The following comes from a July 23 story by Randy Engel on the Renew America website.
It’s time the American bishops applied the “three strikes and you’re out” rule to Catholic Relief Services, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ international relief program, which has become a laundering mechanism for millions of Catholic parish donations and tax-dollars into the coffers of the international population control establishment.
In January 2010, the U.S. Coalition for Life, which I direct, issued its first warning shot regarding the new “partnership” between Catholic Relief and the billion dollar anti-life Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
According to the Catholic Relief official website (www.crs.org), the Gates Foundation is “guided by the belief that every life has equal value.” Catholic Relief praises the foundation’s work “to help all people lead healthy, productive lives,” and “to ensure that all people… have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. …”
In exchange for perpetuating this glorious deception and maintaining a silence on the Gates/Buffett world-wide killing machine, Catholic Relief has received in excess of $40 million from Gates/Buffet for global and agricultural development and financial services for the poor from 2003 to 2009.
When Most Rev. Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, chairman of the board of directors of Catholic Relief, and Thomas Price, Catholic Relief senior communications manager were asked, “Why Catholic Relief Services is in a partnership with two of the world’s greatest promoters of abortion and population control?” no answer was forthcoming from Dolan, but Price sent the following response to our Coalition for Life.
Thank you for your letter of concern on the Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. As an official agency of the Catholic Church, Catholic Relief Services strictly adheres to the teaching of the Catholic Church and the policies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Our first Guiding Principle states that “all human life is sacred and possesses a dignity that comes directly from our creation and not from any action of our own,…” The Catholic Church often participates in humanitarian initiatives that include a large range of partners – and we do not always agree with everything they stand for. However, the work that is undertaken directly with any of our partners always strictly adheres to Church teaching. We do not provide or promote artificial birth control and would never accept funding from any donor that would compromise the agency’s adherence to Catholic teaching. …”
Sincerely, Tom Price
On July 10, 2013, LifeSiteNews released information on Catholic Relief Services current affair with the pro-abortion international “relief”agency CARE. According to LifeSiteNews:
As the U.S. Bishops’ development agency [Catholic Relief Services] was taking heat last summer for handing out over $5 million to the abortion-supporting group CARE, they were in the midst of giving a total of $13.8 million in grants to the same pro-abortion group during 2012, according to its recently- published IRS filings.
And how do we [and Catholic Relief officials] know that CARE is anti-life?
Well, if we go to the official website of the pro-abort Population Action International (formerly the Population Crisis Committee) we can see that CARE is listed as a member of PAI’s International Family Planning Coalition ” along with Catholics for Choice, Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America, etc. etc. etc.
On July 19, 2013, I received a follow-up mailing from LifeSiteNews titled “‘Heads should roll – Pro-life leaders react to U.S. Bishops agency’s funding of abortion giant PSI,” by Patrick Craine.
As reported by Craine, “Catholic Relief Services is distributing a two-year $2.7 million grant to Population Services International (PSI), which networks and trains local providers throughout the developing world to offer ‘safe abortion.'” Most Americans would not know the PSI from the KKK, but I remember it very well.
In 1977, this writer testified for the U.S. Coalition for Life before the Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House of representatives in Washington, D.C. in opposition to all tax-funded foreign population control programs of the Agency for International Development (USAID) under Title X of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as amended in 1968. Among those anti-life agencies singled out for special attention was the PSI.
Population Services International was created in 1970 at one of USAID’s population control centers, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as “a non-profit family planning firm specializing in the application of business techniques to solve social problems,” in this case, the war against the proliferation of people.
The masterminds behind PSI were Timothy Black of England and Philip Harvey, formerly with CARE. Now isn’t that a coincidence! Dr. Black believed in the non-medical, hard sell, Madison Avenue approach to population control including contraception, surgical abortion, abortifacients, and sterilization.
The PSI got its first federal grant of $100,000 from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare/Office of Economic Opportunity for the purpose of setting up a condom-stamp program for teenage boys using OEO government mailing lists to mail the coupons to the young boys. After the condom-stamp program was suspended by government officials, Black and Harvey went over to USAID where they began to pick up multi-million contracts for population control projects abroad. Thanks to the American tax-payer, PSI soon had an international network of PSI affiliates around the world and PSI moved its headquarters to New York City.
Among the most infamous board of directors of PSI was abortionist Malcolm Potts, a long time associate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and a director of the International Pregnancy Advisory Services, which was created by with tax-funds for the purpose of designing and distributing all forms of surgical fertility control equipment including sterilization clips and mini-abortion kits.
