Coalition calls for reform of CCHD as annual collection nears

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The CCHD poster for the 2009 collection

Washington D.C., Nov 17, 2009 / 01:41 am (CNA).- The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is highlighting its projects as the annual CCHD collection approaches. One Catholic coalition, citing several controversial grants to groups which opposed Church teaching, has called for reform of the campaign.

CCHD funding in 2008 involved 776 Catholic parishes, 18 Catholic Charities agencies and 51 religious communities, a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) press release reports.

The CCHD said its programs empower “poor and marginalized people” to seek solutions to local problems and to improve their lives and neighborhoods. Its economic development initiatives include help for poor and low-income people to develop new business, to create new jobs and to develop family and community-owned assets.

The Campaign also educates Catholics about poverty and the faithful response to it. The CCHD also says it helps them interact with those affected by poverty.

CCHD-funded projects include the Savannah Local Food Collaborative in the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. The organization is working to relocate a local farmer’s market to increase community access to health local food, to strengthen the local economy and to move towards a sustainable environmental future.

McIntosh SEED, a community-based organization in the same diocese, is involved in creating a summer tutorial program that helped 200 students and their families improve their reading and math skills.

The Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network (MINF), involved in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minnesota, is also funded by the CCHD. It engages immigrants and allies on immigration policy, and develops a broad leadership base to address the “broken” immigration system with a focus on immigrant youth, the USCCB reports.

Some CCHD grantees have been involved in controversy. In 2008 the USCCB defunded the community organizing group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) following allegations that some of its members were involved in voter fraud.

The self-described Catholic grassroots group Bellarmine Veritas Ministry (BVM) also uncovered evidence that some CCHD grantees were involved in advocacy for abortion, contraceptive distribution, and same-sex “marriage.”

In September 2009 the Campaign announced that it had begun to defund at least two of the accused groups and said it was investigating other groups accused of advocating for positions and activities that contradicted Catholic teaching and CCHD grant regulations.

In response to the controversial grants, some Catholic groups have formed a coalition to “reform” the CCHD.

The Reform CCHD Now coalition includes Human Life International, the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, the American Life League and Catholic Radio International.

Though it says the CCHD has funded groups which “legitimately serve and represent the poor and marginalized,” the coalition protested its funding of groups that “openly oppose the Church’s teachings.”

“It is hard to believe repeated assurances that the CCHD always carefully vets its grantees given both its history and its continued funding of groups which openly oppose the Catholic Church's teachings on social justice, family and life issues. This must stop,” the coalition says on its website.

The coalition began a novena for reform on Nov. 14 that will end the day after the Nov. 21-22 collection takes place.

Comments: 13

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Randy Engel, USCL
Pittsburgh PA USA 02/08/2010 12:57 PM EST

Alert - Catholic Relief Services Is In Bed With Death Peddlers. The following information was circulated by the U.S. Coalition for Life last month.The complete text of the release with full documentation is available online from the U.S. Coalition for Life Research Library. The CCHD scandal is about the USCCB GIVING Money to the Death Peddlers The CRS scandal is about the USCCB TAKING Money from the Death Peddlers On Thursday, January 7, 2010, the following e-mail concerning the “partnership” of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation was sent by the U.S. Coalition for Life to the Most Rev. Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of CRS, and Thomas Price, CRS Senior Communications Manager: Can you tell me why Catholic Relief Services is in a partnership with two of the world’s greatest promoters of abortion and population control? Why the glowing promotion of two of the world’s most anti-life foundations? ...

Published by: William
Atlanta/GA/USA 11/22/2009 09:37 AM EST

I beg the Bishops to really really investigate and screen the CCHD recipients. If there is the slightest doubt that an organization being given to does not follow Catholic moral teachings, drop them. A lady's comments said it best; once trust is lost it is very, very difficult (and expensive) to regain it. It is so sad that the many good organizations given to will suffer because of a few bad ones.

