Sorting out the controversy over the USCCB and questionable coalitions

Russell Shaw, author of Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication and Communion in the Catholic Church (Ignatius, 2008) and several other books, sorts through the controversy over the USCCB's relationship with certain suspect coalitions:

A controversy over involvement by the U.S. bishops’ conference and one of its top executives in two liberal public policy groupings spotlights the perils associated with a familiar Washington institution: the coalition.

Coalitions with policy agendas are a way of life in the capital. But as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has lately been reminded, this is a way of life with ambiguities and risks, including guilt by association.

Calls for reform

The controversy erupted when several conservative groups complained that John Carr, head of USCCB’s social development and peace office, formerly played a leadership role in a coalition called the Center for Community Change, which the conservatives accused of promoting abortion and homosexuality. Carr says he severed ties with the center five years ago, and up to then it had no connection with these issues.

Calling themselves the Reform CCHD Now Coalition, the conservatives also complained that 31 of 150 organizations in the Center for Community Change coalition got grants from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

The bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program has come under fire for funding groups engaged in abortion advocacy and other questionable activities and has withdrawn funding from several.

The Reform CCHD Now Coalition counts some two dozen members, including the American Life League, Bellarmine Veritas Ministry and Real Catholic TV. The critics have continued raising questions about other CCHD-funded groups.

A second round of criticism originated with conservative Catholic journalist Deal Hudson, who noted that the USCCB was one of nearly 200 organizations comprising the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, which, along with its traditional civil-rights agenda, advocates on behalf of gay rights and has opposed abortion restrictions.

Read the entire piece on OSV's "Daily Take" blog.

Comments

[Norah]

Russell Shaw writes about secrecy in the Catholic Church. I remember when he was asked a question on Catholic Answers about secrecy in Opus Dei and Mr Shaw replied that he was reading a book in which the constitution of Opus Dei was published. I later read that the constitution was published but in Latin. Talk about secrecy.

[Ed Peters]

Okay, then I guess the US Constitution is a secret from Asia, cuz it's only published in English.

The Church publishes most documents in Latin precisely to put all the world's language groups on an equal footing, and to make sure her meaning is conveyed accurately in a language she has mastered.

Blaming others cuz YOU can't read Latin. Sheesh.

[Margaret]

Thanks, Ed. I was starting to burn out brain cells trying to decipher the "logic" of that previous posting... :)