(Lepanto Institute) — Ever since the continued existence of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) was called into question this past April when its executive director, Ralph McCloud, unexpectedly stepped down, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals have run to the CCHD’s defense. The bishops of the United States (USCCB) met in Kentucky in June to discuss the CCHD’s future, and the bishops who have publicly defended the CCHD were responsible for some of the CCHD’s most egregious violations of Catholic moral and social teaching.
On June 12, before the USCCB met in Kentucky, Archbishop Thomas Wenski wrote an op-ed for Our Sunday Visitor, defending the CCHD claiming that “there have been escalating, often unfounded, attacks on the nature and character of CCHD.” He further wrote:
The work of CCHD flows from the central tenets of Catholic teaching. It is not adjacent to that teaching. It is a deep and powerful expression of our core values.
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On June 14, 2024, Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter – a heretical publication condemned by two bishops – wrote about his observations of the meeting of bishops. Winters reported:
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark gave a powerful endorsement of the work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
On June 14, NCReporter writer Brian Fraga quoted Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, who called it a “pleasant surprise” that the CCHD received supporting comments from other bishops. He wrote:
‘There were many very supportive comments made in favor of retaining CCHD. It was a pleasant surprise,’ said Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky. Stowe is a member of the bishops’ subcommittee for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
On July 3, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said the cuts to the USCCB’s programs like the CCHD “undermines” the mission of the Church in Her service to the poor. He wrote:
The recent announcement of major layoffs at the department of the U.S. bishops dedicated to the social witness of the Church undermines that mission… I believe the USCCB is quietly taking extraordinary actions that curtail our sacred social mission.
On July 8, Archbishop Christopher Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut, (formerly of Burlington, Vermont) expressed his disappointment that the staff in the USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development (which oversees the CCHD) was cut. He said:
‘I am very disappointed… We were led to believe that it would continue to be a vibrant part of the conference,’ Coyne told the National Catholic Reporter on June 29. ‘At no point was any discussion made or talked about in terms of significant employee cuts… It comes across as being somewhat duplicitous in terms of what was actually discussed with us as bishops and what actually happened.’
On July 10, Winters provided remarks from several bishops who defended the CCHD. Archbishop George Thomas of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas told Winters in an email:
The cutbacks at USCCB caught me off guard. The discussion and debate in Louisville concerning CCHD indicated significant support for the Church’s social ministry. Therefore, I was surprised and disappointed by the lack of meaningful process leading up to these changes.
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For the same article, Winters spoke with Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis, who said:
Since the staff cuts at Justice and Peace were announced, I have heard concerns from lay Catholics on the commitment of the bishops to the social ministry of the Church. It is concerning to me that, in light of the discussion on the CCHD, these planned staff cuts were not even mentioned at our meeting in Louisville.
While each of these prelates of the Catholic Church are rushing to the defense of the CCHD – Abp. Wenski even went so far as to dismiss concerns with CCHD grants, calling them “unfounded” – the sad truth is that each of them are responsible for grants that went to organizations that not only go against CCHD grant guidelines, but directly attack Catholic moral and social teaching.
Beginning with Wenski, we’ll address grantees for whom they are personally responsible that should never have received CCHD grants to begin with. One thing which must be made abundantly clear about these grants is that the CCHD has consistently made sure that critics are aware that all of the bishops sign off on the grants to each organization before any money is approved or disbursed. In this regard, the CCHD’s FAQ page says:
The CCHD national grants process is a partnership between (arch)dioceses and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All initiatives supported with CCHD funding complete a thorough application process that includes a pre-application, full application, site visits, and other requirements, with involvement on both the national and diocesan levels. Funds from the national office cannot be awarded without the specific endorsement of the local bishop and the national subcommittee of bishops. [Emphasis added]
Furthermore, because this will be an important reference regarding the grantees profiled below, the CCHD has an important guideline to which all grantees must adhere. The CCHD says:
CCHD will not fund groups that are knowingly members of coalitions that have as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda, positions or actions that contradict fundamental Catholic moral and social teaching.
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For the sake of brevity, we’re going to focus on CCHD-funded organizations from the last two published grants lists, which are from 2021-2022 and 2020-2021.
Abp. Thomas Wenski is the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, Florida. For the past two CCHD grants cycles, Wenski signed off on $35,000 grants to WeCount! for a total of $70,000, and granted $25,000 to Faith in Florida – Miami for the 2020-2021 CCHD grants cycle. Please click the embedded links to the reports for each to see the details, but here is a summary of the problems with WeCount! and Faith in Florida:
WeCount!
In violation of the CCHD guideline in coalition memberships, WeCount! is a known, dues-paying member in at least five coalitions that are actively working to promote abortion, LGBT ideologies, and Marxism.
- Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC)
WeCount! isn’t just a dues-paying member of FLIC, it is also on the board of directors.
FLIC openly equivocates abortion rights with immigrant rights, opposes the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and promotes LGBT “pride.”
- National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
WeCount! is a dues-paying member of NDLON which openly promotes of abortion and LGBT ideologies.
- Hispanic Federation
WeCount! is a member of the Hispanic Federation, which actively promotes abortion as a “right” and puts on an annual homo-pornographic festival called FuerzaFest.
- National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
WeCount! is a dues-paying member of NDWA, which actively works to promote abortion and fight against pro-life legislation.
- Alianza Americas
WeCount! is a dues-paying member of Alianza Americas, which openly promotes abortion and fights pro-life legislation.
Faith in Florida – Miami
Faith in Florida-Miami is located at the same address as the headquarters for the Faith in Florida network. On June 28, 2022, just a few days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Faith in Florida issued a public statement slamming the decision very clearly, stating:
Faith in Florida stands in solidarity with women making the best decisions for their reproductive and maternal health.
