Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 5:53am

In this picture, who really are the “dreamers”?

 

My thesis is as simple as it is straightforward: The Roman Catholic Church should accept no federal dollars.

My response to the naysayers is equally simple and straightforward, per Amanda Hocking in My Blood Approves: “When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change. The devil changes you.”

Consider the nation’s largest resettlement agency, the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services (MRS).

MRS estimates that between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014, ~90k young illegal immigrants crossed the border. To deal with the human needs associated with this influx, MRS had a budget of ~$71M (~$789/illegal immigrant).

However, 93% of that ~$71M—$66M–flowed into MRS from the federal government’s spigot. MRS argued that they needed this infusion of federal $$$s to assist the federal government to provide care for unaccompanied, young illegal immigrants.

Supporters of MRS ask: “Who could possibly disagree, except for heartless, anti-immigrant, xenophobes?” Then, too: “The federal government is pouring that money into a charitable, religious organization to provide much-needed services that the feds couldn’t possibly provide. You don’t want to expand the size and scope of government, do you?”

Sounds similar to subsidizing faith-based organizations, a central policy objective of the George W. Bush administration.

There’s one, very big problem, however. MRS must provide those services in ways that are consistent with Church teaching.

So, what’s going to happen when unaccompanied, young, illegal immigrant, females get pregnant? Those federal $$$s require that those females receive “reproductive care,” including contraception, emergency contraception, and abortion.

The USCCB rightly argues that such a requirement violates freedom of religion since contraception, emergency contraception, and abortion are against the Church teaching.

However, that argument may matter not one whit.

Why? The American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) has filed a suit in a federal court “to order the federal government to release documents related to how groups that are awarded government funding contracts are restricting refugee and undocumented immigrant teenagers’ access to reproductive health services, including contraception and abortion.”

A senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, Brigitte Amiri, told Breitbart News, “Religious freedom does not include the right to take a government contract that requires providing access to health care, and then refuse to provide a teen who has been raped the health care she needs.”

So, it’s “deja vu all over again”:

  • Remember when President Obama double crossed the USCCB after securing its blessing to get Obamacare passed? POTUS promised a religious exemption.
  • Remember when, in July 2014, President Obama issued an executive order banning “all companies that receive a contract from the federal government from discriminating against their LGBT employees.” The USCCB called it “unprecedented and extreme.”
  • And just today, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found “reasonable cause” to rule that a Catholic prep school has unlawfully discriminated against a homosexual band director formerly in the school’s employ.

Get the picture? In baseball, the rule is “three strikes and y’er outta here!”

But, this isn’t baseball. It’s hardball politics, not ecclesiastical politics.

If MRS didn’t take the ~$66M in federal money, its budget would have been ~$5M. MRS would have been free to provide illegal immigrants programs and services in alignment with Church teaching. And, the federal government could use that money to deal with the rest.

But, the USCCB’s desire to expand programming and provide services to more and more illegal immigrants has required taking to the dance floor with the Devil. To keep those federal $$$s flowing into the MRS’ coffers, the USCCB claims that if MRS didn’t provide those services, then chaos would break out.

And that’s the USCCB’s problem?

 

 

To read the Breitbart News article, click on the following link:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/10/aclu-demands-catholic-bishops-provide-abortions-for-illegal-minors/

To read The Motley Monk’s daily blog, Omnibus, click on the following link:
www.richard-jacobs-blog.com/omnibus.html

 

 

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Anthony
Anthony
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 3:11pm

I agree completely. The USCCB should use what funds they have to help people and let the UCLA and the Federal government deal with the fallout. If they want to use their money to oppose the church, the church shouldn’t accept it.

Anthony
Anthony
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 3:12pm

Sorry for the typo. I meant the ACLU.

Penguins Fan
Penguins Fan
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 4:03pm

The USCCB, as a body, is not just stupid. They are beyond stupid.

The illegal immigrants are here ILLEGALLY. Therefore the USCCB is assisting lawbreakers and justifying it (to themselves) that they are “helping” the poor. Give the poor food, clothing, shelter, medical care, everything they need except a way out of poverty. the USCCB, duped by Obumbler over Obumblercare (and I’m sure not a few bishops wanted the thing passed regardless to its policies on abortion under the guise that it would help “the poor”) and they fall for it again.

