While the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has come under well deserved scrutiny for supporting groups such as ACORN and groups with ties to promoting abortion, CMR has uncovered that Ralph McCloud, while heading the CCHD in 2008, was simultaneously working as a highly placed campaign official for a pro-choice politician seeking to unseat a pro-life politician.
As you likely know, CCHD is the bishops’ anti-poverty program which funds community organizing and economic development projects and has been at the center of a number of controversies. Ralph McCloud was named head of the CCHD in November 2007. In his first year as head of the CCHD, according to public records, McCloud also worked as the Treasurer for Planned Parenthood endorsed Democrat Wendy Davis.
Why would the director of the CCHD, during his tenure as head of an ostensibly Catholic institution act as champion and treasurer of a campaign for a pro-abortion politician seeking to oust a pro-life politician? This is the textbook definition of scandal.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s website, “the CCHD fully upholds the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception through natural death.” But acting as Treasurer for a pro-choice politician means that every single yard sign, every press release, every brochure or pamphlet of the Davis campaign had Ralph McCloud’s name on it. So in short, while heading up the CCHD, McCloud was very publicly working against the stated goals of the organization he oversaw.
Isn’t that a bit confusing to Catholics? Isn’t that in itself a scandal to the faithful?
McCloud himself labeled questions about another CCHD employee John Carr’s commitment to the pro-life cause “very disturbing allegations” which he believed were unfounded. CMR believes it to be equally disturbing that McCloud would work for a campaign garnering donations from Annie’s List (a pro-choice PAC), Planned Parenthood and ACORN. So pro-choice was the Davis campaign that in fact, Annie’s List, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Davis in 2008 while McCloud worked as Treasurer. The group even gave a spirited endorsement of the pro-choice Davis, who succeeded in defeating her pro-life opponent.
In fact, so vehemently was the abortion industry behind Davis’ campaign that they actually broke the law to support it. The Texas Ethics Commission fined the campaign treasurer for Planned Parenthood of North Texas’ political action committee thousands of dollars for not reporting how much they’d spent in support of Davis’ campaign among others.
According to the CCHD guidelines:
“CCHD will not fund groups that are members of coalitions which have as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda, positions or actions that contradict fundamental Catholic moral and social teaching.”
While McCloud’s work for the Davis campaign doesn’t directly contradict that guideline, isn’t it the least bit contradictory to the intent of the law for the head of the CCHD to publicly work for a pro-choice politician?
CMR believes Ralph McCloud and the CCHD should explain McCloud’s actions to Catholics concerned about the sanctity of life. Does the Catholic Campaign for Human Development only care about human development of some while turning it’s back on the unborn?
Calls to McCloud and the CCHD were not returned.
January 20, 2011 at 6:08 pm
This article has an error. The CCHD is not the bishops anti-poverty program. It is their socialist agit-prop organization. If you want to read about how heretical socialism slipped into the Church, I suggest you check out "The Catholic Worker Movement" by Carol Byrne on Amazon (or other bookstore).
January 20, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Mark,
It tastes like crap. It is an interesting debate: what lead to the decline? We can point to the surrender of Vat. II. But before that, we had the crisis in Faith that seemed to reject Original Sin. Fr. Feeney, who went too far, was plugged into that. And we have the refusal of the Pope to release the Third Secret in 1960.
January 20, 2011 at 6:20 pm
The problem is that there are many good solid Catholic priests who follow the Pope and the Magesterium. However the money parishes collect at times has to go to the archdiocese. This just continues the anti-Catholic work of groups like the CCHD. If we all stop giving they may see the truth but many priests and good people will be hurt. I don't know what the answer is. Just pray pray pray and be very careful where you send your money.
January 20, 2011 at 11:19 pm
They're all corrupt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOokPjKhFQE
January 21, 2011 at 12:25 am
Jesus spent much of His ministry admonishing the Jewish Leaders for leading His flock astray. 2000 years later, we will get to enjoy the Holy Spirit coming to address what ails God's Son's Church. I truly feel sorry for the souls of many of these Bishops and Cardinals. Jesus speaks to directly in plain language to those who lead His flock astray and violate the innocence of children. As you pray, pray that you will have the wisdom to recognize the Holy Spirit when He comes. Pray for the counsel to heed Him. Pray for the fortitude to follow Him into the coliseum.
January 21, 2011 at 2:53 am
Anon 4:45, 1/19 –
Well articulated response that actually makes sense. Thanks.
January 21, 2011 at 3:01 am
Hey guys, let us all give to Saint Vincent de Paul. They WILL notice.
January 21, 2011 at 5:13 am
Parishioners get the priest and bishops they deserve. If you want to "invest" in good priests and bishops in the future, why not pray, read more about your faith, and get involved in teaching catechism, sending your kids to catholic schools, in ensuring catholic schools are well run and staffed…..
Vatican 2 , the 3rd secret …have nothing to do with the issues. Who says its your right to know the third secret. What have we done with what we do know, the CCC is yet to be read and digested by catholics worldwide.
as for immigration, i am sure that is an issue that is a work in progress, but lets not get xenophobic about it; its one thing to have bad laws and another to expect people to obey them.
Religion is not democratic, God is not a democrat, communist, socialist or capitalist.
Traditionalists are simply catholic protestants.
if i have offended anyone, my apologies, take it as the rantings of a someone in the third world, where our church is highly conservative.
please hold your bishops accountable, have a town hall meeting with them and thrash this out, but in all things treat your bishops with respect and with love.
January 21, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Interesting rant anonymous from the 3rd world. But your apology gives you away that you do not believe a word of what you say. Jesus never apologized and He offended many. Do you think his trashing of the temple was just looked on as a whoopsy? Read the Good News of John (Gospel) see how many times the crowds were picking up stones.
Your points are well taken that we should all invest of our time, treasure and talent to pass our faith in God onto the next generation. The issue for many is we struggle with how our shepherds are leading the flock and are in serious doubt that this is the direction we want our youth to go. Many feel these Cardinals and Bishops are like the Chief Priests and Pharisees, more concerned with their robes and baubles and where they sit in places of honor than insuring that the message of Jesus Christ and the Catholic saving graces are passed down. I give of my time to teach. Our priests show up once or twice a year.
Pray that you will have the wisdom to recognize the Holy Spirit when He comes. Pray for the counsel to heed Him. Pray for the fortitude to follow Him into the coliseum.
January 21, 2011 at 6:23 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQOebFkZVFU Here is a great description of CCHD. We need to stop giving them any money.
January 21, 2011 at 11:48 pm
http://www.workers.org/2010/us/wwp_fist_ussf_0708/ This is the kind of crap the Catholic Church joins with when they join community organizing–far left people who want to make the US into socialists! It must stop. Please, all clergy need to learn about this and make our Church the Church of Jesus, not the church of Che!
January 22, 2011 at 12:56 am
Gotta say that no political group should be allowed to tack the word "Catholic" on it…. too many out there that will use the description purely for manipulation. "Catholic" becomes a tag used to get attention and garner support by the unscrupulous.