Published by: Barbara
Mauldin, SC USA 11/18/2009 07:34 PM EST

The conspiracy, enemies of the Church rant by Bishop Roger Morin against the Reform the CCHD folks was too much. CCHD makes you think your money's going to feed and house the poor. Instead, lots of it seems to be going to vague "rights" and "justice" groups. No accountability. Do we know how effective the groups are at anything but grant writing and PR?

Published by: Virginia Piccininni
Naperville 11/18/2009 12:35 PM EST

I have not given to CCHD since Paul Likoudis wrote his booklet in 1996 - 'The Wanderer Press' The Legacy of CHD. CHD funding is only used to promote the Democrat party.

Published by: Rob
new York city, NY 11/18/2009 12:17 PM EST

It is true that CCHD has supported groups that legitimately deserve funds. However, it is their continued support of pro-abortion organizations that brings to light that they have been either incompetent or complicit for these many years. In 1995, the Wanderer, a weekly lay Catholic newspaper, printed a full-page article urging its readers to "Write Your Bishop" to take a close look at the channeling of annual collection funds to political advocacy groups. This article was an in-depth presentation of a number of these organizatios that actually provided abortion and contraception referrals and promoted homosexual rights activities. The paper was publicly attacked in The Tablet, the Brooklyn Diocese newspaper. While not refuting these allegations, they claimed that "the ultraconservative right-wing article is another diatribe against CCHD that is not worthy of merit."

Published by: Mary
Fort Worth, Texas U.S.A. 11/17/2009 04:16 PM EST

Good comments above. Our pastor told us that he would use the money collected Sunday in the CCHD envelope for our parish St. Vincent DePaul organization and gave the reason why. The congregation applauded him!

Published by: Tom Morris
Edmond/Oklahoma 11/17/2009 03:46 PM EST

Nearly all [240 out of 253 in 2008] CCHD grants go to community organizing. Community Organizers are like the "money changers in the temple". The Catholic bishops should be above that.

Published by: Gabriel Austin
Los Alamos NM USA 11/17/2009 02:45 PM EST

Why it is worthwhile to give to the CCHD? Do not local dioceses and parishes have contact with local groups that work to help the poor? Surely it is better to help your close neighbors than to give to a national organization that cannot review its commitments.

Published by: Frankly
Phoenix/AZ/USA 11/17/2009 12:52 PM EST

Better to contribute to your local Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Published by: Andrew Nelson
Columbia, SC 29206 11/17/2009 10:37 AM EST

Why will the CCHD give money to left leaning community organizations, but not to Catholic Schools? The most important element of preventing poverty is the proclamation of the gospel coinciding with charity. Social justice today seems to be charity without the gospel. What could help to stop generational poverty more than providing scholarships for poor families to attend Catholic Schools. The teaching of the Catholic faith along with a Catholic education is the key.

Published by: myles keogh
Fort Riley Kansas 11/17/2009 08:25 AM EST

I refuse to give any of my money to the CCHD. CCHD was long ago infilitrated by those who seek to destroy the church. My father told me over 20+ years ago not to give money to this so-called "charity" because National Review had exposed that some of the money was going to pro-abortion groups. That later came more into light and then recently their association with ACORN. CCHD is another example of liberal bishops and lay people attacking the church from within. The USCCB needs to grow a spine and do away with it. I urge every faithful Catholic not to give a cent to this so called "charitiy."

Published by: JCM
Pensacola, FL 11/17/2009 07:32 AM EST

I appreciate that the bishops and CCHD are working to distance themselves from some of the higher profile organizations in question, such as ACORN. However, once trust is lost it is not easily regained. Our contributions will go elsewhere until they can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that each recipient has been reviewed and found to be a sound organization, in line with the teachings of the Church.

Published by: Sten Seneca
Bahrain, Manama 11/17/2009 05:55 AM EST

Agreed. Too much baggage with CCHD. CRS is a better org to give to. We don't need to support a 'catholic in name' organization that supports the utterly corrupt ACORN of Chicago. They are a potent arm of the Chicago political arm of Mayor Daley.

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