How often does the USCCB ask for contributions to help the poor – where the poor live? Mexico and other Latin American nations just want to dump their poor on the United States and the Democrat Party is only too happy to take them as permanent government aid recipients, just like they do with poor blacks. Cheap votes, dontcha know?

Back in 1984, the USCCB drafted a letter about the evils of nuclear war – that was when the KGB was cranking up mass hysteria in the West against the US rearming itself and erasing the USSR’s advantage in missiles.

Pacifist, anti death-penalty, pro-welfare state and environmentalist…..that’s today’s USCCB. Sin? That’s so…..so….pre-Second Vatican Council! That was done away with! Just like Latin!

Paul W Primavera
Paul W Primavera
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 5:02pm

You are correct, Motley Monk.

Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 5:35pm

“My thesis is as simple as it is straightforward: The Roman Catholic Church should accept no federal dollars.”

Yes, Yes, a thousand times Yes!

There is a great book waiting to be written on the corrupting power of government money on the Church. Let Caesar keep his coin!

CAM
CAM
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 7:21pm

“Let Ceasar Keep His Coin” there’s the title.

lisag
lisag
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 7:47pm

It is almost like the fed gov is grooming the Church. Well, if you will do this we will give you this. In their pride and desire to please the government they say yes, yes. Then the government smacks them and tells them that they must do more because the the bar to accepting certain sins has been lowered. Then gov tells the usccb that they like them and they are doing a good job, but you must do more. Look at all of the people who depend on your services. We want to use you, but to keep your charitable organizations in money you must do this.

Dennis
Dennis
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 9:07pm

I am of the firm belief that if these organizations really were ‘based on faith’ divine providence would supply and they wouldn’t have to sell their souls to the devil. Look how two poor nuns, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN started with nothing but prayer. We can trust God to provide for His work and watch it prosper, or we can be obliging to atheistic governments. Our Lord said that if we seek God first, He would give us all we need. I’ll take His promise over any man’s.

Clinton
Clinton
Tuesday, April 14, AD 2015 11:37pm

Who pays the piper calls the tune. It was ever thus, and our bishops are
deluding themselves if they think they are an exception to that rule. Of
course, the bureaucracies at both the USCCB and diocesan chancery level
would probably need to be pruned if federal funds were given up– which
is one more reason such reform would be fought tooth and nail.

Tom D
Tom D
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 1:05am

Never forget, too, that the government maintains that money is fungible. Our contributions added to government contributions becomes government contributions.

Phillip
Phillip
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 3:25am

“It was ever thus, and our bishops are deluding themselves if they think they are an exception to that rule.”

Some think they are the exception to the rule. Some unfortunately like the changes in the rules. As noted above, some bishops no longer believe in sin, true justice or other long held teachings of the Church. Some are Secular Messianists who aim for the Kingdom of Man here on Earth.

CAM
CAM
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 5:09am

Tom D, thanks for the vocabulary lesson. All too aware of the concept, just didn’t know the adjective for it. Fungible: (of goods contracted for without an individual specimen being specified) able to replace or be replaced by another identical item; mutually interchangeable:
“money is fungible—money that is raised for one purpose can easily be used for another”. It’s hard to be pure when one accepts money from the government.

CAM
CAM
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 5:35am

Many years ago my 5th grade son at St. Francis of Assisi School announced that when he grew up he was going to be a politician or a bishop. I told him that the latter was often the former.
A bishop should understand how governments work at different levels, but he shouldn’t be an instrument of any government. Cdl Dolan believing Obama’s promise to him about Obamacare was example of costly naivete`.

Michael Leggett
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 5:39am

The Proverbial “Heaven On Earth” & NOT HEAVEN, is what the USCCB believes in. These are Cassock Wearing Secular Humanists.

Michael Leggett
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 5:44am

Except for those who are “Fighting The Good Fight”(Salvatore Cordileone, Robert Morlino & Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke).

