious indifference’ and ‘silent apostasy’ as the major challenge the Church has to take up today in her relations with the modern world. Therefore, he is more determined than ever to make our minds more aware and our faith more visible and more active, in order to show the world that the Church’s mission is deeply rooted in faith in God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
While some in Catholic development agencies have argued for a hands-off approach of fostering good works undertaken even by agencies at odds with the Catholic Church to end the structures of poverty and oppression, the Cardinal took a different approach. “I believe it is important to understand that our charitable organisations are located within the Church and not alongside her,” he said. “A Caritas that wasn’t an ecclesial expression would have no meaning or existence. The Church cannot be considered as a partner of Catholic organisations. They are the organisations that take part in her mission.”
A recent debate over whether or not groups in the developing world should have the approval of local bishops prior to their receiving funding from Catholic charities in the West seems also to have been answered by the Cardinal. “So it is necessary that charitable organisations are really able to work in full communion and deep connection with the local bishop,” he said, “and in accordance with pastoral guidelines, in order to be fully integrated within the mission of the Church. “
See the full address here

When the Canadian Catholic Register Speaks Out About D+P Making Mistakes

A few days ago I put up a post about Archbishop Prendergast's cancelling a D+P sponsored speaker (Fr. Luis Arriaga) undermined claims by the CCCB & Development & Peace aka D+P (their equivalent of the USCCB's Campaign for Human Development) that D+P was not funding pro-abortion groups. I also said that it pretty much exhonorated LifeSiteNews as well.

Since then the spin by D+P has begun.

CCCB announced that they are reopening the investigation into the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Center that Fr. Arriaga is executive director of. But that hasn't detered D+P from defending Fr. Arriaga or their support of his Center. on 1 April D&P executive director Michael Casey wrote that Centre PRODH is “one of the foremost human rights organizations in Latin America.” The group is “highly respected for its outstanding work in defending the lives of the most vulnerable in Mexican society.”

Casey went on to claim that the real reason for the cancellation was that he had expressed concern for Fr. Arriaga to Archbishop Prendergast because of a scheduled “prayer and protest” rally organized by pro-life Catholics. This statement makes no sense at all given the facts. It sounds like pure spin to coverup the truth. It also sounds like Casey is trying to demonize the pro-lifers implying that they were a threat to Fr. Ariaga's safety.

Nevermind that the original statement made it clear that the appearances were cancelled because of the Centre's "support of groups in favour of abortion rights in Mexico." It sure sounds to me like safety had nothing to do with it, nor that it was Casey's idea.

D+P not happy because a can of worms they thought was closed has been ropenned. The Centre was 1 of 5 groups that was cleared by a delegation of Bishops of the CCCB. Now the question is, why was it cleared when there is clear evidence that it shouldn't have been?

Last November at the CCCB's Fall gathering the committee they set up to look into D+P came out with a statement that included the promise that D+P had developed an “exit strategy” to end “controversial” partnerships. It also pretty much denied that D+P was funding any At the time I said that the statement sounded more like spin than a serious attempt by D+P to clean things up. Well it looks like I was right.

This time it may not be so hard for D+P & their supporters in the CCCB to spin things & cover up the truth. The committee is now being forced to go back & reopen the investigation. It will be interesting to see how they explain not seeing the truth in the 1st place. I have my suspicions. I am willing to bet they relied on D+P to provide the evidence & didn't do a seperate investigation. Part of the reason I say that is because this time the CCCB said they are “requesting clarifications” from the Archdiocese of Mexico City regarding the “allegations” about the Centre.

But the real sign that things have gone too far for D+P to spin or coverup any more is that The Catholic Register in Canada has come out with an editorial questioning D+P's recent actions. In addition they ran an op-ed piece by Fr. Raymond de Souza entitled Does D&P not get it? . While I am not as familiar with the Catholic Register as I am with US Catholic publications, everything I have seen tells me that they are more like the liberal, leftist dissident Non-Catholic Reporter that the orthodox National Catholic Register. So if D+P has lost them, then it may be time to fold up.

Fr. de Souza's op-ed is definitely the stronger of the 2. But the Register doesn't sugar coat things. It says that the D+P actions they say are the result "of either appallingly poor judgment or blatant incompetence" raises the question "how many questionable agencies are still endorsed by D&P?” OUCH!!!!!

The editorial doesn't make the majority of the CCCB Bishops look good either. Talking about the position D+P put Archbishop Prendergast in, it says "The archbishop must be wondering how in heaven's name this could have happened. How could D&P, his own staff, fellow bishops and the priest himself, Fr. Luis Arriaga, put the Archbishop in such an awkward position."

It goes on to add "Prendergast is one bishop unreservedly on the front line in the anti-abortion crusade, whether it be in his public statements, joining the annual March for Life or, last year as Quebec bishops were noticeably absent, standing with Cardinal Marc Ouellet when Canada's then-primate was under attack for unequivocally defending life."

So in those few lines we see the majority of Bishops painted as failing to be as strongly Pro-life as they should. & when it goes on to question how the investigation was operated, as well as the follow up report & implimentation of the stronger safeguards, that doesn't have the CCCB or D+P come off looking to good either.

It does point out how LifeSiteNews raised concerns about the Centre 2 years ago. (As close as it gets to admitting they were right. & it does say the Centre should have been among those involved in the follow up investigation. It goes on to say "Given how fast Prendergast dismissed Arriaga, it seems clear the priest's organization was either on the "exit" list or deserved to be so."

