The following comes from a Jan. 17 story in the Tidings, archdiocese paper for Los Angeles.
Incremental increases to poverty reduction programs in Governor Jerry Brown’s $155 billion proposed budget for 2014-15 don’t begin to meet the cuts sustained during the state’s recent Great Recession, said the top official at the bishops’ California Catholic Conference.
Although an improving state economy is reflected in the proposed budget’s projected surplus of $5.6 billion, Brown’s plan focuses on fiscal restraint — taking steps to pay down debt and provide for a rainy day fund — with the bulk of the proposed general fund’s 8 percent increase this year going to schools.
“We’re supportive of the governor’s notion of fiscal responsibility and he did recognize the need to restore some cuts, although not at the level of full restoration of cuts to programs like TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families),” said Edward “Ned” Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference.
CCC officials will work with the governor and the state legislature during the next few months to address social issues in a manner that will allow all Californians to live in dignity and freedom, something that Pope Francis has repeatedly set as a minimum economic standard for any fiscal policy, notes Dolejsi.
“Our interest is in having a quality policy conversation about what is a necessary level of funding and how best to spend those funds to assist folks out of poverty,” said Dolejsi. He added that the CCC would like to see more funding of local community agencies, such as Catholic Charities, which help people in their efforts to escape poverty….
To read the entire story, click here.
The Catholic Church should stay away from politics. If you beg for Government Alms they will take your freedom. And the illegal aliens will be much worse off.
The CCC is the worldwide abbreviation for the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.
To avoid confusion, the California Conference of Catholic Bishops should abbreviate their own PAC title as CCCB.
There is occasionally a difference between what the CCC states and what the CCCB states.
The CCC contains the Doctrine of the Faith.
This is what the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) states about the REQUIREMENT to pay DEBT:
CCC: “2411 Contracts are subject to commutative justice which regulates exchanges between persons and between institutions in accordance with a strict respect for their rights.
Commutative justice obliges strictly; it REQUIRES safeguarding property rights, paying debts, and fulfilling obligations freely contracted.
Without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible.
One distinguishes commutative justice from legal justice which concerns what the citizen owes in fairness to the community, and from distributive justice which regulates what the community owes its citizens in proportion to their contributions and needs.”
The State of CA is currently $419 BILLION dollars in DEBT..
Government waste, spending and costs must be cut to pay debts.
I hope the Bishops take this into consideration.
The Bishops (and their Priests) must ask all those Catholics in the State who are able to help the truly poor (not the lazy).
This is what Jesus exhorted. Jesus did not rely on the government.
So when will the Bishops be having special collections for the purpose of helping the poor in the State of CA ???
DOCTRINE of the FAITH on SUBSIDIARITY –
CCC: ” 1883, 1885, 1984, 2209.
CCC: ” 1894 In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, neither the state nor any larger society should substitute itself for the initiative and responsibility of individuals and intermediary bodies.”
This is from the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” not the California Conference of Catholic Bishops.
So Henry Ford violated the principle of subsidiarity because we all should be building our own cars. And we should never have landed a man on the moon, we ought to have left that up to the Russians or to Branson’s Virgin Intergalactic.
YFC, read the CCC.
You are being silly.
Btw, Henry Ford owned a private business which was later made into a private corporation for its’ stockholders. Government was not involved.
Landing a man on the moon has nothing to do with our personal responsibility to help our neighbors in need as commanded by Jesus.
Ford Motor Co was one example of subsidiarity.
It was a private citizen, founding a private corporation, to give jobs to others.
The government did not interfere with over regulation and over taxation.
Henry Ford did more than build and sell cars. A close friend recalled a camping trip in 1919 during which Ford lectured a group around the campfire. He “attributes all evil to Jews or to the Jewish capitalists,” the friend wrote in his diary. “The Jews caused the war, the Jews caused the outbreak of thieving and robbery all over the country, the Jews caused the inefficiency of the navy…” In 1918, Henry Ford purchased his hometown newspaper, The Dearborn Independent. A year and a half later, he began publishing a series of articles that claimed a vast Jewish conspiracy was infecting America. The series ran in the following 91 issues. Ford bound the articles into four volumes titled “The International Jew,” and distributed half a million copies to his vast network of dealerships and subscribers. The rhetoric was not unusual for its content, as much as its scope. As one of the most famous men in America, Henry Ford legitimized ideas that otherwise may have been given little authority.
