Catholic “Social Justice” Bureaucracy Dominated by Leftists

We are a little late on this, but it’s still worth noting.

From the Free Republic:

This Sunday (Nov. 23rd) is the annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). You may have heard that the CCHD had given over a million dollars per year to ACORN, a radically leftist group which seeks the election of “progressive” anti-life politicians among other things. The CCHD says that they will no longer be giving our donations to ACORN because there was reported embezzlement by [the brother of ] ACORN founder Wade Rathke some time ago. (see: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/morin_acorn_report.shtml)

[Editors Note: Wade Rathke was involved in covering up his brother’s embezzlement.]

There is a lot of confusion about what the CCHD is, how it works and whether faithful Catholics can be sure their donations will be put to use in a way consistent with Catholic teaching.

The CCHD is a social justice group established by the US Bishops. They collect money and then farm it out to various local and national organizations throughout the US. This is absolutely a fine and legitimate thing to do. Unfortunately, the groups selected by the CCHD to be stewards of our donations include many organizations which promote either Marxist socialism or anti-life/anti- church teaching. A complete list of last years grantees can be found here.

Just hearing the name “Catholic Campaign for Human Development” might make one think that money goes to scholarships for needy students, or youth centers in poor neighborhoods, or job training for women trying to get off welfare.

That assumption would be dead wrong. The list of people getting the money includes virtually nobody with anything other than a leftist political agenda.

Some random examples:

The Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center: This Seattle-based leftist Catholic group actively promotes women’s ordination, radical feminism, socialism, radical environmentalism, and a disregard for Church tradition. Read the brochure for their “Northwest Catholic Women’s Convocation” and ask yourself if this is something you would like to support via your CCHD donation. Also, note that one of the featured speakers is Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson who worships God as a goddess and stated “every aspect” of the Catholic faith “is not just tainted but perverted by the evil of patriarchy. It is not that the tradition has some problems; the tradition is the problem.” (see: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111305.html)

Chinese Progressive Association: A Marxist/socialist group. (listed as a “meeting ground” in the communist newsletter “Voice of Revolution”
http://www.usmlo.org/arch2006/2006-04/VR060407.HTM) Supports Homosexual Marriage
(http://www.marriageequality.org/?page=supporters).

The Somali Action Alliance: lists both the CCHD and the very pro-abortion Women’s Foundation of MN as partners. (see: http://www.somaliactionalliance.org/news.php and http://www.wfmn.org/health.shtml)

Los Angeles chapter of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice: Chairman is Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. who in 2001 stated in a speech: “The U.S. has become the number-one enemy of peace and justice in the world today.” He regularly speaks on Marxist themes and has stated “The revolution this nation needs has not yet begun.”

(http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/)

The simple fact is that the Church has always been subject to penetration by secular forces, and the leftist tilt of the “social justice” bureaucracy is just the latest example of something that has been happening for 2,000 years.

But there may still be, out there, some devout but somewhat naïve Catholics who think that if some institution is part of the church bureaucracy it is actually loyal to Church teaching.

They might also assume that if they happen to have a relatively conservative Archbishop (like Dolan) that people and projects radically contrary to Church teaching and subversive of church doctrine will be kept out of the Archdiocese.

The reality: the enemy is within.