But compared to Fr. de Souza's op-ed, they let D+P off easy.

Fr. de Souza starts off by raising some questions about how committed to being Pro-life D+P really is. "Is the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P) indisputably committed to the Gospel of life? Is the pro-life cause as important as, say, their campaign against bottled water?" He goes on to point out why these are valid questions. "Recent events in Ottawa have brought into question D&P’s pro-life commitment, and therefore the prudence of contributing money to its annual Share Lent campaign." Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Father doesn't let up from this point either. "Its vision and mission statements say nothing about God, Jesus Christ, the Gospel, Christianity, evangelization, salvation or the proclamation of the kingdom. In its own self-presentation it is indistinguishable from a secular humanitarian organization, save for its official fundraising activities in Catholic dioceses."

At this point he has painted the picture of a group that is not pro-life & not even Catholic. & even after the firestorm unleashed by LifeSiteNews' investigation & the CCCB report etc "D&P moved along with no great evidence of significant change." But it did claim to be pro-life, a claim Father doesn't buy. He says "If D&P was deeply convinced that abortion is an “abominable crime,” to use the words of Vatican II, it would not consider pro-abortion agencies to be partners in the struggle for justice, which always begins with the right to life."

& Father isn't buying Casey's response to Archbishop Prendergast's actions any more than I am. "In response, D&P executive director Michael Casey released a most unworthy statement, obscuring rather than addressing the main point of the archbishop’s decision. Defiantly, it went on to defend the centre’s “outstanding work in defending the lives of the most vulnerable in Mexican society, including migrants, women and indigenous people.” The unborn notably did not make that list." After warning that D+P better show some real effort to clean up its act. & if it doesn't "it will be clear that D&P considers support for groups in favour of abortion rights to be consistent with its mission. In that case, the very Catholic identity of D&P, already greatly attenuated, would definitively be in jeopardy."

His final statement makes it very clear what he thinks about the current status of D+P. "Does the actual work of D&P advance the Gospel of Christ, including the Gospel of life? The answer should be clear. The events of the last week demonstrate that it is not."

He does come down favorably on the side of LifeSiteNews & their reporting. "Two years ago, LifeSitenews.com — an agency that prides itself on being a watchdog for orthodoxy among Catholics, including bishops — reported that among D&P’s partners and alliances were groups that support abortion rights. Given that LifeSite is massively unpopular among many Catholic leaders, including bishops, its charges against D&P caused an enormous firestorm about the news agency’s tactics and professionalism. Yet the reports were sufficiently credible that a bishops’ fact-finding mission was dispatched to Mexico to assure Catholics that D&P was not undermining the Church’s pro-life witness." A definite compliment to LSN.

It also makes the attacks on LSN by those Catholic leaders look more like those attacking had something to hide & didn't like what LSN was uncovering, not how they were reporting etc. For me this confirms my suspicions there is more to the Fr. Gravel lawsuit against LSN that meest the eye. As I said in my post on the suit "Why is his Bishop even allowing this lawsuit to take place? I may be wrong, but I thing the Bishop is more than a little sympathetic to Gravel's positions & may not be too happy about what LSN has done either. IMHO this may be the Bishop's way of getting back while keeping his fingerprints off of it."

It is clear to me that Casey & D+P are still hoping to bluff their way through this latest firestorm. & they may be able to for a while. But it is getting harder & harder for them to get away with it. & harder for the CCCB to look away or offer "cosmetic changes".

Bishop Michael Mulhall of the diocese of Pembroke & Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins have put restrictions on how D+P can use their funds. & while moneys are fungable, the fact that over 10% of D&P’s annual funding is from Toronto's parishes makes it harder for D+P to simply move funds arround. & if D+P doesn't clean up its act, Archbishop Collins has made it clear they won't get a cent. “It is vital that this coming year be one in which Development and Peace experiences profound renewal, and the depth of that renewal will determine its future,” he said. “Future ShareLife funding for Development and Peace will depend upon our assessment of the degree to which the issues that concern us have been resolved.” Since Toronto gives over $1.125 million (Canadian) to D+P that loss would be devestating.

Again, I honestly think D+P & their buddies at the CCCB will think they can go on as they have with an occasional bit of spin or "cosmetic change" despite what has happenned. The smart thing would be to simply scrap D+P & start over with a truly pro-life organization. But I doubt they will. Instead, what we will see is an escalating list of scandals that could easily have been avoided. & the CCCB will have no one but themselves to blame.

Sources: Canada’s Bishops decide to re-investigate D&P partner over latest scandal Ontario bishops maintain funding restrictions on Development & Peace Catholic Register: D&P ‘guilty of either appallingly poor judgment or blatant incompetence’

10 Bishops Aren't Buying CCHD Promise of Reform

While I view thier actions as a good thing, it is only a drop in the bucket. As I said the other day, I see Bishop Soto's appointment to oversee the CCHD as a positive, but 1 that will probably create a lot of fireworks long before any real change comes about. & as long as there are a huge number of Bishops willing to go along without rocking the boat or even supporting the CCHD's agenda that is undermining Catholic teaching, Bishop Soto will be fighting a very difficult battle.

Many Bishops won't do anything as long as they don't see the people in the pew making it an issue. In those dioceses the people need to speak up. Some Bishops, as I pointed out, don't care to change things. In those dioceses the people still need to speak out, esp by not giving & letting the Bishop know why.