Giving government grants to Catholic Charities and other religious organizations is not the answer.
This merely requires the religious organziations to adhere to the rules set by the State which includes contraception, abortion, gay marriage, etc., etc.
I hope Pope Francis tells the Bishops to cut down on the costly bureaucratic organizations within the Church.
(Check out the salaries of those involved. This is not charity.)
The CCC would like more local entities to get government money – like Catholic Charities. That’s the bottom line for the CCC – government money. In the meantime, the CCC does nothing to work against the scourge of abortion which has deprived millions of babies of lives of “dignity and freedom”. Abortion is not on their agenda.
It is sickening!!
The CCC is the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” and does not promote the things you State.
The CCCB does.
The devil promotes confusion.
Why do Catholic Bishops’ Conferences always seem to have their hands out for money from the government for their own “charitable” organizations ?
Is it any wonder then that they keep their mouths shut regarding scandals by ‘Catholic” politicians and do not enforce Canons 915 and 1399?
By the time the State takes their share of the dollar, and then all the other bureaucracies involved take their share of the same dollar, how much is left for the poor?
Bureacracies require salaries, benefits, places of work, supplies, utilities, etc., etc.
When you stand before Jesus at your judgement, wouldn’t it be better to say – “I volunteered to help those in need” rather than “I personally benefited from my work with the poor”?
When is Pope Francis going to cover this topic?
Paula, good questions. Does Catholic Charities of San Francisco really have to give their eight directors an average of $145,000 per year in compensation? And that figure does not include “other compensation”!!
Laurette .. Are you sure? I’ve never heard of non-profit board of directors members being paid anything other than expenses. Where did you get this info?
The Catholic Church must stay out of politics, but also, it is not the business of the state to give money to the poor. The Church has always been the source of helping the needy. When the government gets involved, there are all kinds of abuses, and tons of waste. So many are on the government welfare program that it will almost be impossible to remove them. The great society that Johnson promised has become a total disaster. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church has pushed for this, while being virtually silent on abortion, and other grave moral issues. This is due to the liberation theology practices that have been taught now for over 40 years. MayGod have mercy on us.
Of course father, you would not be speaking of the way the church in Ireland treated the orphans and other children, or the way poor people were treated by the church in this country, almost as slaves, to get proper treatment. By the way, the war on poverty, though not won, prevented more people from going into poverty. The Catholic church tries, through Catholic Charities to do what it can, given the small amount of money that comes from the pews. If you compare what we give to what mainstream and fundamentalist Christians give each weekend, it is a scandal. Catholics don’t support charity, except in a small way. Most of the money for our charity is from grants from the government, because that is where the money is, sorry to say. What are you doing to end poverty in America? What are you doing to ensure that more than 85 people control most of the money in the world; more than 300 million of the poorest? People are not poor, but because the system needs fixing. The top 1% really do control the economy and the money that flows to our members of Congress, state legislatures and city and county governments. It has become normal for elected officials to vote for those that give them the most money. What is the church doing about that?
Bob One – two wrongs do not make a right.
Do not change the subject.
If you are correct that most money that the Bishops use for charitable purposes is from the government, then that is another area where Bishops have done a lousy job with catechesis within their own Diocese.
As individuals we each have a requirement to help those in need.
I for one have NEVER heard of the Bishops taking a national collection to help the poor in the USA, or even for the poor within my own Diocese.
There are multi-millionaires and billionaires who advertise themselves as “Catholic”. John Kerry, Melinda Gates, Nancy Pelosi, Carolyn Kennedy and family, just to name a few.
Everyone should give what they can.
And we can all clean out our closets, attics, garages, basements and give to the poor. Sell those things we can and give money to the poor as well.
Most Bishops do not teach nor do they take collections for the poor within their own Diocese or within the USA – they have gotten lazy and simply rely on government money.
Follow the money, and you will see which Bishops are faithful to the Church and which are faithful to government money. This is why some Bishops permit Sacrilege against the Body and Blood of our Lord rather than correct scandalous wayward Catholic politicians.
