With ACORN finally roasting on an open fire it is time we remember something else. Earlier today I had tweeted that one of the worse things about the ACORN scandal was the fact that up to last year the USCCB had been pouring some major money into ACORN and this finally stopped after so many cases of voter fraud were hitting the media. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has been criticized for years because of the organizations receiving money from them. Groups like ACORN are not the exception, plenty of other problematic groups that hide under the banner of social justice receive funds. The critics of CCHD were pretty much ignored, hopefully instead of saying “I told you so” we can be a bit more constructive.
American Papist posts his own thoughts on this and concludes:
What can we do?
Every year around Thanksgiving time there is a second collection taken for CCHD at Masses in the United States. Here’s what I’d like to do:In the next weeks I will search for the dioceses that have chosen to opt out of this second collection for CCHD (you can help me by emailing me if you know this has happened).
I’d will publish these dioceses here on AmP, and keep the list updated.
Then, I’d encourage you to (respectfully) write your bishop (if his diocese is not on the list) and ask that he also instruct his parishes to opt out of this second collection.
Put that extra money you would have given to CCHD in the collection basket of your own parish, where it will do some actual good.
9 comments
Ever since Vatican II unleashed the horror of liberal catholicism on the world There has been active support by members of the church hierarchy for wildly leftist (facist)groups. This included priests in South America supporting communists and other varieties of murderers. It included the church in the US supporting clearly anti-catholic politicians and subversive leftwing groups like Acorn because they were going to help the poor. When did “helping the poor” (something these organizations never did) trump Catholic teaching and the ten cammandments. When did it become OK to steal and kill “to help the poor”?
Why is the Church tied to organizations that just want to spend “other people’s money” on the poor instead of organizations that would teach them not to be poor. Why is there no accounting for personal actions that these people did to put themselves in this positon. There is a reason that a lot of folks my age (61 and finished college in 1970) feel that the Church walked away from us and everything we were taught about the church. If people paid attention to what they were taught there wouldn’t be a Democrat politician that a Catholic could vote for. They are for the most part “Catholic Haters” because they cannot stand any organization that would not be under the direct control of government. If we get real socialism here one of the first orgaizations to some under the jack boot of socialist government will be the church. Russia, Germany and venezuela come immediately to mind.
Why are so many Catholics socialists when it is clear that socialism will never embrace Catholic ideals?
Spero News just did a story on the CCHD and that there are still strong ties with The Gamaliel Foundation, and it appears that the GF has strong leftist associations. I’m doing some research on how money raised in Michigan is disbursed and which groups are getting funds. I’ll be posting on it soon. Just because it isn’t ACORN, it doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for Catholics.
Thought this was only happening in Canada with Development & Peace, but here we are USA
I am convinced that ACORN is just the tip of the iceberg with CCHD.
When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing — they believe in anything.
Chesterton
Actually that is not as good an idea as mine.
Instead of not contributing, give a single penny in an envelope.
That generates notice. I did this in a regular collection once when there was a problem and the pastor made it a point to ask me what was wrong.
Don’t put a penny in the envelope. Put an acorn!
I’m afraid this is driven more by Republican partisan politics than a thoughtful assessment of Catholic teaching on social issues. CCHD may have faults, but some of the comments here do not seem familiar with the basics of Catholic social thought, e.g. “spend “other people’s money” on the poor instead of organizations that would teach them not to be poor,” which is exactly what CCHD intends to do. Attacks on ACORN are the cause celebre of FOX news, but shouldn’t be jumped on by Catholics without a thoughtful, constructive suggestion of the kinds of groups CCHD should be funding.
DS: You’ve got to be kidding! The Catholic Church is an arm of the Democrat Party and has been for decades.
If the Catholic Church isn’t up to directly providing services for the poor, then she needs to turn the money Catholics give to organizations that do–like the Salvation Army.
Catholic Social Justice = Anti-Americanism