As many may have figured out by now, the CCHD scandal is just a part of a larger problem at the USCCB. & much of how that problem is solved will be determined by the type of Bishops that are appointed over the next few years. I don't expect that all the appointments will be perfect, history shows me that, but we are far from the critical mass needed for true reform. In the meantime, we must pray for our current Bishops no matter how bad things are.

At least 10 bishops skip national collection for U.S. bishop’s social justice arm
by Patrick B. Craine

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Despite a recent “review and renewal” of the U.S. Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), designed in part to “woo back” bishops upset over their distribution of funds to groups advocating abortion and same-sex “marriage,” at least 10 bishops opted not to contribute to the national collection this year.
(If your diocese did not hold the CCHD national collection this year, let us know here.)
The U.S. Bishops’ domestic social justice arm launched a large-scale renewal this fall with a commitment to strengthen their Catholic identity and funding protocols after widespread criticism from numerous bishops, as well as a coalition of Catholic and pro-life groups.
Nevertheless, many of the bishops who had discontinued contributing to the national pot maintained their position this year, and at least two more were added to their ranks.
Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington, Vermont has replaced the CCHD collection with the Bishop deGoesbriand Appeal for Human Advancement. Named after the diocese’s first bishop, it seeks to “help Vermonters achieve self-sufficiency and recognize their dignity in life” through funding local initiatives.
The decision came after a review of CCHD by the Diocesan Presbyteral Council. “All of the monies collected through this annual appeal will remain here in Vermont and 100% of the funds will be distributed to worthy grant applicants,” a diocesan statement explains.
Bishop James Johnston of Springfield, Missouri has replaced the annual pre-Thanksgiving CCHD collection with one for the diocese’s new Catholic Charities agency. In a November 5th column the bishop explains that his decision was motivated by the desire to serve “the needs of the poor at the local level.”
He notes that CCHD “has undergone criticism in the past year because of the misuse of some of the grants by organizations that have supported issues which are in opposition to Catholic teaching.” At the same time, he assures the faithful that funds designated for CCHD will be forwarded, and indicates that he will consider whether to hold the CCHD collection next year.
Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon told LifeSiteNews by e-mail that his diocese sends a “nominal amount” to CCHD, but has not taken national collections “for many years.”
The nationwide collection for CCHD takes place annually the Sunday before Thanksgiving, though some dioceses do it at other times. Traditionally, dioceses keep 25% of the funds to distribute locally, and send 75% to the national pot. The local bishop vets the grants - both local and national - distributed in his diocese, but has no say in how the national funds are distributed outside his diocese.
Bishops Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA), Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL), Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA), John Barres (Allentown, PA), Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE), and Robert Morlino (Madison WI) have again chosen not to contribute to the national collection.
Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who replaced Bishop Kevin Rhoades after the latter moved to Fort Wayne-South Bend, has maintained his predecessor’s decision to institute instead a “Matthew 25 collection” to serve the needy of the diocese. Bishop Rhoades’ new diocese took up the collection this year.
Bishop Bruskewitz told LifeSiteNews last fall that they “question the ideology of [CCHD],” and so had already not been taking up the collection. His diocese was “shocked at the scandalous participation” with groups “of questionable moral values or standards,” he said, and he would only reconsider the collection if there were “some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals.”
Bishop Galeone replaced the collection with a Diocesan Schools & Social Action Appeal in May 2009, prior to the launch of the major reform movement. In a letter at the time, he criticized CCHD not only for disbursing funds to groups working against Catholic teaching, but also because they do not support “family values,” and had prohibited funding Catholic organizations.
“Why are no funds earmarked to address the greatest cause of poverty in our country today - single motherhood?” he asked. “Moreover, 80% of the male inmates incarcerated in America come from fatherless homes. Yet no CCHD funds go to groups striving to strengthen family values.”
LifeSiteNews still awaits response about three further bishops who stopped taking up the collection last year - Bishops Robert Baker of Birmingham, AL; David Ricken of Green Bay, WI; and Edward Slattery of Tulsa, OK.
U.S. bishops not contributing to CCHD’s national collection:
1. Bishop Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA)

2. Bishop John Barres (Allentown, PA)

3. Bishop Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA)

4. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE)

5. Bishop Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL)

6. Bishop James Johnston (Springfield, MO)

7. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano (Burlington, VT)

8. Bishop Joseph McFadden (Harrisburg, PA)

9. Bishop Robert Morlino (Madison, WI)

10. Bishop Robert Vasa (Baker, OR)

An Interesting Battle May Be Brewing at the CCHD

I have posted several times about the problems at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. & quite bluntly, I don't see much hope for reform from within because it is the same bureaucracy that wrote the document that is responsible for the mess things are now.

But there is a development that could create some interesting fireworks. & that is the Bishop who was appointed last week as the new head of the CCHD, Bishop Jaime Soto. I have posted about his courageous Pro-life stand before (Bishop Soto Criticises Poor Catholic Catechisis About Marriage/Sexuality, Bishop Jaime Soto “It is sinful”) His appointment promises to create some fireworks because I am sure he will do what he says, do his best to monitor the reforms. & I am just as sure the CCHD bureaucracy will do their best to keep things hidden. & that is why I expect a huge battle to brew. Anyhow:

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!!!!

Outspokenly pro-life, pro-family bishop new head of US Bishops’ beleaguered CCHD

by Patrick B. Craine

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has appointed a prelate with a strong reputation for defending the Church’s teachings on life and family to head the beleaguered Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).

Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, who, for example, is known to lead prayerful processions to abortion facilities, will be charged especially with overseeing the implementation of the organization’s recently-launched “review and renewal”.
In a USCCB press release, the bishop said he is “honored” to have been entrusted with the position by his brother bishops. “CCHD has been an important national pastoral enterprise dedicated to infusing American Society with the Catholic values of human dignity, solidarity, and communion,” he said.
Bishop Soto earned praise from faithful Catholics in 2008 after he shocked attendees at a conference for homosexualist ‘Catholics’ with an address insisting the homosexual lifestyle is “sinful.”
“Sexual relations between people of the same sex can be alluring for homosexuals,” he said, “but it deviates from the true meaning of the act and distracts them from the true nature of love to which God has called us all. For this reason, it is sinful.”
In January, the bishop organized a day of penance on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to offer reparation for “the sinful national scourge of abortion.”
And last month, in a column for the diocese’s magazine, he bemoaned the fact that contraception has become “the unquestioned default mode of marriage.” “Marriage is no longer understood as the covenant of love between a man and a woman that creates life, because procreation is no longer associated with sexual intercourse,” he wrote.
CCHD, long criticized for its funding practices, has come under intense pressure in the last year after reports that the organization has funded numerous groups advocating abortion, same-sex “marriage,” contraception, and other questionable activities.
These reports led a coalition of Catholic and pro-life groups to launch a boycott of the national collection, and at least ten bishops chose to cease contributing to the national pot.
In response, the organization launched a “review and renewal” this fall, pledging to strengthen their Catholic identity and tighten the funding protocols. At the same time, the reform’s authenticity was questioned - and the boycott reinstituted - because CCHD continues to dismiss evidence about many of their grantees’ questionable positions.
“I am grateful for the work of the previous committee that has re-tooled CCHD so that it can be even more effective in its mission,” said Bishop Soto. “My committee will continue to monitor the progress for the implementations of the new guidelines.”
“God’s people are the Church’s best resource for the mission of New Evangelization,” he added. “CCHD will continue to invest in them so that they can be the protagonists of the Gospel, announcing the joy and hope of the Lord Jesus to a weary world.”

Related Stories
Sacramento Bishop: Catholics Must Realize Church Teaching on Marriage Benefits Society
Sacramento Bishop Calls for Day of Penance Jan 22 for ‘Sinful Scourge’ of Abortion
Bishop Soto Crashes National Homosexual Ministries Conference with the Truth: Homosexuality “is Sin”

In Answer to A Question

Tuesday evening in my comments for USCCB Avoids Complete Meltdown, For Now I had the following question from Patrick Button: "Do you think that a reform of the CCHD could happen soon?" Since I didn't have a lot of time I responded: "Short answer No! I haven't seen anything yet on reaction by the Conference to the report & there are plenty of other factors as well, like all the bureaucracy clean-up, that need to take place. This should speed things up or at least push things in the right direction."

The question was a good one & deserves a longer answer to explain why I said what I did.

As I said I don't expect any real reform soon. It would be nice to think it would but many factors point in the opposite direction. In other words, barring a scandal so big with a group CCHD funded that will force them to do something major, it will be a long time coming & the CCHD bureaucracy will kick & scream all the way.

The CCHD bureaucracy doesn't want real reform. remember, they are the bunch who is behind the scandal in the 1st place by what they did & didn't fund. & there hasn't been any real talk about cleaning the place up. That is basicly what I said in my post Why I Don't Buy the CCHD Claims of Reform!!!!! The document is more cosmetic than geared towards bringing about real reform.

& remember, the bureaucracy are the ones behind the document as well. They are not going to propse anything that would force them into real change. In fact, the CCHD gang is still trying to deny anything like the real number of questionable groups, despite solid evidence given them by Reform CCHD Now!* & why the delay on the list of 2010 grantees that is normally out in September?

It will take a complete housecleaning to get rid of those settled in & I don't see that happenning at this point. It would be nice if they shut down completely & said they were starting from scratch or just shutting down. But I am not expecting that soon either.

Another factor is where a good number of the Bishops are still at. The final vote on Dolan was 128-111. He won by 17 votes. So a shift of 9 votes & Kicanas would have won. Those 111 clearly feel Kicanas' support by dissident Catholics etc was OK. I am also willing to bet that many of Dolan's supporters were voting more to avoid scandal than really wanting to change direction.

So I don't see a strong call from the Bishops even with Dolan in charge, for change. & I don't see Dolan as 1 to force things either. I suspect that that is another reason he got some of the votes that would have gone to Kicanas as well.

& it is interesting that there has been a silence about the discussion of the CCHD review document at the USCCB meeting this week.

I plan on going into this more in another post but if you want to see how things are probably going to play out, look to how the CCCB has been handling the D+P scandal which is their parallel to the CCHD's. & that process has been a similar fighting & kicking all the way.

So, Patrick, much as I wish I could be optimistic, I am not. It is going to take a long time & a lot of work by groups like Reform CCHD Now! (with our support) to see real change.

______________

* Reform CCHD Now! (RCN) is doing an excellent job of getting the facts out. I can only guess that CCHD fears what they will find with the 2010 grantee list if they put it out & that is why the delay until after the collection. They saw what happenned last year when the facts began coming out. Bishops opted out & contributions dropped elsewhere where the collections still took place. & I suspect they know it will be worse this year should people know in advance despite their claims to already beginning to clean things up.

So don't look for any list until after the collection next week. & when RCN quickly finds the newest scandals, be ready for denial & excuses on the part of the CCHD once again.

