Not Only ACORN

Catholic Campaign-Funded Groups Support Same-sex Marriage, Opposed Parental Notification.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (California Catholic Daily) - The ongoing scandals involving ACORN have made national news. Most Catholics know that until recently, the community-organizing group had been receiving annual funding from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. According to a Catholic News Service article of October 16, 2008, ACORN had received $7.3 million from the Catholic Campaign over the previous ten years, making it one of group's largest supporters.

Catholic Campaign grants to ACORN were discontinued in 2008, following its embezzlement and voter registration scandal. On November 11, 2008, the Catholic Campaign responded to the scandal on their website: "Report of Bishop Roger Morin, chairman, Subcommittee on Catholic Campaign For Human Development on CCHD and ACORN." From the report:

"Last June, CCHD cut off funding to all ACORN groups when we learned about a major case of embezzlement eight years ago that was covered up by ACORN staff leadership. This theft and cover-up raised serious concerns about national ACORN's financial accountability, transparency, governance and organizational integrity. ...More recently, the Subcommittee also became concerned about widespread reports of ACORN involvement in alleged voter registration fraud and political partisanship. As a result of the cut-off earlier this year, no CCHD funds were involved in any of these activities. However, the allegations intensified our questions and problems around ACORN's organizational integrity, competence and non-partisanship. Therefore, we extended the cut off of CCHD funding of any ACORN organizations..."

"The Bishops' CCHD Subcommittee met November 8-9 and reviewed this matter at length and discussed it in depth. The Bishop members of the Subcommittee voted unanimously to reaffirm, extend and formalize the decision to end CCHD funding of ACORN organizations because of serious concerns about financial accountability, organizational performance and political partisanship."

The experience with ACORN led Bishop Morin and the subcommittee to recognize that there were problems with the way it oversaw grant applicants and recipients. The report continued:

"CCHD's current criteria and guidelines prohibit partisan activity and funding of any group that engages in activities contrary to Catholic moral teaching, whether or not those activities are funded by CCHD. These criteria are actively enforced and have led CCHD to deny funding to many groups and to quickly terminate any group that violates these prohibitions. The Bishops' CCHD Subcommittee and staff are reviewing these existing CCHD's policies, grant agreements, and other safeguards in order to reaffirm and strengthen our protections in areas of Church teaching, financial and organizational accountability, and partisan political activity."

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In the news article cited above, Ralph McCloud, the Catholic Campaign's executive director made the same point: "CCHD guidelines require that organizations in line for funding 'go through a great deal of scrutiny." The article continued: "Prior to the awarding of grants, applications from local organizations are vetted at the diocesan level by a funding committee, endorsed by the local bishop, and then scrutinized by the national CCHD staff and a committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."

But California Catholic Daily has found at least two instances in the city of San Francisco alone where the current criteria are not being "actively enforced." On July 1, 2009, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development published a list of their 2009-10 grant recipients. These grants were made after the new criteria were established. Two of the four grantees in the city of San Francisco are the "Chinese Progressive Association" and "Young Workers United."

The Chinese Progressive Association is listed on the "API Equality" website as a "supporting organization." API Equality is an organization of Asian and Pacific Islander proponents of same-sex "marriage". The Chinese Progressive Association was also signatory to a No on Prop. 8 election flyer published in 2008 by Equality California. In 2009, the Chinese Progressive Association received a $30,000 grant from the Catholic Campaign.

While uncovering the disqualifying actions of the Chinese Progressive Association might have required a small amount of work, it is impossible to see how the application from Young Workers United made it through the levels of the Catholic Campaign scrutiny.

The Young Workers United published a voter guide to the November 2008 elections right on their website. It is online to this day. Under the recommendation for Proposition 4, (which would have required the parent or guardian of an underage girl to be notified before she undergoes an abortion) we read: "Prop 4 - Parental Notification No! Back off! Prop 4 backers want to make access to safe abortions for teens nearly impossible.

Physicians would be required to notify a minor's parents or legal guardian of her intent to have an abortion and impose a 48-hour waiting period before she can have the procedure. Young women must continue to decide what's best for them and not have to resort to dangerous, back-alley, illegal abortions." The recommendation on Proposition 8 was more succinct: "Prop 8 - Limit on Marriage NO! Everyone should have the equal right to get married. Stop hatin'. Plain and simple." Both Propositions 4 and 8 were supported by the California Catholic Bishops . In 2009, the Young Workers United received a $25,000 grant from the Catholic Campaign.

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This article originally appeared in California Catholic Daily and is reprinted with permission.