Matt Smith has published more information on the USCCB's problematic membership in the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Calling it LCCHR's "Greatest Hits," Smith juxtaposes the civil rights organization's opposition to the Federal Marriage Marriage and support for CEDAW with the Catholic positions advocated by the USCCB.
Why would the bishop's conference be a member of an organization that lobbies for abortion and same-sex marriage? As Matt Smith comments:
Even if the USCCB claims they do not sign onto every coalition letter led by LCCHR, the organization does not delineate with their press releases or other materials which group has joined their voice on a particular issue. The Bishops’ Conference claims “non-partisanship,” however, when you read through the legislative priorities and past actions by the LCCHR it lines up with the Democrat National Committee platform. The Bishops’ Conference paying dues and being listed as a “coalition member” raises serious concerns about the type of representation being made of Catholic teachings to the Congress and Executive branch. Further participation with such groups will continue to highlight questions of neutrality and effectiveness in articulating the teachings of the Church in Washington.
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Religious Life -- on Oprah
News has been spreading through the blogosphere that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, will be appearing on Oprah tomorrow afternoon. The sisters explained how it all came to be in an e-mail update:
Oprah was interested in doing a show on religious life as a hidden way of life which many people never experience, and so her producers asked us if we would be willing to welcome them. We accepted this invitation as an opportunity to share our life, and by extension, the Gospel, with an audience that we might not ever reach otherwise.
A camera crew came to the Motherhouse in Ann Arbor at the beginning of [last] week, and then on Thursday, Sr. Mary Samuel, Sr. John Dominic, Sr. Mary Judith, and Sr. Francis Mary were flown to Chicago for the taping. Some of our Novices and Postulants also participated in the taping from the Motherhouse via “Skype.”
. . . please join us in praying that Our Lord will use this television show to touch the hearts of many, so that they may come to know Him and His boundless love and mercy.
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Oprah was interested in doing a show on religious life as a hidden way of life which many people never experience, and so her producers asked us if we would be willing to welcome them. We accepted this invitation as an opportunity to share our life, and by extension, the Gospel, with an audience that we might not ever reach otherwise.
A camera crew came to the Motherhouse in Ann Arbor at the beginning of [last] week, and then on Thursday, Sr. Mary Samuel, Sr. John Dominic, Sr. Mary Judith, and Sr. Francis Mary were flown to Chicago for the taping. Some of our Novices and Postulants also participated in the taping from the Motherhouse via “Skype.”
. . . please join us in praying that Our Lord will use this television show to touch the hearts of many, so that they may come to know Him and His boundless love and mercy.
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The Saints Went Marching In
I'm not much of a football fan, but I usually find myself watching the Superbowl every year. It provides an excuse for a party, after all, and that means snacks. This year I was rooting for the Saints, mainly because they were the underdogs and have never taken home the Lombardi trophy. (Plus, I like saints more than horses.)
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Commentary on Feb. 5 News
The names of the 21,581 petitioners supporting the CBS decision to air the Tim Tebow ad have been sent by both mail and email to CBS. The first 15,000 names were sent earlier this week and the rest were sent today. Additional names received over the weekend will also be forwarded to CBS to confirm their right decision on this matter. Congratulations to all who responded! This has undoubtedly had an impact upon CBS.
President Obama is encountering yet another major setback with fading hopes for confirmation of his very radical nominee to head the Office of Legal Counsel.
Planned Parenthood's counter commercial to the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad is glaringly missing mention of one crucial person. The unborn child does not exist for "pro-choicers", nor do the large numbers of women hurt from making this often coerced or and seriously uninformed and deadly "choice".
It is disturbing for us to report the offensive tactics being used in response to Reform CCHD Now's well researched and respectfully presented facts about CCHD funding of some pro-abortion and otherwise unworthy groups. It should be very concerning to all that some Church leaders seem compelled to unjustly malign the credibility and motivation of the whistle blowers and to misrepresent the concerns presented, rather than respond directly to the evidence of scandal. The similarity of these responses to the Canadian Development and Peace scandal revelations continue to amaze us.
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President Obama is encountering yet another major setback with fading hopes for confirmation of his very radical nominee to head the Office of Legal Counsel.
Planned Parenthood's counter commercial to the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad is glaringly missing mention of one crucial person. The unborn child does not exist for "pro-choicers", nor do the large numbers of women hurt from making this often coerced or and seriously uninformed and deadly "choice".
It is disturbing for us to report the offensive tactics being used in response to Reform CCHD Now's well researched and respectfully presented facts about CCHD funding of some pro-abortion and otherwise unworthy groups. It should be very concerning to all that some Church leaders seem compelled to unjustly malign the credibility and motivation of the whistle blowers and to misrepresent the concerns presented, rather than respond directly to the evidence of scandal. The similarity of these responses to the Canadian Development and Peace scandal revelations continue to amaze us.
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CCHD Scandal Picks Up Steam as Bishops React
Various offices of the U.S. Bishops Conference (USCCB) have reacted to the two new reports issued by the Reform CCHD Now coalition (RCN) this week, but the reactions, claims RCN, have not addressed the core message of their reports.
While RCN has offered evidence that 31 CCHD grantees are partnered with a pro-abortion and homosexualist group, the Center for Community (CCC), and that two USCCB officials have served on the same group's board, the reactions have focused primarily on defending the pro-life beliefs of one of those officials - John Carr, who, as executive director of the USCCB's Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
The report on Carr’s involvement in CCC was received by some as questioning Carr’s personal pro-life convictions. However, RCN says that the reports in question – one from American Life League (ALL) and another from the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry (BVM) – specified that they were not questioning Carr or any USCCB staffer's personal stance on pro-life.
Immediately after the issuing of the reports Monday, a line supporting CCC was quietly removed from the CCHD website. Not so quiet however was the backlash against the perceived attack on Carr.
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While RCN has offered evidence that 31 CCHD grantees are partnered with a pro-abortion and homosexualist group, the Center for Community (CCC), and that two USCCB officials have served on the same group's board, the reactions have focused primarily on defending the pro-life beliefs of one of those officials - John Carr, who, as executive director of the USCCB's Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
The report on Carr’s involvement in CCC was received by some as questioning Carr’s personal pro-life convictions. However, RCN says that the reports in question – one from American Life League (ALL) and another from the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry (BVM) – specified that they were not questioning Carr or any USCCB staffer's personal stance on pro-life.
Immediately after the issuing of the reports Monday, a line supporting CCC was quietly removed from the CCHD website. Not so quiet however was the backlash against the perceived attack on Carr.
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