Mac, you write like, and I behave like we were not properly taught about stewardship. The Bible tells us, and I admit that I don’t do it, that we should give of the first fruits. That means that we should give ten% of our income to the church and church agencies. After that, we should pay our rent, buy food, make car payments, etc.. I find that a lot more of my protestant friends do that than me or my Catholic friends. Again, I think it is because we were not taught well. I heard one priest suggest that we should consider a monthly offering to the church equal to our car payment or what it would have been if we paid cash for it. Wow! But the point is that cleaning out the closet will not support our charity agencies. Even those people need to make a living wage. Think about the cost of social workers, lawyers in immigration department, teachers for the ESL programs, cooks for the kitchens, etc. It takes a lot of money to run charities. Oh, and don’t forget the cost of FICA, taxes, benefits, retirement funds, etc..
A 2004 John Jay study identified 10,667 victim allegations made in the period from 1950-2002, which number increased to 15,235 through 2009. Many victims of sexual assault never report their victimization, and observers have estimated that there may be as many as 100,000 total victims in the United States alone. I think the Church needs to come clean on the priest child abuse scandal and Pope Francis needs to do it right now.
Fr. Karl, you have to excuse Bob One’s acid remarks, and I am surprised he didn’t blame you personally for the Crusades, the Dark Ages, and don’t forget that Ever useful shillelagh, the Inquisition. Liberal Catholics just care mor than you or me or the rest of us, and they display it by their Holy Anger. (Now don’t you or I go doing that, that would be SO un-chaa-aartibble..)
Bob one, is 100% correct and you SP are 100% wrong.
…Tom L’s version of a highly factual argument, QED.
Steve Phoienix, good point. I think Tom learned his techniques on the evening news!
You two (SP&T) seem to have a problem recognizing the truth even if it slapped you in the face to wake you up.
Bob One asks, “…What is the church doing about that?”
What would you have Holy Mother Church do, Bob One? Toss Her God given mission of guarding and transmitting the Fullness of Truth to Her children only to become a political activist?
Yours appears to be the rationale that would see mothers leave the rearing of their own children (God-given duty) to others in order to seek the “greater” (Man-made agenda) benefit of income equality, educational opportunity, and all manner of earthly gains.
Sounds noble on paper – very noble actually – but what happens to the children? Who teaches them? More to the point, what are they taught? And who is teaching them? The Devil, Bob One, as his objective is to lure souls away from that which God asks of them to pursue what appears to be the justifiable ‘greater good.’
That’s also why it seems to me that Tom L. would post, “Bob One is 100% correct.” It is the totality of agreement to a man-made proposition that strikes me as nothing but pure deception. Well crafted though it may be.
God bless
So the children see their parents leave that to which God calls them to pursue that which the world dictates.
Amen, brother. But the books are now opening [documenting the obvious I’d say]: Liberation Theology–and I’ll see your 40+ years and raise you 10–was a Soviet (KGB) operation from start to finish (oh wait, it’s not finished). It’s success, even the adoption of the operational name, has reportedly exceeded Khruschev’s wildest dreams.
How much money does it cost to run/operate the PAC (political action committee) of the California Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) ?
When people have full time jobs in non-essential arenas, they must also create issues for job security.
That is why they get involved in the death penalty, gun control, illegal immigration which either violates the CCC or stretches the truth to the point of being wrong.
Employment with PACs requires justification for their existence, salaries and benefits.
This is in the addition to following the money – from the government and other sources.
Okay, so now even Nuns can’t enforce Catholic doctrine without losing their jobs?
https://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022721364_sistermaryxml.html
“The president of Eastside Catholic School has resigned amid the fallout from her decision to dismiss the vice principal for marrying his gay partner.
“The president and CEO of Eastside Catholic School has resigned amid unrelenting protests over her decision to dismiss the school’s vice principal for marrying his gay partner.
“In December, Sister Mary Tracy fired Vice Principal Mark Zmuda, who also served as the school’s swim coach, saying his marriage to a man violated the Roman Catholic teachings he’d agreed to uphold when he began working at the school.
“Her resignation, submitted to the Eastside board of trustees Monday and made public Tuesday, was effective immediately.”
Anyone who is unjustly fired from a “Catholic” institutuion should take his/her case to the Diocese Bishop.
Take a Bible and the CCC with you. Have the appropriate paragraphs marked for reference in the conversation.
The Diocese Bishop has the authority to refuse any institutuion to use the name “Catholic”.
