Washington D.C., Oct 8, 2008 / 04:21 am
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s early work as a community organizer has brought to the fore the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s (CCHD) longstanding support for political organizations accused of promoting radical left-wing politics and distorting Catholic teaching under the pretense of helping the poor.
Over the past several decades, the CCHD has annually directed tens of thousands of dollars to several community organizing groups, including one headed by Obama in the 1980s.
Obama was lead organizer of the Developing Communities Project in Chicago, Stephanie Block reports in a September 28 article in the Wanderer. During Obama’s leadership, the organization received from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development $40,000 in grant money in 1985 and a $33,000 grant in 1986.
Obama reportedly received training from organizations connected to Chicago-based community organizer Saul Alinsky. Obama was also mentored by an ex-Jesuit, Greg Galuzzo, who headed the Gamaliel Foundation under which the Developing Communities Project operated.