The following comes from an April 17 story on Palo Alto Online. With Catholic Charities facing allegations of discrimination from gay-rights advocates in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., Palo Alto officials found themselves debating on Tuesday night whether the organization’s local chapter should continue to draw grant funding from the city. On Tuesday night, April 16, the City Council’s Finance Committee decided that it should, despite an impassioned argument from a member of the city’s Human Relations Commission. If the council approves the committee’s decision in May, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County will receive a $5,000 grant to provide ombudsman services to seniors at local assisted-living facilities. The debate over religion and discrimination injected some controversy into what is usually a dry and straight-forward process to allocate more than $500,000 as part of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, focuses on programs that deliver housing, counseling and other social services to residents, particularly those of low and moderate income. As part of a staff proposal that the Finance Committee approved Tuesday night, Catholic Charities would receive $5,000, the bare minimum under the CBDG process and far less than most of the other agencies set to receive funding under the current two-year cycle. The Downtown Streets Team Inc., a nonprofit that offers jobs and training to the homeless, is set to receive $248,753, far more than any other organization, while InnVision Shelter Network, which runs the Opportunity Center, would receive $76,662. But the smallest grant stirred Human Relations Commissioner Claude Ezran to call for the city to stop funding Catholic Charities, citing the parent organization’s controversial practices elsewhere in the country. He cited the decisions of the organization’s Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts chapters not to offer adoption services to same-sex couples and the 2011 lawsuit filed against Catholic Charities by the ACLU and the State of Illinois, which accused the organization of discriminating against gay couples. Ezran, who was one of two Human Relations Commission members to recommend cutting funding for the local chapter, said he based his recommendation of his view of the organization as one that “discriminates against gays, lesbians and unmarried heterosexual couples.” |
Gay activist do not care about caring for many even those with faith based organizations…it’s all about making everyone bow down to their sinful choices. I have been telling everyone that we need to make these faith based organizations a protected one because when you don’t..you will have homosexuals and other immoral lifestyles impose their values on others. PEOPLE THERE IS no protection for Christians…they can be discriminated against.
The underlying message is that the Church will perform corporal works of mercy, but only if they are paid to do so out of the public coffers.
Dave N, good point. In other words, if catholics want to be charitable, maybe they ought to open their own pocket books instead of those of the taxpayers.
Then open YOUR wallet dude! Works cost money!!
Mr.Ezran is certifiable. Many have stopped giving to Catholic charities because they were found to be giving moneys to homosexual organizations. Could someone tell this person that Catholics are protected by the First Amendment? This isn’t nazi Germany…yet.
Those who say the Church should fund this alone are obviously ignorant of the fact that the Catholic Church does more and spends more to aid the poor than all the governmental agencies in the country, including the federal government and all the states and their agencies, combined.
Data, please?
This whole Gay and Lesbian protest is a sham, I think. Catholic Charities has been providing several thousands, one might even say millions, of collection plate dollars to community organizing agencies such as PICO, Gamaliel, JustFaith, and many of their local branch cells. These groups promote the Gay agenda as well as the abortion agenda. What the Gays want, apparently, is an open pronouncement of support for the LGBT lifestyle, not a covert support.
Catholic Charities is neither “Catholic” nor “Charity.” What I don’t like, though, is the fact that these militant gays are now coming off the wall against (so-called) Christian charities. It is a private, religious organization. It is nobody’s damn business if they wish to openly support gay agencies or not. These people are truly possessed…by abnormal sex…sex…sex…
N Martinez: The point here is that much of the money that Catholic Charities uses comes from government, not from Catholics. If Catholics want to be the sole donors to Catholic Charities, I’m pretty sure no one would interfere in whatever anti-gay policies they want to impose. But to the extent that they use government dollars to deliver services, the government can and should provide strings such that no citizen is unfairly denied access to those services.
Catholic Charities has been on the government take for years and are supporting organizations and entities whose stated purposes often conflict with church teaching. I ceased donating to CC when our local chapter sent a delegation to Washington for a photo-op with Obama soon after his first election. CC has no-one to blame but themselves. Whose bread you eat, whose song you sing. They lost their independence the moment they became a distribution arm for federal welfare programs. If you sleep with dogs you will wake up with fleas. Enjoy your gay company, you should have known it was coming. Gays are now a protected class of citizens and therefore untouchable.
Well said. A person is only as good as the company he keeps. Bottom line with the Church: As long as you give money to the poor, then all sins are forgiven. I never learned that in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Catholic Charities is off the rail; has been for a long time. I do not feel sorry for them one bit. Once a religious organization “partners” with a government entity, it ceases to be “religious.” It is now a ward of the state, and Lord knows we have enough of those running around. No sympathy here…
When one takes money from the government, one plays by the government’s rules.
No “Catholic” charity should be partners with any State or Federal Government.
All “Catholic” charities must evangelize the Faith, otherwise they are nothing more than a social services agency.
