Lent is here, and as we begin the season of penance, Catholic Relief Services is passing around paper rice bowls and asking for funds. But before you put even a single penny into the massive CRS coffers, consider the character of the organization itself. Sadly, even though CRS’s name begins with the word “Catholic,” it is all too willing to promote, work with and even participate in programs and organizations that believe the elimination of children is the best way to fight poverty.
For several years, Catholic Relief Services has been working hard to defend its funding of organizations that dispense condoms, perform surgical sterilizations, distribute abortifacient contraception, and actually commit abortions. CRS’s excuses for this are both proportionalist in nature and speak more to a desire to acquire government funding than to defend and promote Catholic teaching.
In 2012, Life Site News revealed that Catholic Relief Services had given $5.3 million to an organization that actively distributed abortifacient contraception. Since then, CRS has been found to be giving tens of millions of dollars, annually, to organizations actively working to push contraception on poor people around the world. When initially faced with this information, CRS’s response was to distance itself from the actual provision of these grants by claiming that they were merely acting as a “pass-through” to other organizations for federally designated grants. But this excuse quickly unraveled when Life Site News asked CRS if it would ever provide such a pass-through grant to Planned Parenthood. CRS’s official response was:
We would never partner with Planned Parenthood. We’ve given this a lot of consideration, and there’s a threshold in terms of what the focus of an agency is, and the preponderance of their work.
CRS refrained from defining exactly what it means by “the focus of an agency” or the “preponderance of its work” and failed to establish exactly what the threshold actually is. But even though such a grant is merely a “pass-through” and therefore outside its responsibility, CRS would refuse to work with Planned Parenthood because of this undefined threshold. Which is to say that CRS will tolerate funding an organization that does some intrinsically evil work, so long as it’s not the majority of what that organization does.
However, CRS’s assertion of a threshold goes up in smoke as we consider the $2.7 million that CRS paid to Population Services International because abortion and contraception make up the majority of PSI’s work. To be clear, Population Services International has only one thing in mind, and that is the reduction of the world population by abortion and birth control. In an article PSI posted on its website, it stated very clearly that contraception and abortion are the “lynchpin” to poverty reduction. After stating that “Meeting the unmet demand for family planning [is] integral to reducing the global fertility rate and the rapid growth of the world’s population,” PSI said:
Improving reproductive and maternal health is the linchpin of poverty eradication. It is only through giving women greater choice and access to family planning and safer births that we will lift communities from desperate poverty.
The vast majority of Population Services International’s work includes the expansion of abortion and contraception, and in fact, there is not a place that PSI works where contraception and/or abortion are not included in its activities. And while CRS claims that it would never work with Planned Parenthood because “there’s a threshold in terms of what the focus of an agency is, and the preponderance of their work,” CRS owes Catholics an explanation as to how its funding of PSI is dissimilar to the funding of Planned Parenthood.
But it’s all a smokescreen, anyway. If, as CRS consistently protests, the funding of abortion and contraception providing organizations are merely “pass-through grants” for projects that cannot be used for immoral activities, then technically speaking, CRS should have no moral problem with funding Planned Parenthood for a morally neutral project. As it stands, CRS’s undefined litmus test for the “focus of an agency” and “the preponderance of its work” is immaterial as long as CRS maintains the argument that its grants are merely “pass-through” grants for morally acceptable programs. But CRS’s other excuses are equally absurd.
In its defense of the $2.7 million grant it provided to PSI, CRS claims that the money was not fungible (meaning, it cannot be used for anything other than what it was earmarked for), and that the money was specifically used for fighting malaria. CRS said:
Some will say that all money is fungible, but that is not true. There are very tight controls over the money to ensure it only goes toward the malaria program in Guinea.
PSI, on the other hand, explained on page 52 of this USAID document that its work on malaria was “deeply intertwined” with its “reproductive health” agenda. It said:
“Reproductive, maternal and child health and malaria are all deeply intertwined, affecting poor and vulnerable populations in rural areas together. Success (or failure) in one area, such as malaria, can free up resources to focus on other areas, or drag down progress.”
In other words, PSI is using its malaria-fighting programs in order to further its push for abortion and contraception. In fact, the document further explains how it is using the influence and work of organizations like CRS in order to gain access to people it wouldn’t otherwise have. It said, “Integrated programs also offer many opportunities to reach target audiences, especially rural women and caretakers of children under five, more cost-effectively than a vertical program operating in isolation could.” Given that PSI so clearly stated its intention to integrate its contraception and abortion pushing activities in its malaria-fighting programs, it’s difficult to see how CRS can claim that the money isn’t “fungible.”