In March, 1977, PSI drew public fire from Australia’s pro-life Senator Brian Harradine from Tasmania, when the PSI/Australia announced that it was going to set up an abortion clinic in the Australian Capital Territory. As Harradine noted in his press statement, while PSI is a “non-profit” organization and therefore does not pay income tax or a dividend, those individuals associated with PSI “do not appear to be financially disadvantaged,” and he provided financial records from PSI abortion clinics performing first and second trimester abortions to make his point. One of the abortion methods employed by PSI/Australia aboritoriums in 1977 was called exsanguination which involved the rupture of the amniotic sac and the cutting of the umbilical cord causing the preborn child to bleed to death. After a 12-hour waiting period, the baby was dismembered via a D&C. The method of exsanguination had been perfected by PSI/Bangladesh in 1975.
There is no great mystery why Catholic Relief Services is “partnering” with population control leaders and organizations around the world. The answer is $$$$, millions of dollars of it. More than half of Catholic Relief’s annual budget comes from federal agencies including USAID. In the movie Forest Gump, the lead character uses the phrase, “stupid is as stupid does” meaning that actions are more important than mere words. If a man does a stupid thing, however intelligent he may be, he is being stupid. And I say to any bishop, who continues to promote Catholic Relief, and to any Catholic who puts one bloody cent into Catholic Relief’s national campaign scheduled for next March 1214, you are very, very stupid indeed, to say nothing of being highly immoral.
To read the original story, click here.
Tom Price is as honest as the devil. He claims they never accept money from abortion organizations, but he certainly accepts their name, and that brings in the bacon. So Price is a flat out deceiver, much worse than a liar.
The USCCB and other Bishops’ organizations (including international organizations) no longer have any power regarding Charity work for the Catholic Church. (See posted info immediately following this post.)
On Nov 11, 2012, the following went into effect and can be found on the Vatican web site: “APOSTOLIC LETTER issued ‘MOTU PROPRIO’ of the SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI – ON THE SERVICE OF CHARITY”.
https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20121111_caritas_en.html
If anyone knows of any violations of this legislation, they are to contact the “Pontifical Council Core Unum” at – corunum@corunum.va – as stated within the legislation.
The following quotes are included in the Legislation – “On the Service of Charity”.
Go to the Vatican web site to see complete legislative document.
“….there is a need to ensure that they are managed in conformity with the
demands of the Church’s teaching….”
“…. In carrying out their charitable activity, therefore, the various
Catholic organizations should not limit themselves merely to collecting and
distributing funds,
but should show special concern for individuals in need and exercise a valuable educational function within the Christian community,
helping people to appreciate the importance of sharing, respect and love in
the spirit of the Gospel of Christ.
The Church’s charitable activity at all levels must avoid the risk of
becoming just another form of organized social assistance .”
Article 1 – ” § 3. In addition to observing the canonical legislation, the
collective charitable initiatives to which this Motu Proprio refers are
required to follow Catholic principles in their activity and they may not
accept commitments which could in any way affect the observance of those
principles.”
Article 9 – ” § 3. It is the duty of the diocesan Bishop and the respective
parish priests to see that in this area the faithful are not led into error
or misunderstanding;
hence they are to prevent publicity being given through parish or diocesan
structures to initiatives which, while presenting themselves as charitable,
propose choices or methods at odds with the Church’s teaching. ”
Article 10 – ” § 3. In particular, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that
charitable agencies dependent upon him DO NOT RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to Church’s teaching.
Similarly, lest scandal be given to the faithful, the diocesan Bishop is to
ensure that these charitable agencies do NOT ACCEPT CONTRIBUTIONS for
initiatives whose ends, or the means used to pursue them, are not in
conformity with the Church’s teaching. “
Per an article in “Catholic Culture” called:
“Amid fall in support, government grants exceed private donations to Catholic Relief Services” : News Headline – – –
” Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the international relief and development
agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, received
$350 million more in revenue from the US government and other public
funding sources than from private sources during its 2011-12 fiscal
year, according to its new annual report. ”
Since when is the US Government (and other public funding sources) initiatives in conformance with Church teaching ? ? ? ? ?
“On the Service of Charity” Motu Proprio – is very clear. “Article 10 – ” § 3. In particular, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that charitable agencies dependent upon him DO NOT RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to Church’s teaching.
Similarly, lest scandal be given to the faithful, the diocesan Bishop is to
ensure that these charitable agencies do NOT ACCEPT CONTRIBUTIONS for
initiatives whose ends, or the means used to pursue them, are not in
conformity with the Church’s teaching. “
Is it any wonder why many US Bishops do not care about Sacrilege, Scandal, Heresy, Schism and relativism by “Catholic” politicians?
They might kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
As always, follow the money. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
It is very sad when big business, power, and money is more important than Saving Souls for eternity.
US Bishops rarely take on the tasks of correcting SCANDAL – or heresy, schism, sacrilege and relativism.
On two recent occasions I expressed concerns similar to the ones expressed in this article to representatives of CRS. To my dismay CRS was arrogant and condescending both times. One rep went so far as to insult by accusing me of being “jaded.” I no longer donate to CRS and cannot imagine donating to CRS ever again.
