Report Goes to Catholic Bishops About Pro-Abortion Problems With CCHD
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 1, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Members of a coalition of pro-life groups that have been monitoring the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and its donations and support for pro-abortion groups have sent a new report to the nation’s Catholic bishops and the heads of Catholic diocesan Respect Life offices.
The Reform CCHD Now coalition says the reports document problems that have yet to be addressed by the CCHD, regarding the nature and activities of many CCHD grantees.
Compiled by Michael Hichborn of American Life League and Robert Gasper of Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, the reports show almost 50 grantees still receiving funds from the CCHD remain involved in activities directly opposed to Catholic moral and social teachings.
"We wanted to make sure every bishop can review the facts for himself, because we still hear people saying that all of the problems with the CCHD have been fixed. But we can prove that such claims are not true," said Hichborn.
"We believe that our bishops are doing the best they can with the information they have. We just want to make sure that they have the most up-to-date information as they go into their June meeting," he told LifeNews.com.
The coalition noted that, during the U.S. bishops’ upcoming meeting June 11-13, the CCHD will be discussed in light of a report recently compiled by Bishop David Zubik of the Pittsburgh diocese.
"Good things have started to happen with the CCHD, and there appears to be momentum toward real reform," said Gasper. "It has become clear that the problems can’t be solved merely by defunding individual groups that have been identified as opposing Church teaching. This is why we continue to respectfully call for a complete reform of the CCHD."
Stephen Phelan, communications manager for RCN member Human Life International added, "We simply ask our bishops to prayerfully review the information presented, considering how such systemic problems occurred and what the most prudent way forward is for the CCHD."
CCHD donations are traditionally collected the weekend before Thanksgiving each year as one of the thirteen funds of the USCCB’s National Collections program. Donations average between $7 – 9 million annually.
The concerns about CCHD have been present since last October when HLI, ALL and BLM formed the coalition. After they exposed the pro-abortion activities of the some of the grant recipients, Bishop Morin, on October 2, announced that CCHD grantee groups Young Workers United and the Chinese Progressive Association had been defunded.
In November 2009 the Reform CCHD Now coalition revealed the CCHD was supporting 31 organizations which are members of a radically pro-abortion coalition of groups.
That same month, MIV partners, CA Partnership partners, SFOP, Preble Street, Voces De La Frontera, and other groups came under scrutiny.
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