"A systemic pattern of cooperation with evil"
February 1, 2010 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
LifeSiteNews.com reports on the past involvement of John Carr, a senior USCCB employee, with a group that promotes abortion and the gay agenda:
A national group that promotes abortion and homosexual rights has deep ties with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, according to a report released Monday.
Top USCCB executive John Carr held simultaneous leadership roles, creating a conflict of interest, with the USCCB and the radical Center for Community Change.“The closer we look at the Bishops Conference [staff and programs], the more we find a systemic pattern of cooperation with evil,” said Michael Hichborn, American Life League’s lead researcher into the USCCB scandal. “The CCC has lodged itself into the highest places of power in the USCCB while working to promote abortion and homosexuality.”John Carr is the USCCB executive director of the Department of Justice Peace and Human Development which oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). He has been employed by the USCCB since 1987.John Carr’s relationship with the Center for Community Change goes back at least to 1983, serving in leadership roles from 1999 to 2006 – including as chairman of the board. The Reform CCHD Now report details the organization’s promotion of abortion, “reproductive rights” and homosexuality as among the CCC’s core advocacy focuses.In 2001, while Carr served as both a USCCB exec and CCC leader, the Catholic Bishops Conference funneled $150,000 to the pro-abortion group. The USCCB web site currently promotes the group and officials have spoken at CCC events.“Strangely, Carr’s leadership on the CCC’s board shows up on several bios he’s submitted for speaking engagements, but the word for word bio on the USCCB web site mysteriously omits that one detail,” Hichborn said. “Why?”Revelations of John Carr’s involvement in the Center for Community Change come only months after members of the Reform CCHD Now coalition, including American Life League, uncovered 31 CCHD grantees partnered with the CCC.“The CCHD claims it will immediately investigate accusations against organizations it funds yet it is silent on the CCC,” said Hichborn. “How can Carr and the USCCB possibly justify this intimate relationship with such an obvious enemy of the Church?” . . . (continue reading)See also: Deal Hudson’s take on this.Update: Our Sunday Visitor has looked into the allegations made by the American Life League against Mr. Carr and has found several discrepancies. OSV posted this statement from Mr. Carr responding to the ALL article:
Neither the American Life League nor the Bellarmine Institute contacted me, CCHD or the bishops’ conference before making these accusations. If they had, they would have learned that I left the board of the Center for Community Change in February of 2005 and that I had no involvement in or knowledge of the actions alleged in the press release.
My experience with CCC was that it focused on poverty, housing and immigration and had no involvement in issues involving abortion and homosexuality.
When I served, the board never discussed or acted on any position involving these matters and if they had, I would have vigorously opposed any advocacy for access to abortion or gay marriage.
I have spent my personal and professional life defending human life and dignity and Catholic teaching, including current efforts to keep abortion funding out of health care reform. I regret that once again the failure to contact me or CCHD has led to unfair allegations in attempts to undermine the essential work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
I am still trying to convince myself of the necessity for a national conference of bishops for the USA. The last meeting cost millions and had nothing to show for it. The past scandals just adds arguments towards its dissolution. It is seems to be an extraneous layer that provides unscrupolous pinko commie bishops to hijack the entire American college and take it where it does not want to go. So unless there is a real need and unless they can get their act together, I am of the opinion that they should kick the USCCB down a lot of notches, manage their own dioceses as though their salvation depended on it and have a bishops picnic in the summer if they miss each other so much.
Not wholly so. Curt Jester has more details http://tinyurl.com/yljx4y3
Someone at American Life League screwed up badly
"Disturbing" is an understatement.
How many times must we object to such goings-on only to have our pleas fall on deaf ears? We shake the trees but the monkeys remain. Our bishops are not stupid men; they must have been aware of this for some time. When will we be delivered from these pastorally permissive shepherds? Most, most disheartening!
I just threw up in the back of my mouth. Hail Mary . . .
Dan, one thing you might consider is sending the link to this blog article to your bishop with a respectful note that you hope this kind of problem at the USCCB will be addressed. If you don't have an e-mail address for your bishop (you can look them up here: http://www.rc.net/dioceses.html), printing out that original LifeSiteNews article and mailing it to him would also be useful.
It is time to seriously lobby our good Bishops to reform the USCCB bureaucracy. It should start with a thorough review to determine which offices and activities of the USCCB have functions which are useful for the Bishops collaborating together versus retaining such functions in the individual dioceses. Then we need to ask them to please develop some sort of standard and review for assuring that authentic Catholics are chosen for leadership positions.
The USCCB has a long history of undermining the authority of the Bishops themselves, and of not standing up for the Church and for Catholic teaching.
It is TIME to do something, and I think we on the internet should start prayerfully encouraging and supporting our Bishops in getting it done.
Patrick, what do we do?
How do we stop this?
Who do we call?