(Catholic?) Campaign for Human Development

This Sunday, the Culture War comes in the form of the collection basket: the bishops’ annual Campaign for Human Development. Fr. Neuhaus notes that the campaign sometime ago dropped the modifier “Catholic” with good reason since the group apparently funds mostly or only non-Catholic organizations. Why this is so is not clear. This year the campaign discontinued support for Acorn (Association of Community Organizers for Reform) which had received more than $7 million dollars of collection money over past years and gained notoriety for voter registration fraud, financial misconduct by a chief executive, and close ties to Obama and his campaign. No wonder Fr. Neuhaus recommends against contributing and even some bishops have raised questions, with some not sponsoring the collection in their dioceses.

The principle of the campaign is a good one: empower poor communities to resolve their problems through local initiative on issues like housing, safe neighborhoods, food, cooperatives and the like. It is similar to the United Way but with more emphasis on empowerment of the poor and marginalized for initiative in the spirit of seculars like Freire or Alinsky. In that sense it is in tune with Catholic social teaching in its preference for the needs of the poor and especially John Paul’s strong sense of human freedom and initiative. Everything would be honky-dory except for the Culture War! Apparently, the CCHD got into trouble about a decade ago for involvement with anti-Catholic groups supporting abortion and the like. This pattern returns with Acorn’s support for Obama. . Strong support for the Campaign is advocated on the America magazine website where Fr. Neuhaus is criticized in the very strongest terms. Unfortunately, the Great Fact for us is that so much legitimate social activism was radically compromised in the 60s by a hostile takeover by sexual liberalism. It is difficult in today’s environment to advocate for the poor without participation in activities opposed to Catholic practice

What is a Catholic who cares about the poor to do? This is a prudential judgment. Given the strong, continuing support from the bishops, the benefit of the doubt should go to the campaign. But I will not be giving. Rather, I will give to Catholic Relief Charities, the National Right to Life, and maybe some other groups that are uncontaminated. I don’t trust the bishops on these things.

The bishops are heirs of the apostles and divinely inspired on matters of faith and morals; but their track record on pragmatic, prudential, social/political issues is not re-assuring. Their cover-up of the priest sex scandal was made worse by the unbalanced Dallas accord; “Protecting God’s Children” is wrong-headed in several ways; their condemnation of the death penalty lacks nuance and reservation while their opposition to abortion is vague and open-ended. They are clear and firm when they should acknowledge complexity; they are wishy-washy when they need to be lucid and strong.

I am sympathetic: the Bishop’s job is an impossible one. They are expected to be saints, theologians, fund-raisers, CEOs, diplomats, prophets, policy analysts; they must be pastorally sensitive, theologically orthodox and sophisticated, financially astute, ecumenically open, culturally prophetic... They are only human after all. I will follow them on doctrine and morals without hesitation. On social policy, I will listen to them with respect but suspicion. There are lots of unfortunate pressures upon them. This Sunday I will relieve them of one responsibility: how to utilize my contribution; I will make that decision myself and give directly to some good charities.