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American Life League Blasts Catholic Agencies for Ignoring Popes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following on Pope Francis’ recent statements regarding charitable work in the Catholic Church, American Life League renews its call for Catholic poverty-fighting groups to end ties with pro-abortion organizations.

Since 2009, American Life League has issued detailed reports on various agencies of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops which claim to fight poverty. ALL investigated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and found that 38 percent of the money it granted in 2011 went to organizations that promote abortion, contraception, homosexual activism, and Marxism. Earlier this year, ALL reported on the close alliances held by Catholic Charities USA with organizations promoting Planned Parenthood and homosexual activism. And most recently, ALL issued a detailed report showing that 86 percent of domestic grants from Catholic Relief Services went to organizations that are committing abortion, distributing contraception, and performing sterilizations.

Last week, Pope Francis said in a general audience that “the Church is like Mary: The Church is not a shop, she is not a humanitarian agency, the Church is not an NGO. . . . If, as a hypothesis, the Church were not to bring Jesus, she would be a dead Church.”

Pointing out that Pope Francis is reiterating what popes have said for the past 40 years, Michael Hichborn, ALL’s director of Defend the Faith, asked in a written commentary why charitable agencies run by the Catholic Church are ignoring the popes.

“The popes have been very clear about the role of charity in the life of the Church,” said Hichborn. “They have also been clear in their warnings against charitable organizations becoming too much like worldly philanthropies, placing more emphasis on human endeavors and not enough on Our Blessed Lord.”

“The popes have repeatedly stated for the past 40 years that the central role of charity is to bring Jesus to people,” continued Hichborn. “But how can they do that when they are hiring non-Catholics, giving money to organizations that are pushing abortion and contraception, and working hand-in-glove with groups that are avowed enemies of Jesus Christ?”

“American Life League is begging the bishops to turn these agencies around before it is too late,” said Hichborn. “Jesus warned of the woes awaiting those bringing scandals. The scandals committed by these agencies will not be allowed to go on forever.”

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Media inquiries, please contact Michael Hichborn at 540-907-5826 or MHichborn@ALL.org
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American Life League, cofounded by Judie Brown in 1979, is the oldest national Catholic pro-life education and advocacy organization in the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.all.org.