Michael Hichborn, founder and president of the Lepanto Institute, disclosed this in a July 28 piece. He pointed out that these bishops who defended the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) also earmarked money for groups that go against the Catholic Church’s teachings. The CCHD is the national anti-poverty and social justice program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Hichborn pointed out that the CCHD’s frequently asked questions page said its “national grants process is a partnership between (arch) dioceses and the USCCB.”
“All initiatives supported with CCHD funding complete a thorough application process that includes a pre-application, full application, site visits and other requirements, with involvement on both the national and diocesan levels,” the page stated.
“CCHD will not fund groups that are knowingly members of coalitions that have, as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda, positions or actions that contradict fundamental Catholic moral and social teaching.”
Hichborn mentioned several names of bishops, including Hartford, Connecticut Archbishop Christopher Coyne – the former bishop of Burlington in Vermont. During his time in the Green Mountain State, he signed off on a 2020-2021 grant of $55,000 to the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC).
The VAHC celebrated Pride Month in the form of an interview with Vermont State Rep. Taylor Small, where VAHC Executive Director David Martins lauded him for being a “fierce advocate for LGBTQ issues.” Martins himself is an LGBT activist, with the organization’s website even acknowledging his work with the Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality.
Meanwhile, Lexington, Kentucky Bishop John Stowe approved a $40,000 grant to the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED). However, Hichborn pointed out that MACED is equally problematic as it promoted LGBT ideologies to the youth – contradicting Catholic teaching.
Bishops continue to defend CCHD, which promotes anti-Catholic ideas
Both Coyne and Stowe defended the CCHD from criticism, including calls for its abolition. The Hartford archbishop expressed his dismay and disappointment regarding staff cuts at the USCCB department overseeing it, while the Lexington bishop – who sits on the CCHD’s subcommittee – said he was pleased to see other bishops defending the campaign.
Even Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark in New Jersey, also rushed to the defense of the CCHD. According to a June 14 piece by the National Catholic Reporter, the cardinal “gave a powerful endorsement of the work” done by the campaign during an executive session of the USCCB that month.
Hichborn noted how Tobin provided two grants totaling $80,000 to the New Labor Education & Training Institute (NLETI). According to the Lepanto Institute founder, NLETI is a dues-paying member of both the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the National Domestic Workers Alliance – two entities promoting infanticide. True enough, NLETI promoted a rally to defend the Roe v. Wade decision and “reproductive rights” in 2022, the same year when the abortion ruling was overturned. (Related: Report: 76 Christian universities promoting ABORTION and Planned Parenthood.)
The CCHD was thrust into the spotlight after Ralph McCloud, its executive director, unexpectedly stepped down. Later, several staffers in the USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development – which oversees the CCHD – were laid off, drawing Coyne’s ire.
“While each of these prelates of the Catholic Church are rushing to the defense of the CCHD, the sad truth is that each of them are responsible for grants that went to organizations that not only go against CCHD grant guidelines, but directly attack Catholic moral and social teaching,” said Hichborn.
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