WASHINGTON, D.C., December 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two more bishops chose not to contribute to the national collection of the U.S. Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development over the organization’s funding of groups advocating activities such as abortion and same-sex “marriage”, LifeSiteNews has confirmed.
(If your diocese did not hold the CCHD national collection this year, let us know here.)
Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who chose last year to hold the funds for initiatives within the diocese, said he was again concerned that the problems at the CCHD had not been resolved, despite the recent promises of renewal, said Msgr. Patrick Brankin.
Msgr. Brankin told LifeSiteNews that Bishop Slattery will take an approach similar to Bishop Salvatore Matano of Burlington, Vermont. “The monies collected for the CCHD campaign will be kept in the diocese, a committee will be set up to oversee their distribution and, of course, to verify the worthwhileness of any applicants,” he said.
Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Alabama for the third year in a row held a collection for the Church in Latin America on November 20-21, the weekend normally designated to the national CCHD collection.
The two bishops join ten others confirmed by LifeSiteNews.com last week, including two who had discontinued the collection for the first time.
The bishops’ decisions come as the organization, which serves as the U.S. bishops’ domestic social justice arm, has embarked on a wide-ranging renewal, in which they have committed to strengthen their Catholic identity and funding protocols.
The renewal was launched in response to a groundswell of criticism from clergy and lay Catholics after several well-documented reports came out last fall showing numerous CCHD grantees were promoting abortion, homosexuality, contraception, and other questionable activities.
The nationwide collection for CCHD takes place annually the Sunday before Thanksgiving, though some dioceses do it at other times. Traditionally, dioceses keep 25% of the funds to distribute locally, and send 75% to the national pot. The local bishop vets the grants – both local and national – distributed in his diocese, but has no say in how the national funds are distributed outside his diocese.
A large number of bishops, on top of the (at least) twelve who have ceased contributing to the national pot, have openly criticized the organization’s mishandling of Catholic funds, but for now are allowing CCHD the opportunity to prove itself in the promised renewal.
U.S. bishops not contributing to CCHD’s national collection:
1. Bishop Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA)
2. Bishop Robert Baker (Birmingham, AL)
3. Bishop John Barres (Allentown, PA)
4. Bishop Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA)
5. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE)
6. Bishop Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL)
7. Bishop James Johnston (Springfield, MO)
8. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano (Burlington, VT)
9. Bishop Joseph McFadden (Harrisburg, PA)
10. Bishop Robert Morlino (Madison, WI)
11. Bishop Edward Slattery (Tulsa, OK)
12. Bishop Robert Vasa (Baker, OR)