& I am sure that is only a part of what will be coming out from RCN about what is really going on at CCHD.

Why I Think the USCCB Fall 2010 General Assembly May Be an Unmitigated Disaster

Let's just say I see some things looming on the horizon at the Fall 2010 meeting that give me huge pause for. More specificly:

1st we have the possibility of Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona being elected the next Conference president. Often the current vice-president is almost automaticly elected to the office. Given what has come out recently about Father Daniel McCormack, 1 of the priests he ordained who ended up molesting at lest 23 boys. Kicanas ordained him even though, while rector of Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary, he was aware of accusations of sexual misconduct against McCormack. The problem I have is that it appears Bishop Kicanas didn't take the charges as seriously as he should have. In fact, even now he says he would do it again.

“It would have been grossly unfair not to have ordained him,” Bishop Kicanas said shortly after being elected as vice president of the USCCB, in a quote that appears in the deposition of Cardinal Francis George. “There was a sense that his activity was part of the developmental process and that he had learned from the experience,” continued Bishop Kicanas. “I was more concerned about his drinking. We sent him to counseling for that.” (Journalist warns against election of Bishop Kicanas as USCCB president)

While I do have concerns about rushing into judgment, in this case it seems Kicanas rushed the other way instead. In fact he sounds almost dismissive like he approves of homosexual activity rather than seeing it as the sin it is.

That may explain the other thing that has me concerned. Why he got an endorsement from the Rainbow Sash Movement , a LGBT group that claims to be Catholic. (Bishop Gerald Kicanas Gets "High-Profile" Endorsement...) With an endorsement like that the USCCB might just as well announce that they are going into schism by electing him.

There are several Bishops on the list, including Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap., of Denver & Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, that would be much better & send the right message.

Then we have The Catholic Campaign for Human Development report that I have already posted my concerns about. & I am not the only 1 who has these doubts. (Click on Reform CCHD label for more)

These 2 things alone are the recipe for a disaster. & if the USCCB elects Kicanas & refuses to seriously deal with the CCHD scandal then . . . . Well, as I said, the USCCB might as well admit the majority of Bishops have opted to take themselves & the USCCB as an organization into schism.

1 other fact makes me think that the USCCB leadership is not serious about dealing with the problems is the limits they put on EWTN's coverage. All EWTN can do is rebroadcast Telecare Television's feed. FYI: Telecare is operated by the Diocese of Rockville Centre. They are not allowed to have any commentary about what is going on during the broadcast. Raymond Arroyo mentioned that fact on last week's episode of The World Over Live. I am not sure if this was only impossed on EWTN or all TV stations carrying it. Either way, it is clear the USCCB is afraid of what might be said by the EWTN commentators. & is doing its best to control the spin as well. But they will only delay the inevitable as he will be reporting on the events on next week's show.

Remember many at the USCCB resented Mother Angelica's success & did all they could to destroy EWTN. While some Bishops backed Mother's efforts some hated the fact she was faithful to the magesterium & showing up their heretical teachings. They were also POed that her network took off & the USCCB attempt went belly up. Some Bishops, led by a soon to retire Cardina, mounted an attempt at a hostile takeover. Fortunately they failed. & Mother's support from the Vatican by Pope John Paul II & Benedetto XVI hasn't sat too well with them either.

Another set of votes that hasn't got much attention but should is the election of Officers & Chairs-Elect for 6 Committees. Depending on the Bishop elected to head these committees they could take things in the right direction or further away from authentic Catholicism. The committees include Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, Evangelization and Catechesis & Catholic Education. Since I am not familiar with all the Bishops, I can't comment on specifics.

The 1 that, while not so controversial, is actually more the result of abuses allowed by Catholic Bishops in the Baptismal rite than the way the Protestant Churches handle it. I am refering to the agreement with 4 Protestant communities to mutually recognize one another’s baptism. I have to laugh at the hyperbole used in the news release about it. In particular I am refering to Archbishop Wilton Gregory's statement: "The U.S. bishops stand at an important juncture in affirming the unity that Christ has given to the baptized members of his body, a unity that is ever fragile and always in need of support from the pastors of the Church.” What important juncture????? The Catholic Church already recognizes the baptism done in a protestant church if done in the "name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Spirit". The concern mentioned about spoken formulas such as baptism in the name of the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier the Vatican had wasn't aimed at protestants. It was aimed at Catholic priests who used the formula & the scandal that those baptisms weren't valid.

Like I said, this is just a bunch of hyperbole. & while it does make for greater ease in knowing if a protestant baptism is valid should the person cross the Tiber, i suspect the hype is more to calm down those who are upset about the recent events involving the Anglican communion. The socialist USCCB gang is probably trying to reassure those counterparts in the other churches that it is socialist business as usual. I hope I am wrong, but giving the way this whole thing is qworded, I suspect not.

Then there are other items on the agenda that I have to wonder why they are even there. Items such as "The request of the Pro-Life Activities Committee to begin drafting a brief policy statement against physician assisted suicide." HUH????? I thought Catholic teaching on this was pretty clear. NO WAY, NO HOW, EVER!!!!!

So it will be interesting to see how things come out, as well as the spin put on them. I am not holding my breathe for serious reform at the CCHD. I am slightly more hopeful about the Bishops not electing Kicanas. But only slightly. The question isn't "Will there be a disaster?" The question is "How big & how much will be averted to keep it from being bigger?"