Paul Joseph, as you can tell from other postings, it does not matter if Catholics donate to the CRS – since most of their funding comes from the US Government and other secular sources. So ‘Catholic Relief Services’ does the bidding of the US Government and those other sources. He who has the gold rules.
Catholics who pay attention, only give to those charities that do not violate Church teaching and regulations. To get most of your dollars directly to those in need, skip the bureaucracy (USCCB, etc.) and give directly to the specific charity.
I hope that those who have proof of wrongdoing or violations of “On the Service of Charity” Motu Proprio, will use the contact info posted by MIKE to report CRS or CCHD etc., when necessary.
Let’s get back to being the Church of Christ, not the Church of the US Government with a little bit of God here and there.
Any recommendations on “charities that do not violate Church teaching and regulations” would be much appreciated.
Paul check out your local St. Vincent de Paul.
When there is a disaster, you can send money directly to the Catholic Diocese in that Country.
EWTN has legitimate charities on some of their programming that needs help.
Donating money to appropriate web sites, ChurchMilitantTV, EWTN can help with evangelizing.
——–
We can give money, food, clothing, household goods to people in need through various charities.
We can’t take it with us. If we don’t need something – give it away to someone who can make use of it.
Clean out the house – including the garage, basement, storage areas etc.
Americans have too much stuff.
Thank you, Pete. Donating to St. Vincent De Paul is an excellent recommendation.
It sounds to me that The Vatican is doing the same as the Knights of Columbus. That is they pass Moto Propio’s but don’t enforce them. The Knights will soon meet in San Antonio, Texas where they will once again pass a pro-life, pro-family Resolution that will never be enforced.
May God have mercy on His Church and our Country.
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
TALK ABOUT THE DEVIL’S WORK!!!
CWN – July 29, 2013
The Catholic cathedral of Santiago, Chile, was vandalized on July 25 by pro-abortion activists, the Catholic News Agency reports.
At the conclusion of a pro-abortion demonstration, a band of activists stormed into the cathedral, where Mass was being celebrated. They scrawled blasphemous messages on side altars and damaged confessionals, but were stopped by members of the congregation as they approached the main altar to disrupt the Mass.
Gates believes that all human lives have “equal value?” Equal to what? Equal to whom, himself? Equal to the dog or cat next door? Equal value as human resources for the workforce?
Carolyn Woo, CEO of CRS and the woman who is responsible for a lot of this mess, is appearing at the Napa Institute this coming Friday (August 2)! The theme is “Building a Catholic Culture.” Perhaps her topic should be: “How to Destroy Catholic Culture.”
Maybe someone from the Diocese of Santa Rosa could place a phone call to the bishop’s office protesting her appearance? Oh but wait, the bishop will be busy at the plush Napa Institute as well. Too bad.
One question: Are there any Catholics in church leadership anymore?
Scubby,
Answer: NOT MANY!
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
You may be interested in a quote by Cardinal George of Chicago responding to an open letter chiding him for denying CCHD funds to an immigrant rights group who came out in support of gay marriage. He said, among other things, that those who signed the open letter “proclaimed their adherence to the Catholic faith even as they cynically called upon others to reject the Church’s bishops. The Church is no one’s private club; she is the Body of Christ who tells us he is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Because the signers of the letters are Catholic, they know that in a few years, like each of us, they will stand before this same Christ to give an account of their stewardship. Jesus is merciful, but he is not stupid, he knows the difference between right and wrong…”
This outfit dates from the immediate post-war period when Europe lay in ruins and its people were literally perishing from starvation. CRS served to alleviate much suffering during those days. Unfortunately, like many organizations of its kind, instead of being “sun-setted” when it should have been, it grew into a world-wide behemoth and acquired eternal life. CRS now derives a greater portion of its operating budget from the federal government than from private donations. It has become simply another distribution conduit for tax monies, extorted from you and me, to be sent overseas and used for purposes not necessarily in conformity with Catholic moral precepts. I have long refused to support CRS and routinely send the envelope I receive from our parish to my paper shredder.
Fighting malaria is the devil’s work?
“… Our first Guiding Principle states that “all human life is sacred and possesses a dignity that comes directly from our creation …”
From our creation?
Really?
I thought it was our creator.
Another professional pro-lifer who attacks the Catholic Church. Throw a stick. You’ll hit one.
Organizations such as US Coalition for Life are the reason we stopped giving to all pro-life orgs (with the one exception of Priests for Life.) It is called a coalition. A coalition is a arrangement of organizations or individuals united for a cause. On the website, not only does it not list any organizations or individuals that make up the coalition but it tells nothing about anyone involved. Is it just one person or more? It appears to not be a charitable organization so there is no way to find out how much money it takes in from donations or how the money is used. The address on the website is a Box number. The address online is the same as a United Church of Christ in Pennsylvania. It is not linked on any of the Pennsylvania Pro-life organizations. Based on the story above, one would have to assume that this is part of how Randy Engel funds her writing. There are too many pro-life organizations that seem to have its main purpose as providing an income for those who start it.