I Googled the story about this Sister, and it turns out she was not fired by the diocese, but rather she resigned — apparently due to the student protests over her firing of the vice-principal.
The odd thing is, the bishop had just printed a letter in full support of this Sister and her decision — then she resigns.
Perhaps she fell on her sword to try to help the school calm down and get back to the work of teaching, rather than having demonstrations and protests that got in the way of its mission. God bless her, for the tough decision she had to make both for her vice principal and for herself.
The young people know bigotry when they see it. They understand that it is not against the law to be a homosexual in this country. DOMA has been defeated. Same sex marriages are steadily becoming legal in most of the States. The ones that ban same sex marriages are steadily being ruled as unconstitutional. This is what the young people understand and that’s why they disagree with the firing of the vice principle. Plus the fact they like and respect the former vice principale.
I have long wanted to see an Accounting of the Donations of the Faithful – and how much is spent on Faithful Catholic Contractors to provide the goods & services of Our Charities.
Too often it seems – that the Sunday Collection is seen as the prize (and Not God’s Kingdom) for the entrenched ‘professional catholic – (small ‘c’) – bureaucratic apparatchiks who are always willing to Betray the Magisterium for their Abom-nable political agendas.
Giving Charity is Good – but sending the donations of the Faithful to those Hateful to the Church & Its Teachings negates so much of the intent of the donors.
Likewise – We Catholics Should be Hiring Our Own, as a Job is always better than a handout, and allows them to donate as they can.
Finally – Directed Donation is also something we need to get better at – as the payouts for the ‘Homosex Pederast Shuffle’ engaged in by so many kloseted klergy, have soured so very many on General Giving for the Good of the Church…
When the money is usually channeled to Radical Leftist / Gender Feminist / Homosex Activists who want just the Opposite of the Good of the Church
Michael…As a contractor with my own parish as a client, I agree with you. I give them, and other churches and a synogoge a discount. At some point, however, I think for a big contract, good business sense says competetive bidding should be used
If everyone is disappointed with our Catholic bishops, how about this as an option?
https://www.uscatholic.org/choosingbishops
“Pope Francis says that he wants a special kind of bishop for our church—he wants “shepherds who smell of their sheep.” Let us take our Holy Father at his word: Who knows how the sheep smell better than the sheep themselves? No one. So then why not let the sheep make a modest proposal and ask that we laypeople have a significant say in the choice of our bishops. This proposal is not as radical as it may seem. Once the office of bishop was clearly established in the early church, that office was filled by the choice of the local people and priests, and ratified by the neighboring bishops as a sign of the unity of the church. Even unbaptized persons were eligible to be chosen for bishop, as we know from the story of St. Ambrose, who was acclaimed by the clergy and people as bishop of Milan while he was still a catechumen. And the very first bishop in the United States, John Carroll, was elected by the priests of Maryland and confirmed by the pope. Today we are so used to the pope choosing our bishops for us without any input from those whom the bishop will serve that we forget it was not always that way. In fact the right of the pope to choose bishops was only finally settled by the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which clearly allocated that power to the holder of the papal office…”
Interesting idea, Suzanne, but considering the woeful lack of educated/believing Catholics – that is Catholics who know and exercise their Faith in all spheres – we’d end up with nothing but further division. And all under the heading ‘Catholic.’ Kind of like the situation of Catholics voting in the current administration that does nothing but persecute actual Catholic belief in action.
Today future Bishops are recommended by existing Bishops in that same Country before being affirmed by the Pope.
Suzanne – I don’t feel comfortable with popular election of bishops but I agree that some serous input is a great idea. A close friend, who lives in San Francisco, really, really wanted Bishop Wester of Salt Lake City to get it. She says he is a native of SF, was a pastor, Archbishop’s aide and then an Auxiliary Bishop in SF. After that he had lots of experience running his own diocese in SLC. If she and others had been able to make their case to the nuncio, the Pope Benedict might well have decided he was a better choice than bringing over Bishop Cordelone from Oakland.
Where did any Pope state or teaching of the Church state that Bishops (and their employees) are supposed to have PACs – political action committees?
The Church never taught this.
Pope Francis please address this, and tell you Bishops to stop this practice.
Okay, Nan, I’ll get right on that!
Thanks for sharing.