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Abp. Wenski has never once apologized for sending Catholic funds to either of these organizations. Neither has he even addressed why, despite being in clear violation of CCHD grant guidelines and Catholic moral teaching, these groups received CCHD funds and why WeCount! continues to receive these funds. And yet, he has the audacity to claim that our reports on CCHD-funded groups are “unfounded.”
Cdl. Joseph Tobin of Newark also rushed to the defense of the CCHD. We’ve already reported on the fact that Tobin defended CCHD grants while permitting actually satanic “music” to be broadcast through a radio station under his control, but his funding of New Labor is equally inexcusable.
For the least two grants cycles, Tobin has provided $40,000 of CCHD grants to New Labor, for a total of $80,000. Here is what is wrong with New Labor (click the link to see the full report):
New Labor
- On May 5, 2022, New Labor promoted a “rally to defend Roe and reproductive rights.”
- In violation of the CCHD’s guideline on membership in coalitions that go against Catholic moral and social teaching, New Labor is a dues-paying member of both the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), both of which (as indicated under WeCount!’s profile) actively promote abortion.
Bp. John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, who sits on the CCHD’s subcommittee, spoke of how pleased he was to see other bishops defending the CCHD. He approved a $40,000 grant to the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (click the link to see the full report). Here is a summary of grave problems with that organization:
Mountain Association for Community Economic Development
- Promoted the practice of grooming and promoting LGBT ideologies to the youth.
- Promoted targeting children with LGBT ideologies.
- Promoted the “Lige Clarke Liberation Fund” that “ensures LGBTQ+ youth and communities can rise where they are already rooted!”
- Promoted Pikeville Pride’s post proclaiming “Happy Pride, yall!”
Abp. John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said that the staffing cuts at the CCHD “undermines” the sacred mission of the Church. It should be noted that in 2011, while bishop of Salt Lake City in Utah, Wester hired a woman to be the head of the CCHD for that diocese who actively campaigned for public office on a pro-abortion, pro-contraception, pro-same-sex “marriage” ticket.
Furthermore, Wester is the Episcopal Moderator for the heretical Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP). For the last two grants cycles, Wester approved $50,000 of CCHD grants to the New Mexico Acequia Association (click the link to see the full report), totaling $100,000 in just two years. Here is a summary of the problems with that organization:
New Mexico Acequia Association
- NMAA advertised a Planned Parenthood sponsored sex indoctrination program on its website, put on by one of NMAA’s close, pro-abortion associates called Tewa Women United. The program titled “Healthy Sexuality and Body Sovereignty program,” clearly promotes abortion and contraception.
- The executive director of NMAA ran for public office in 2018, obtaining a full endorsement from Planned Parenthood as a “champion for Planned Parenthood.”
- As the chair of the Mora County Democratic Party, NMAA’s executive director was bound to the party platform, which included support for homosexuality, same-sex “marriage,” “reproductive rights” and even a “right to die.”
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Abp. Christopher Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut, expressed his dismay and disappointment regarding the CCHD staff cuts. His appointment as the archbishop of Hartford came in 2023, but prior to that he was the bishop of Burlington, Vermont. While in Burlington, he signed off on a 2020-2021 grant of $55,000 to the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (click the link for the full report). Here is a summary of the problems with that organization:
Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition
- On May 27, 2022, VAHC posted this announcement regarding its upcoming segment of “In the House Live,” wherein it would be having a “celebration of Pride Month.”
- The interview was with Vermont state representative Taylor Small, the “first out transgender person to serve in the Vermont Legislature.” Small is a biological male who pretends to be a female, and throughout the interview David Martins, the executive director for VAHC, refers to Small as “she” and “her,” calling him a “fierce advocate for LGBTQ issues.” The interview centered on a myriad of LGBT matters, a celebration of “LGBTQ Pride,” and even ends with an endorsement of the Vermont ballot initiative to enshrine “abortion rights” in the Vermont state constitution.
- In July of 2020, VAHC published an action alert to “Help Stop HUD’s Proposed Rule to Allow Discrimination Against Transgender People.” The proposed rule was based on religious freedom measures, which would protect institutions like Catholic homeless shelters.
- David Martins is a long-time LGBT activist, recognized as such in his bio on the VAHC website. The bio even acknowledges his work with the “Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality,” advocacy he has clearly taken with him into VAHC.
Abp. George Thomas of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas also expressed disappointment by the staffing reductions of the CCHD. In the 2020-2021 CCHD grants cycle, Thomas approved a $75,000 grant to the Arriba Las Vegas Worker Center (click the link for the full report).
Once again, in direct violation of the CCHD’s grant guidelines on membership in coalitions which contravene Catholic moral and social teaching, this organization is a dues-paying member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which has actively campaigned for abortion.
Abp. Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis called the staff cuts to the CCHD “concerning.” But he should have been more concerned with the $75,000 grant he approved for Metropolitan Congregations United for St. Louis in the 2020-2021 grants cycle (click the link for the full report). In addition to being a member of the Gamaliel Foundation – which provided verifiably false information to the CCHD regarding its relationship with an organization promoting same-sex “marriage” – Metropolitan Congregations United has very actively promoted homosexuality and transgenderism.
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As can be seen, those bishops working to maintain the collection and grant distribution of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development are also responsible for approving funds to organizations which are actively attacking Catholic moral and social teaching.
As the bishops of the United States continue to evaluate what to do about the CCHD, a big part of the consideration should include the record of CCHD grants under the bishops most vociferously supporting the program.
For a complete analysis of the 2020-2021 CCHD grantees, organized by name, diocese, amount, and violation code, click here.
Reprinted with permission from the Lepanto Institute.