As a postscript, I have to admit that what I am esp waiting for isn't on this year's agenda but will be coming up soon, & that is the welcome given by the new US Bishop for the Anglican ordinariate. Yes, he will be an equal to all the other Bishops, Eastern & Latin Churches on the USCCB. & I suspect he will not be welcome by the Mahony/Gumbleton/Weakland types at all. (Ditto for their equivalents in the CCCB as well.) Meanwhile, let us pray for the USCCB & that God will have mercy on us all by keeping things from being too bad.

A Modest proposal On How to Truly Reform the CCHD

Yesterday was the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was the 1st American citizen to be declared a saint. She was born at Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Lombardy, Italy on 15 July 1850. She was sent by Pope Leo XIII to help the Italian immigrants who were struggling under very unfavorable conditions. The 2nd reading from the Office of Readings for her feast was from the Homily by Pope Pius XII at the Mass where she was canonized. As I read it i thought to myself, herE is the right way to ACCOMPLISH what the Catholic Campaign for Human Development says is its purpose for existing. Here is that homily:

"Inspired by the grace of God, we join the saints in honouring the holy virgin Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was a humble woman who became outstanding not because she was famous, or rich or powerful, but because she lived a virtuous life. From the tender years of her youth, she kept her innocence as white as a lily and preserved it carefully with the thorns of penitence; as the years progressed, she was moved by a certain instinct and a supernatural zeal to dedicate her whole life to the service and greater glory of God.
She welcomed delinquent youths into safe homes and taught them to live upright and holy lives. She consoled those who were in prison and recalled to them the hope of eternal life. She encouraged prisoners to reform themselves and to live honest lives.
She comforted the sick and the infirm in the hospitals and diligently cared for them. She extended a friendly and helping hand especially to immigrants and offered them necessary shelter and relief, for having left their homeland behind, they were wandering about in a foreign land with no place to turn for help. Because of their condition she saw that they were in danger of deserting the practice of Christian virtues and their Catholic faith.
Where did she acquire all that strength and the inexhaustible energy by which she was able to perform so many good works and to surmount so many difficulties involving material things, travel and men?
Undoubtedly she accomplished all this through the faith which was always so vibrant and alive in her heart; through the divine love which burned within her; and, finally, through constant prayer by which she was so closely united with God from whom she humbly asked and obtained whatever her human weakness could not obtain.
In the face of the endless cares and anxieties of life, she never let anything turn her aside from striving and aiming to please God and to work for his glory for which nothing, aided by God’s grace, seemed too laborious, or difficult, or beyond human strength."

That sure is a lot simpler that the 15 page CCHD reform & renwal document the CCHD came out with. & a lot more Christ centered. In starting her work in the 50s, Mother Teresa followed a very similar plan of action. I conclude with this quote from St. Frances Xavier cabini where she talks about how she accomplished all she did. Again, it is a lot different that what the CCHD does in theory or reality. What it does do is state simply & clearly how any program to aid in human development funded by the USCCB should be operated to truly accomplish putting "into practice Catholic teaching on the life and dignity of every human person, the Gospel command to care for the least of these (Matthew 25), and the Church‟s call to practice solidarity in helping poor people help themselves escape poverty."

"We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone."

PS: D+P up in Canada could learn the same lesson from Mother Cabrini as well.

Why I Don't Buy the CCHD Claims of Reform!!!!!

In several recent pots I have talked about the "Review & Renewal" of the Campaign for Human Development Document & how I think the whiole thing is cosmetic. Earlier today I put up another post on some of the evidence I am seeing elsewhere that has convinced me I am right. But now, I would like to take a look at the document itself. Since the document is 15 pages long, I won't take the whole thing apart. That would take too long. So I will just hilite some things that esp stand out for me.

I want to start by saying that I uphold the authentic social teachings of the Catholic Church as found in the Catechism & the Compendium of Social Doctrine put out by the Vatican. I say that to emphasize that much that is being promoted here in the USA as thesocial teaching or "social gospel" is really a socialist agenda & runs very much counter to authentic Catholic teaching.

Overall, as I said, I found the whole thing to be more cosmetic than an attempt at authentic reform. Many of the things I read would be great, if they were sincere about them. Reform CCHD Now released the following statement about the document that expresses a lot of what I feel: "The renewal document is a positive step forward for the CCHD and if vigorously implemented, we hope to see an overall improvement in their funding practices. It remains to be seen whether or not the CCHD will be able to effectively implement these reforms."

As I have already pointed out in my earlier post, it looks like they aren't going to effectively implement them.

Now to the document itself.

The 1st line starts out with a bold faced lie: "For 40 years across the United States, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has put into practice Catholic teaching on the life and dignity of every human person." I guess that the unborn don't count given the number of Pro-abortion groups they have supported over the years. Supporting them, along with the others that go against other parts of Catholic teaching, has undermined Catholic teaching, not put it into practice.

It goes on to mention the quote from Luke 4:18 to say they have carried out the mission of Jesus. However, as I said in my earlier post, they totally ignore the ultimate reason the Catholic Church does what it does, to evangelize. They only focus on physical poverty & physical captivity while leaving the people they help spiritually poor & still in captivity to sin & death.

They gho on to say their strategy "reflects the mandate of the Scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching." I'd love to know if anyone at the CCHD has actually raed the Compendium of Social Doctrine, let alone knows what it actually says about Catholic teaching. & I am willing to bet the "Eucharistic transformation" they talk about is nothing like that Paapa Benedetto was refering to in Sacramentum Caritatis.