(p.s. this is not REALLY Pope Francis writing, but I just couldn’t resist lettering Nan know that her insights are valued…)
Thank you Father Karl for your leadership in posting the truth!
Church and government are a toxic mix.
Father Karl,
Assuming you were trained in liberation theology hotbeds, your above comments mean much!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika!
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Kenneth, My parents were very conservative, and the school where I was taught by nuns, as well as my parish, and the three priests who were stationed there, were traditional (in the 1960’s), and we were always taught that all forms of communism, including socialism (which is candy coated communism) were intrinsically evil. All of my friends when I was growing up were straight laced. It was only when I entered the seminary that I had to deal with demonic liberals, who tried all in their power to not get me ordained a priest. But God’s will was done, and I have been a priest now for over 35 years. I have never regretted it. Year after year I have seen how communism and atheism have wrecked havok with God’s holy Church, and how terrible the liberals treat conservatives and traditionalists . May St. Michael continue to protect the Catholic Church from the satanic forces which desire her destruction.
Help me out fellow Catholics. Where in the faith is there anything attached to Immigration reform that would send souls to Hell ? Abortion, Sodomy, Embryonic Stem Cell research and so on will send souls to Hell eternally. We hear nothing about the intrinsic evils from the pulpit but we hear about immigration reform.
Matthew 25:41-46
Jesus and the Holy Family did not break laws.
There is a hugh difference between LEGAL and ILLEGAL immigration.
Legal immigrants are our guests. Illegal immigrants purposely break our just laws.
(Based upon debts of the US Government and State Government, and the high unemployment rate which totals over 13% for US citizens, and the fact that 1 our of 7 citizens in the USA is on food stamps, the USA is no longer a prosperous nation.)
CCC: ” 2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption.
Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”
(OBEYING its LAWS include immigration laws.)
Paula … Didn’t Mary, Joseph and the 3 kings engage in a conspiracy to hide baby Jesus from Harrod who had a legal right to find him?
C & H, the Church tells us that we can never obey laws which promote intrinsic evils. I find your question troubling to put it mildly.
Yes, Anonymous, those of us who can afford it should donate to those foreign Diocese who are in need,
as well as donate to those in our own Country who are in need.
Mt 25:41-46 has nothing to do with ILLEGAL immigration, but helping those who are in need.
Taking someone in and clothing and feeding them is a far cry from aiding them in breaking the law, Anonymous. So, yes, take in those in need and help them get on the right track. Do not help illegal immigrants take precedence over those who are rightfully following the law and practicing the virtues of humility, patience, and fortitude in their quest to become United States Citizens.
Anonymous, the Holy Family were political refugees in Egypt. They were escaping a death sentence which had been placed on the head of Jesus by King Herod. We have no basis for believing that they ever insisted on being treated as Egyptian citizens. Furthermore, we are told that they promptly returned to their homeland as soon as the risk persecution had passed.
How, in your reasoning, can you equate the story of the Holy Family with the stories of the millions of illegal foreign occupiers currently living, working, and buying property, etc. in our country? As far as I know, political asylums currently living in our country are here with approval and therefore have not broken our immigration laws. This latter group of individuals would be more analogous with the Holy Family in my opinion.
How did those prayers for rain work out?
As regards the ‘Immigration’ debate, as a child of immigrants (Legal Ones) I both sympathize with those wanting to come here – and object to the Abuse of the system (supposed to be fair) allowing Diverse Immigrants from all over the world…
Being trashed by ‘Line Jumpers’ who want to push the others out of the way and take first place themselves, regardless of Merit.
We – in America (at least until recent acts of the Abomination trashed it) have a System… Not Perfect, tut functional = as opposed to Mexico, which instead of severely needed reforms of the endemic corruption that pervades their system – find a ‘safety valve’ in sending the most desperate over the border.
Although notorious for ill treatment of other immigrants (like the poor from central american nations) the demands of the ‘Re-Conquesta of Atzlan’ (Retaking of the US Southwest by Racist of “La Raza”) threaten the System that makes the trip worthwhile.
Instead of turning parts of the US in to a lawless Narco=Terrorist State – promoting growth (& clean water, food, shelter…) in other parts of the world would do more good than all the ‘amnesty’ programs combined – but providing people at home the stability they move in search of – and often destroy in the process.