The conclusions at the end of the Population Research Institute's 119-page report on Catholic Relief Services scandals in Madagascar are very frank. The matter is obviously far too serious for PRI to beat around the bush and exercise false diplomacy.
For me, reading the PRI report and our series of articles on the issue made my blood boil. Any conscientious, sincere Christian, after reading this report, would be hard-pressed to also not be angry at such scandal not only being allowed, but also continuing to be shamelessly denied and defended.
PRI has done an incredibly thorough job of documenting its Madagascar research. They deserve an award for this effort rather than the pathetic condemnation from CRS leaders and some bishops. The attempts to deny the accuracy of the PRI research and undermine the credibility of PRI, LifeSiteNews and others who have reported on this development are built on sand.
After all, the man behind the Madagascar research project is the eminent, internationally recognized leader of the Population Research Institute, Steven Mosher. Mosher is not just any pro-lifer who some Church organization leaders regularly delight in trashing when uncomfortable, long covered-up facts are reported to encourage resolution.
Let me tell you about this man who CRS and some bishops are trying very hard to have people believe is some kind of amateur with a chip on his shoulder.
First, a few quick facts: Stephen Mosher is an oceanographer, former Lieutenant in the US Navy (chosen for the Seaman to Admiral program), former Stanford University anthropologist and fluent in Chinese which helped him to become THE person who first revealed the Chinese forced abortion program. His persistence in telling the American public and government about these atrocities resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of American aid money being denied to China.
Mosher is a man who really knows what he is doing, and has exceptional accomplishments on his record. He is a top level researcher, as well as an exceptionally faithful Catholic who would do nothing to undermine or harm the Church.
The Magagascar research, was undoubtedly, in Mosher's mind, intended to assist the US bishops to clean up a very bad situation that most of them are likely not aware of. That there has so far been such a dreadful response to the PRI investigation by CRS officials and some bishops associated with CRS is a scandal upon a scandal.
Here is more about Stephen Mosher from the PRI website:
Steven W. Mosher is an internationally recognized authority on China and population issues, as well as an acclaimed author, speaker. He has worked tirelessly since 1979 to fight coercive population control programs and has helped hundreds of thousands of women and families worldwide over the years.
In 1979, Steven was the first American social scientist to visit mainland China. He was invited there by the Chinese government, where he had access to government documents and actually witnessed women being forced to have abortions under the new “one-child policy.” Mr. Mosher was a pro-choice atheist at the time, but witnessing these traumatic abortions led him to reconsider his convictions and to eventually become a practicing, pro-life Roman Catholic.
Steven has appeared numerous times before Congress as an expert in world population, China, and human rights abuses. He has also made TV appearances on Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, 20/20, FOX and CNN news, as well as being a regular guest on talk radio shows across the nation.
He is also the author of the best-selling A Mother’s Ordeal: One Woman’s Fight Against China’s One-Child Policy. Other books include Hegemon: China’s Plan to Dominate Asia and the World, China Attacks, China Misperceived: American Illusions and Chinese Reality, Journey to the Forbidden China, and Broken Earth: The Rural Chinese.
Articles by Steve have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, The New Republic, The Washington Post, National Review, Reason, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Freedom Review, Linacre Quarterly, Catholic World Report, Human Life Review, First Things, and numerous other publications.