Currently, the Lepanto Institute is examining CRS’s latest list of grantees, and the story is simply more of the same. We’ll be providing information on the latest list of scandalous grants as soon as the profiles have been written, but here’s the thing … CRS’s constant excuse-making for why it is funding organizations that push abortion and birth control is a constant retreat into a seemingly endless supply of other excuses. The above excuses were made to exonerate it from the grants it provided to organizations engaged in gravely evil activities. In order to claim to have clean hands, CRS insists that the money wasn’t fungible, and really wasn’t its money anyway. However, this excuse cannot be made for its dues-paying membership in COREgroup and MEDiCAM.
In 2012, CRS was discovered to be a dues-paying member and on the board of directors of COREgroup, an organization that uses a large percentage of its annual budget to push contraception.
Later that year, it was discovered that CRS was a dues-paying member and on the steering committee of MEDiCAM, an organization that actively worked to expand access to and training of abortion providers in Cambodia.
The dues paid by CRS for these memberships is indeed fungible, and doesn’t come in the form of “pass-through” grants, but is provided by money collected from faithful Catholics sitting in the pews on Sundays. Knowing this, CRS didn’t try to make the same excuses it did for the “pass-through” grants it provides to other organizations, but instead opted to claim that membership in these groups was somehow “a means of demonstrating our faithfulness to Church teaching” or that its work would “be hampered if we did not belong.” This is a real departure from the previous excuses because it is an acknowledgement of the evil being done by these organizations and with CRS’s money and CRS’s good name. In other words, CRS is saying that the ends justifies the means, and it’s ok with that.
The real problem here is that CRS sees no problem with funding organizations that view children as a serious obstacle to fighting poverty, and in fact actively work to remove children from the equation. One has to wonder if CRS would ever fund an organization that promoted genocide as the best means of eliminating racism, or an organization that even engaged in sex-trafficking as a means of reducing sexual tensions. Even though it would only be a “pass-through” grant and the particular project wouldn’t go to such efforts, one wonders if CRS would fund an organization that had a side-project to train suicide-bombers seeking to blow-up Catholic churches.
If the answer is “no” to any of these other examples, then either CRS views contraception and abortion as less evil than genocide, sex-trafficking and terrorism, it doesn’t really believe that contraception and abortion are evil at all, or it just values the money it gets from the government more than it values the souls of those corrupted by its grantees.
Whatever the case, when considering the rice-bowl collection this Lent, why not send CRS a note instead, telling them that you will not give them money until they stop funding the enemies of Christ. For your convenience, we’ve made one that you can print out and send to them yourself. Just click the image and print the page.
I applied the old adage, “Birds of a feather flock together,” when I discovered that CRS was part of USCCB, and it turned out to be correct even without the knowledge of any wrong doing by CRS. I have also discovered that CRS gets two-thirds of its funding from the U.S. which, in its self, gives a clue as to what path the CRS must take to receive continued funding from our federal government.
if CRS is doing this terrible thing, why hasn’t the Vatican made it known and to take Catholic out of the CRS name like they did with the paper “National Catholic Reporter”????
These Bishops are going to hell.
Thank you Lepanto for reporting the CRS & culture of death connection.
Someone forward this article to Pope Francis and AB Napier
OHHH MY GOD!… we’ve been beneficiaries of CRS for almost 10 years (Social Action Center of the one of the Diocese in the Philippines). I was grateful then because they sustained our Health, Nutrition and Livelihood Dev’t Program in Parishes where this program was implemented.
And you just used the Lord’s name in vain!!
That is not in vain. Look up the word vain. That was used to invoke Gods mercy and justice for the grave nature of what they were coopted into. Using it to declare a delicious piece of chocolate or a great movie? That would be vain.
Contraception, I.e., artificial and not contraception the Church not only condones but encourages because she recognizes that “instructing ” children is AS important as having them (instructing is an umbrella term for taking care of children in their entire being, is AS evil as terrorism? Wow. Therefore, somewhere between 88% and 98% of Catholics are evil according to this article.
Have any of you ever been on a mission trip to poverty stricken countries? Do you know what it feels like not to have clean water? Do you know anything? But you’re okay with priests molesting children, bishops covering it up, and then being rewarded with comfy retirements or even assignments to grand cathedrals? Imagine my surprise seeing Cardinal Law presiding at St. Mary Major in Rome.
I am adamantly against abortion in EVERY circumstance. I am also opposed to self-righteous Catholics who go to great extremes to excuse themselves from the messing work of serving God’s people by throwing stones at those who do. Talk about your smoke screen. Do you see the connection between “those who load those with heavy burdens that they themselves cannot carry” and that former Catholics are the second largest religious group in the U.S. and growing. well, I’m staying in spite of people like you.