I hadn’t heard that Mother Teresa used those tactics, though I have seen it employed at places calling themselves names such as Rescue Mission, where the homeless and hungry must attend services and proclaim the faith before they are fed or housed. I don’t remember reading in the Bible that Jesus first demanded fealty and then saw to it that the hungry were fed. When I give to a beggar, I don’t first ask for his biography, belief system, or social batting average before I decide whether he is worthy to sup at my pleasure.
Please read the Motu Proprio that went into effect on Dec. 10, 2012. It can be found on the Vatican web site.
“Apostolic Letter Issued Motu Proprio of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI – ‘ON THE SERVICE OF CHARITY’ .”
If the Diocese Bishop is obedient, it insures that Catholic donation money will not be used for any purposes which conflict with Church teaching.
In addition the Church teaching of “SUBSIDIARITY” requires:
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.”
(Also see – CCC: 1885, 1883, 2209)
Jesus requires that we each help those truly in need. He never taught that any governments can satisfy this obligation on our behalf.
“On the SERVICE of CHARITY” –
“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. ”
and
“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.”
and
“ARTICLE 11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name “Catholic” and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge.”
Partnering with the Devil never ends well.
Speaking of being charitable in the USA….fine but when our current government is giving away free benefits to people who do not pay taxes really is upsetting to all who work hard and who do not quality for any benefits…we pay for everything while many are milking our system….
today I read from Natural News: (NaturalNews) Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal the Obama administration is actively marketing the federal food stamp program (SNAP) to illegal immigrants. A Spanish-language flyer obtainer by Judicial Watch says, “You need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit for your children.”
Abaca, this is not the doing of only the Obama administration. It is the law of the land. It is against the law to ask about immigration status for various benefits. If people are hungry, did Jesus tell us to ask about immigration status before people could eat of the loaves and fishes? Those who have much are expected to share much. The bible and Catholic teaching tells us to care for the poor, the sick, the homeless, etc. This is not a political thing, but the teachings of Christ.
Bob One, please do not cloak your liberalism in the teachings of Christ, we have broken welfare systems and immigration system of the good intentions of liberals while the rest of us are trying to survive you keep asking for more,,,secure the borders and smash the welfare state
Bob One I understand your care for the hungry…but I don’t think you understand the real issues that are affecting us or are aware. Why does our country advertise outside of the USA as well? That costs money too. It’s more than what you just expressed.
We have many USA citizens who are struggling just to make it, and send their kids to college while others are getting it for free. Foreiners have their kids attending our Universities for almost for free. While many can’t afford it and our nationals are poorly educated and do not progress. Notice that it is the the foreigners who are owning more companies, are higher up in the pay salary while many of our nationals are just having to work for them instead of living the USA American dream. Even the Bombers, I have heard that they were getting free benefits from us. They are fairly new to this country. It’s not fair nor right.
I already know of a few high school graduates, Caucasian, who given up and are not going to college because they can’t afford it. Even with student loans, it still isn’t enough to cover other costs and their parents can’t afford to help them either.
Also my son scheduled to take the SAT test. It costs around $50.00 to take it. Our family had a couple of garage sales to come up with the money to pay for that and for the book that helps them study for it, we couldn’t afford to take the prep classes so the book will have to to do. My son’s friend who lives well, said that he didn’t have to pay for the test nor for the book, it was free for him. We couldn’t believe it. How did he get it for free…I don’t know what people do to get free benefits while many of us find ways to pay for them but many of them we know that they are not poor and I don’t understand how they get so many free rides. Not that I care but it sure bothers us and makes us question how things are run with those programs. Do they want to destroy the hard working Americans? It feels that way, I have felt a lot of injustice, I feel it more because we are raising a family the honest way. Praise God for that. I prefer to stay honest so to me it is hard to understand how some people are just good at fooling the system.
Bob one why do you dodge my concerns? Are you insensitive that people like me feel the injustice while we watch better off folks in California suck our system at our expense. My husband works hard, he gets home beat up and tired so he can provide for us. You are very insensitive, the moment I make comments like the one from April 28, 2013 at 12:16 am, you reply but when I try to explain the reality that we are facing, you seem to ignore it.
How hypocritical. How can anyone deny what I am saying, I am a mum and we have an honest family who struggle too…how can anyone ignore our cry to improve this unjust system.
Just a few weeks ago, as we were providing for the homeless some donations, there was a veteran who was homeless. He has been trying to get on section 8 for many years now and tried to get some mental health support too and explained to us all the obstacles he is having to endure and how he is not getting the help he needs. I cried because little does he know that we have met families who are no where near to poverty and who are some how bragging to others how easy it was for them to get free benefits from government help. I recall one even saying “oh I won’t get a full time job because I’ll lose my government help.” While there is a homeless veteran who truly really needs the help. and some here find it OK to advertise out of this country, on how we can help them for free, while we have our own veterans, some homeless and needing mental health benefits. Give me a break! These cases are endless folks…how insensitive it is for anyone to deny these concerns with a rebuttal to insult our true intentions. This is truly sick to me!