As we continue down page 2 I came accross 2 paragraphs that were pure hyperbole & trying to make it sound like the Catholic Church couldn't survive without the CCHD. But before we get there, I want to point out 1 thing that says the US Bishops have their share of responsibility in the whole mess. "CCHD grants to groups in a local community require the explicit approval of the bishop of that diocese." Did you get that?, all these groups opposed to Catholic teaching funded over the last 40 years was done by the approval of the local Bishop. & the excuse that the Bishop relied on his local CCHD committee is no excuse.

Now for the BS.
"CCHD is a unique and essential part of the Catholic community‟s broad commitment to assist low-income people, families and communities." Unique & essential???? Get real. They are anything but unique. Just look at their doppelganger in Canada, Development & Peace, that has done exactlt the same things CCHD has done to undermine Catholic teaching. As for essential, CCHD has only been arround for 40 years, the Catholic Church for almost 2000. If they are so essential, how has the Church survived for over 1900+ years without them? Oh yeah, in those days they had religious orders that were faithful to the magesterium & actually did minister to the poor in an authenticly Catholic way. We also still have a few of them arround, like Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. Sorry CCHD, you are neither unique or essential.

Later in the paragraph they say: "Like many other Catholic ministries, CCHD helps people overcome poverty without regard to their race, ethnicity or religion." If the CCHD is so unique, how can it be liek those other ministries?

The next paragraph sees the hyperbole about their importance continue. "As a national initiative of the Bishops‟ Conference, CCHD is an essential and complementary part of the Catholic social mission proclaimed by Jesus Christ and taught by His Church. CCHD does not replace, nor can it be replaced by, other expressions of the Church‟s essential social mission." Again, if you are so essential & irreplacable how did the Catholic Church in the USA get along without them for almost 500 years? Or the Catholic Church as a whole for nearly 2000?

Next up comes a line that turned my stomach. "CCHD helps our Church in the United States practice what we preach about human life and dignity, social and economic justice, solidarity and the common good in local communities across our country." Given the groups it funded support abortion, gay marriage etc, I don't think CCHD has exactly put into practice what the Catholic Church preaches.

This is where they mention the Coalition of Imokalee Workers (CIW) as 1 of their examples of their work. But as has been recently revealed by Reform CCHD Now "CIW participated in the US Social Forum 2010; something the RCN reported on back in June. The US Social Forum ran a collection of workshops, many of which were devoted to abortion rights, homosexual rights, and Marxist Socialism. RCN's report also specifies three of CIW’s coalition and network partnerships that are in and of themselves pro-abortion and pro-homosexual, and whose mission is to encourage cross-issues advocacy of their members." Will someone at CCHD explain how that is praxcticing what the Catholic Church preaches?

Half way down page 3 we read the following: "From its first days, there have been some criticisms about CCHD‟s goals, guidelines and grantees. This criticism has become more visible with the wider use of internet communication and as polarization has increased in society and in the Church." In short, the CCHD is blaming the messenger. Maybe they had better face up to the fact that those criticisms have some basis in validity rather than playing the blame game. Actually, in passing the blame they are showing their Alinsky roots. Polarization has nothing to do with the validity of the criticisms. They have undermined the Catholic Church's teachings through the grantees they worked with.

"CCHD takes any alleged violation of Catholic principles and CCHD policies very seriously. CCHD deeply regrets that in this past year five groups (out of 270) violated CCHD requirements and lost all CCHD funding because they acted in conflict with Catholic teaching." It was a lot more than 5 as Reform CCHD Now has documented. & it is clear how serious they DON"T take the violations. Note the use of the word alledged. & note the fact that they only mention 5 groups & make it sound like this only happenned the last year rather than being an ongoing thing as it has been from the start.

"We apologize for the violations of CCHD policies by these groups and for the damage and confusion they have caused." I suspect the only thing they are sorry about is the fact that they got called out on what they were doing & that their actual policies are differnt than their policies on paper.

"This Review and Renewal is putting in place stronger policies and clearer mechanisms to screen and monitor grants and groups to ensure that these past violations, though very limited, are not repeated." Note that once again they are downplaying the truth. The violations were NOT limiteed but ongoing

"CCHD will do all it can to ensure that groups abide by these strengthened requirements and will act immediately and decisively if it is discovered that any group is violating these essential conditions for CCHD support." You mean like how you dealt with The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). The CCHD continued to give them funding, even with the Chicago CCHD raising concerns that they were engaged in activities seriously contrary to Church teaching. (U.S. Bishops’ Anti-Poverty Arm Awarded $45,000 Grant to Pro-Abort Group Despite Warnings) Gee giving them another $5,000 sure sounds like a decisive action to me. A decision of business as usual, not reform.

They go on to say "CCHD will not fund groups that are members of coalitions which have as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda, positions or actions that contradict fundamental Catholic moral and social teaching. CCHD is developing additional structures and guidance to address in greater detail the ethical implications of these relationships and what is morally acceptable and what is not for CCHD funded groups." What additional guidlines or structures? Sounds more like ways to cover up & justify continuing as before to me.

Pga e4 basicly reiterates the same things that I have looked at earlier in the document. But there is 1 line that stands out as an admission of guilt that they haven't been upholding authentic Catholic teaching. Why do they need to "ROOT CCHD clearly in the mission of Jesus Christ"? Isn't that what you claim you have been doing all along? It get better, the rest of the sentence says "anchoring the work of CCHD more deeply in Catholic teaching." Again, I thought it already was. Guess not.

As for the foundations they go on to talk about, I see plenty of the social but very little of the Gospel in their actions.