Shawn Marshall
Shawn Marshall
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 5:45am

can anyone total the entire amount of Federal money that goes to the USCCB and subsidiaries like Catholic Charities? Is it over 250 million? I looked up some form 990s a few years ago and vowed never to give another nickle to the bishops or Catholic Charities. They are ‘owned’ by the Feds. Our poor, sufferin Church is simply an NGO that ignores the folks in the pews except as a minor source of revenue. No wonder they support every expansion of the family destroying welfare state. The road to Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.

Michael Leggett
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 5:55am

Shawn?
St. John Chrysostom would be proud of you, for utilizing his statement “The Road To Hell is paved with the Skulls of Bishops.”
We don’t NEED the Jolly “Ho, Ho, Ho” of Timothy Cardinal Dolan. We truly NEED Real Shepherds.

Philip
Philip
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 6:40am

USCCB. For certain Bishops the following passage is appropriate;
“But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter.” – Matthew 23:13

Scandal is, and has always been, a constant reminder for the Church that the spirit that entered Judas can just as well enter into any man regardless of title. Frequent confession, frequent Eucharistic adoration, frequent reception of Jesus in Holy Mass, and daily prayer will help in discernment.

Please keep praying for our clergy!

Nate Winchester
Nate Winchester
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 8:04am

So, what’s going to happen when unaccompanied, young, illegal immigrant, females get pregnant?

I know what the Monk meant, but I just have to laugh at this every time I see it phrased like this. As if getting pregnant was like getting a sprained ankle. “Man I was just walking down the sidewalk and next thing I knew, I tripped and got pregnant!” Or the flu. “Yeah Sarah was pregnant last week and now everybody in the office has got it.”

Really it’s darkly humorous how much we’ve removed choice and personal responsibility from an event that is almost always caused by such choice.

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 10:59am

Nate-
the sad thing is, this time it’s not just because of the desire to separate responsibility from sex.
A lot of the pregnant girls are pregnant because they were brought up here as sex slaves, generally by other “unaccompanied children.” (Who might even have a birth certificate to prove they’re 15, ignore the gray hair!)
****
I’d be delighted to at least have the Church thinking very hard before accepting any contracts from the government. It’s about as likely as any of them mentioning “you know the whole ‘render unto Cesar’ thing applies to immigration, drug and labor laws, too, right?”

Mary De Voe
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 11:43am

Well, it is tax day. The money coming from the government ought to come with no strings, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, as it is taxpayers’ money to begin and end with. the rest is censored. Ok, I rendered unto Caesar and Caesar got into bed with me and now there are Little Caesars all over the place; the place which is the public square that belongs to each and every citizen in joint and common tenancy. Caesar needs to get over to the forum quickly. Brutus is awaiting Caesar’s arrival.

trackback
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 11:47am

[…] Magazine Carrying Out Works of Mercy – Father John Bartunek LC, Catholic Spiritual Direction When the USCCB Accepts Federal Money, Not Good – The Motley Monk, TACatholic Answering Five More Common Objections to the Resurrection […]

cthemfly25
cthemfly25
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 2:02pm

A few years back I followed the USSCB “peace and justice” agenda. I have not looked recently but in the recent past this organization has advocated every and only statist “solutions” and policies including higher minimum wage, higher taxes on the so called rich, open borders, carbon tax, obamacare (sans abortion), etc (but not including the CHD nonsense). Here’s the thing—statism is not a pathway to salvation. It is not charity. We have a great institutional heritage of charitable commitment as Catholics—our forbearers built churches, hospitals, orphanages, schools and fed and clothed the poor. We should return to those things that offer us salvation.

David
David
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 3:02pm

The USCCB, (that loosely coupled organic network apart from Catholicism where Bishops need not act as Fathers but Followers), is so desperate for a cause apart from discussion of the contraceptive mentality and all its attendant evils -including being called a bigot, that they are willing to take the dance floor and defile themselves.

Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Wednesday, April 15, AD 2015 7:19pm

AMEN!! to the article and precepts in it.

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Thursday, April 16, AD 2015 2:03am

I believe the Catholic Church should not only not accept government money of any kind but also volunteer to pay taxes on their income.

The point, of course, is to free the Church up to speak the TRUTH without fear of reprisals. This is particularly true when recommending candidates for political office.

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