Food stamps help starving children in the United States Of America. What a horrible thing for our Kenyon born President to allow to take place. Those darn illegal kids should know better! U.S. born kids can’t get this stuff if they are starving? That darn Presdent of ours from Kenya needs to be impeached for this. ” ALL FOR ONE AND NONE FOR ALL “. That’s the American way?
Each diocese has an organization that is essentially responsible for the social justice arena. Generally it is called Catholic Charities. It operates under the direction of the Bishop. Each is different, although there is a national coordinating element to provide leverage and training. I have been involved with CC for years. I know of no effective organization that can operate on the donations from the Catholic pew. The truth is, Catholics don’t give much. Much of the work of CC is carried out through grants from foundations and local, state and federal governments. Most people don’t know about the work of CC in their area. In ours for example, much work is directed at helping immigrants become citizens. That means teachers capable of teaching English as a second language and lawyers who can help with immigrant issues, housing experts to find places for new immigrants to live, social workers who can help people learn how to live in a new society, search for jobs and manage monthly finances. Local Catholics most often don’t give the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to provide those services. Then, there is the need for services for senior who can’t afford their apartment or good food. It cost a lot of money to provide those kind of services. Think, for example of the social workers with master’s degrees. They need to be paid a livable wage, the accountant with a CPA that needs a livable wage. My point is the CC is a series of services that far exceed what people give in the annual collection. It is true, however, that when you accept money from other groups, you have to play by their rules. It would be wonderful if CC was financed by local Catholics, but that means finding a way to raise millions of dollars each year from the pew. How many people in the pew are going to write a check for a couple of thousand dollars each year? Until that happens CC is forced to rely on foundations and government grants or get out of the business. And that would be against Catholic social teachings.
” They need to be paid a livable wage, the accountant with a CPA that needs a livable wage. SO Bob One should the government be now setting wages so your liberal conscience is appeased. I have much better idea, how about the drastic reduction in the size of government, the slashing of the insatiable government appetite for taxes, a system that consumes but does not produce. And yet is always, always asking more from the tax payer,,, there is no government like no government
Canisius, I have no disagreement with you on the notion that we should have a smaller and less intrusive government. That is devoutely to be wished. (By the way, the government does set minimum wages) I simply stated that people who work for the church should make a livable wage. Because they work for the church doesn’t mean they should live in poverty. On the other hand, human nature requires that there be some kind of governance. If nothing else, who would build the roads, the water systems, the sewers? Who would run the parks? Who would set minimum building requirements. We need government, just not too much of it. Anarchy isn’t all that great either, I am sure you would agree.
So, Bob One, you advocate increasing Church bureaucracy, and raising the pay. You apparently are paralleling the gluttony moment being experienced by clergy who eat 54 donuts per day, the equivalent caloric intake needed by ten starving people. What do you call this religion, Bob One?
Here is what our Pope said today: Today in the world this slavery is being committed against something beautiful that God has given us — the capacity to create, to work, to have dignity. How many brothers and sisters find themselves in this situation!” he said.
“Not paying fairly, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking at how to make a profit. That goes against God!” he was quoted as saying.
“There are many people who want to work but cannot. When a society is organised in a way that not everyone is given the chance to work, that society is not just,” he said.
Yes Bob One unfortunately the government setting minimum wage has caused more employers not to hire…
Bob One – Where are you getting your “Church teaching” from?
LEGAL adult immigrants usually have green card jobs or US sponsors.
ILLEGAL immigrants are breaking the LAW which – violates Church teaching.
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.”
Church teaching does not state ILLEGALS are to create civic burdens.
In addition with $16, 838, 408, 936, 237.00 in national debt, the USA is no longer a PROSPEROUS nation.
On the contrary, the USA is the most prosperous nation ever. It both creates its own money from thin air (cyber space) and takes it from China. Whoa be to China if it ever tries to get that money back. Also, btw, how does China which pays workers $0.00000001 per month ever come up with all that money to lend the USA? Anyone wonder if it creates it from cyber space also?
The self reliant individual is the enemy of liberals and government
The self reliant need to be smarter, faster, and stronger than the govt.
Catholic charities should never partner with any government, unless they want to actively participate in all the government’s rules.
Governments many times require that Church teachings must be violated.
Thanks OSCAR for your posts on the REQUIRED (not voluntary):
– – – “ON the SERVICE of CHARITY” – which can be found on the Vatican web site.
Copies of this should be provided to all Diocese and Parish staff, and to the USCCB and Bishops’ California Catholic Conference, and the LCWR, and NETWORK.
Each Catholic Diocese should concentrate on getting more Vocations to minister to Catholics in need to Save Souls.
Also see the Catechism of the Catholic Church on :Subsidiarity”.