The rest of the documents goes on to look at the "Ten Commitments for CCHD's Future". This is where I see the cosmetics plied on thick. Rather than cover everything I will just emphasis a few points.

Let's start with the introductory paragraphs to this section. It says the commitments "are a roadmap for the renewal of CCHD and contain specific steps to assure the bishops, our pastors and our Catholic people that CCHD will be true to its biblical mission, faithful to its Catholic identity, and accountable in the ways it uses Catholic contributions to pursue justice and overcome poverty." Pardon the scepticism but releasing the names of this year's grantees would do more than the empty promises you are about to make.
Then there is this little gem of self-agrandizement: "This report does not focus on the wonderful work CCHD supports in our parishes and communities across our nation." If it is so wonderful why all the scandals?

"Instead, it responds to concerns, addresses areas that can and must be improved and offers new directions that should be taken to carry out the mission and work of CCHD more faithfully and effectively." Given that that mission has been to undermine Catholic teaching, it sounds to me like they are looking for better ways to hide the truth.

"These Ten Commitments are neither an abandonment of CCHD‟s foundations nor are they an effort to repackage 'business as usual.'" Given the reality of their foundations, yes it is a repackaging to ensure business as usual goes on.

The 1st Commitment talks about CCHD's Catholic ID. "CCHD will be more clear on the "Catholic" in the Catholic Campaign for Human Development." So why haven't you dons so in the past. & again, given what is going on in Chicago, I suspect that this is as cosmetic as it gets.

On to the 2nd Commitment. This is basicly an admission that they are going to be spending a huge effort at spin & cover-up.

4th Commitment: "CCHD will link its activities more directly to the Priorities of our Bishops’ Conference, specifically defending human life and dignity, strengthening marriage and family life and reflecting and celebrating the diversity of our Church and nation." As opposed to your current supporting of groups that promote abortion, gay marriage & undermining family life?

7th Commitment: "The fundamental safeguard remains the approval of the diocesan bishop before a group can be funded." As I pointed out before, the Bishops haven't exactly been doing their job. Some, like Mahony, openly support the groups that the CCHD has funded in the past that undemine Catholic teaching. Other Bishops have relied on their local CCHD director, who, in many cases may have whitewashed things to cover up the truth about the groups they were seeking the Bishop's approval for.

"CCHD will improve and strengthen formation and training for CCHD Diocesan Directors, in addition to encouraging selection and support of qualified directors by dioceses. CCHD can only be as strong as its diocesan leadership and activities." What kind of training? How to better cover things up so the Bishop doesn't get suspicious? The Bishops have to take more responsibility to ensure these directors are going to select the right groups & organizations. The buck stops with them. Not the directors. This whole section also sounds like it is aimed at providing the national CCHD cover as well. "Gee, we were simply taking the Bishop at his word that the group was OK.

& 1 line really raises some alarms for me. "In addition, any action to suspend CCHD funding requires the involvement and agreement of the local bishop." So if the group is pro-abort, or pro-gay marriage & the Bishop refuses to agree to stop funding then the CCHD will continue funding them? That is what it sounds like to me.

Commitment 9, Ethical guidance. "Any CCHD funded group that subsequently and knowingly takes positions that contradict Catholic teaching in these areas (advocacy of abortion, same sex marriage, euthanasia, racism as well as use of the death penalty, punitive measures toward immigrants) will be cut off from any CCHD funding as soon as this violation of CCHD requirements is documented." Given the past track record of ignoring documentation this doesn't exactly give me confidence things are going to change.

This section talks about developing a relationship with one or more moral theologians. I think Bishop William Murphy & Bishop Roger Morin, the bishops who oversee the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), sincerely want the CCHD to be cleaned up. They have already appointed Father Daniel Mindling, OFM Cap, academic dean & professor of moral theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, as a consulting theologian. While I don't know much about Fr. Mindling, I am willing to give the Bishops the benefit of the doubt for now.

It is the CCHD staff I am not so sure about.

So far, they haven't exactly followed through on their promises. Instead it is "business as usual" at CCHD. Rather than supporting groups that are authenticly Catholic & uphold authentic Catholic teaching, such as socialism bad#, capitalism good*, they continue to support socialistic groups that oppose authentic Catholic teaching.

It make take a total dismantling of CCHD & starting from scratch rather than reform to solve the problems. In the meantime, I will not be giving a cent to the CCHD collection this year. Instead I will support groups that follow the authentic social teaching of the Catholic Church & work to save souls as well as bodies.

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#Pope Pius XI called communism "intrinsically evil" & anti-Christian, with its avowed goal being the complete destruction of private property, family & religion. Other Popes have said similar things about other forms of socialism.

*This doesn't mean that capitalism can't be abused, just that, as Pope John Paul II said: " the free market is the most efficient instrument for utilizing resources and effectively responding to needs." Centesimus Annus (n. 34) He goes on to say "If by ‘capitalism’ is meant an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production, as well as free human creativity in the economic sector, then the answer is certainly in the affirmative, even though it would perhaps be more appropriate to speak of a "business economy", "market economy" or simply "free economy". But if by "capitalism" is meant a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed within a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality, and which sees it as a particular aspect of that freedom, the core of which is ethical and religious, then the reply is certainly negative." (n. 42)

& while I highly doubt they would want to, I would highly recommend that they read Thomas E. Woods Jr's book The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy for a better understanding of the Church's teachings in this area. (See also his article Capitalism and Catholicism)