“The Campaign funds projects that empower the poor and help them organize themselves to move out of poverty. All grant applicants are carefully screened and funds are provided only to projects with objectives and actions that are fully in accord with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church.”
Funding criteria, including conformity with the moral guidelines of the Catholic Church, are specified from the earliest stage of the application process, the CCHD commented. Projects are monitored through regular reporting and on-site visits and funding is discontinued if inconsistencies with Catholic teaching are discovered.
The Campaign noted Pope John Paul II’s praise for the CCHD, which says one of its goals has been to help poor people achieve self-sufficiency.
The CCHD document noted the allegation that its grants funded Young Workers United and the Chinese Progressive Association, who both produced voter guides that took a position contrary to Church teaching. Both groups backed same-sex “marriage” and Young Workers United reportedly also voiced support for legalized abortion and legalized prostitution.
After a joint investigation with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the CCHD said it immediately canceled both grants and both organizations returned the grant money.
The CCHD said investigation was continuing into the Prebel Street group and the Women’s Community Revitalization Project, which allegedly were involved in activity contrary to Church teaching.
The CCHD said that investigations into several other accused groups found no activity contrary to Church teaching.
The Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN), which was accused of promoting same-sex “marriage” and actively supporting contraception and the morning-after pill, was cleared by a review conducted by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the CCHD reported.
Addressing the charges against the Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV) coalition in California, the CCHD said six of the seven coalition members are currently funded by the CCHD and all six confirmed that they were never consulted about MIV taking positions on ballot initiatives contrary to Catholic social teaching.