NYer, for you, I’ll do this for the fourth time in two days, which is how often I have seen this posting here on this all too happy to denigrate the Church forum.
I am posting a 12 year old article, which Is how long I have known Catholic Charities is a political, profit-making business which has no more to do with the teachings of the Catholic Church than its commonality in name with the Church.
Below is a link and below that is an excerpt
I beg you to read it.
If you want to find things the USCCB is doing to thwart the Constitution and in so doing very definitely thwart the very Teachings of the Church, there is evidence out there.
But Catholic Charities is not the Church. Please make it stop.
Cardinal O’Connor said the statement below, in case there is anyone looking to dis the Church hierarchy there it is. Condemnation of CC from the Cardinal
“..Because Catholic Charities receives almost two-thirds of its funding from government sources, the senator said, it “can do little that is uniquely Catholic. They have to do what the government dictates, which means they can’t talk about the Catholic part of the charity.”
Senator Santorum had a special reason to be critical of the organization. He had just emerged from an intense debate about the political future of the welfare state. At issue was a Republican bill that sought to curb the growth of the welfare state by eliminating the idea of a welfare “entitlement” and transferring some programs to be administered by states. Senator Santorum, a proponent of the bill and a devout Catholic, was alarmed to witness firsthand the role of the Catholic lobby — especially Catholic Charities — in scuttling the most important parts of the bill.
His conclusion? “The number one opponent, and perhaps the most effective opponent, of welfare reform was Catholic Charities.” This organization, he implied, was more interested in maintaining its own status as a benefactor of government grants than in promoting true charity to the underprivileged, much less witnessing to the truths of the gospel in a way that is “distinctly Catholic.” “If you are only going to be a more efficient bureaucracy, if you are not going to feed the souls as well as the stomach, then why exist?” the senator asked rhetorically.
Not everyone agreed. John Cardinal O’Connor of New York weighed in with a theological critique, arguing that in providing for the poor, Catholic Charities is fulfilling the gospel mandate even if the workers themselves do not preach Jesus to every recipient of charity. Indeed federal law restricts them from doing so. “I have not thought of Catholic social services as a medium for direct, oral teaching about Jesus,” said Cardinal O’Connor...”
Bfl
“..Because Catholic Charities receives almost two-thirds of its funding from government sources, the senator said, it “can do little that is uniquely Catholic. They have to do what the government dictates, which means they can’t talk about the Catholic part of the charity.”
As you probably know, I attend a Maronite (Eastern Catholic) Church. The See is in Lebanon and the parish is very aware and sensitive to the plight of christians in the Middle East. We had a RC visitor one Sunday who shared our concerns. He mentioned that Catholic Charities in Albany was supplying outreach by providing transportation, food and shelter. Elated to hear this, I asked for a local contact, suggesting that these immigrants would enjoy hearing the gospel in their own language. He said it wouldn't matter since Catholic Charities was assisting muslim immigrants!!! I was shocked. Your comment on this thread clarifies the situation. Again, thank you for repeating it for my benefit.