Loretta,
CRS is funding organizations that dispense artificial contraception, perform sterilizations and commit abortions. Should CRS be funding such organizations or not? If so, should CRS also be funding organizations that commit genocide, engage in sex-trafficking and train terrorists?
Wow Michael, you made the jump from contraception, sterilization, and abortion to genocide, sex-trafficking, and terrorism. I would argue on a realistic basis that abortion is on par with those, but not the other two.
From an ideological point of view, I see what you’re getting at. From a realistic stance, it’s a poor comparison.
If we looked at it your way, CRS is just as bad as ISIS.
George,
We agree that abortion is on par with genocide, sex trafficking and terrorism because they are all violent acts. I would argue that contraception and sterilization are the more dangerous sins because they don’t necessarily “feel” sinful. However, Catholic teaching is that deliberate acts of contraception and sterilization are mortally sinful … which is to say that those practicing such things are on the path to eternal damnation. When the poor are faced with genocide and terror, they know to run. But when CRS introduces them to evil organizations like CARE, PSI, and Save the Children without warning them that these organizations intend to deceive them into using contraception, being sterilized and even abort their own babies, then yes, I would say that they are at least as wicked as ISIS.
Amen, brother!
The ultimate terrorism is tearing a preborn baby from his/her mother’s womb!
Catholic brethren if you are practicing any contraception other than NFP, you ARE in grave spiritual danger.
You MUST read both Encyclicals. Humanae and Evangelium Vitae.
The USA tells these 3rd world countries they must do abortion, contraception, or else the USA will with old food and supplies, because Obama did away with the Mexico City Policy, which stated that the,USA would not export abortions, contraceptives overseas.
Loretta, there are other organizations, Catholic and non Catholic that provide help without compromising morals. If I rather give to one of them instead, how am I being selfish? I am still helping the needy. And what do priests who have commited horrible sins have to do with this? The number of priests that have committed such crimes isn’t bigger then the general public. The bishops are wrong for hiding it, but most of the hiding was done a generation ago when people outside the church were also more likely to cover up such embarrassing crimes too. And do you even realize the correlation between contraception, abortion and human trafficking? They are deeply intertwined. Finally stop telling people that by living the faith and trying to be the salt and light to world we are casting stones. Contraception, like any number of sins, is evil. But it is the sin itself that is the evil, not the person. There is always chance of repentance for the sinner. That why no matter which sins tempts us the most, we are all obligated to go to confession.
Loretta,
Please argue one topic at a time. I’m sincerely interested in the debate of whether CRS is linked to abortion providing organizations. If we get caught up in all the purported “evils” in the headlines then we lose track of that debate. NO ONE is exonerating priests who are guilty of molestation nor Bishops who cover it up. Those issues need to be – and have been – addressed separately. But there is certainly a connection between human trafficking and abortion & contraceptives. As a long time supporter of CRS, I’m very interested in learning the truth of these allegations.
That’s RIGHT!! 88% to 98% of Catholics who are using any type of birth control other than NFP may not be evil but they are DOING evil. As Bishop Sheen said: “Right is still right if nobody is right and wrong is still wrong if EVERYBODY is WRONG!!!” Get off your self righteous horse, Deary!!! The hierarchy of the Church decides what is right and wrong morally and when Pope Paul VI said the Faithful may not use artificial birth control that is the final answer to you!!! The members don’t decide what is morally correct or not. The Pope has the final say on the morality of a deed or mind think. Who are YOU, by the way, to decide what is morally correct or NOT?? Are you a self-appointed Pope??? No, Dear. You are someone that Satan has his hooks into and convinced you that THIS world should be made Paradise instead of waiting for the REAL Paradise!!!
I just forwarded your article to the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford. I’m hoping for a positive response.
Lepanto’s claims against CRS have been consistently discredited and shown to be misleading. On what authority are you making these claims? Has the official Catholic Church whom you claim to represent and seek to defend come out to censure CRS over these allegations? If not, who are your authorities? I stand by CRS. I stand by official church teaching. Fr. Kevin Feeney
Canon 212 §3.
Not only have our reports not been discredited, CRS openly acknowledges that they provide funding for abortion and contraception spreading organizations … they just explain it away. We strongly disagree with these explanations. Our other reports have likewise not been discredited or refuted. CRS relies heavily upon people not reading the actual documentation and only following it’s brief rebuttals.
You mentioned three organizations that you say received “funding” from CRS; PSI, CORE and MEDICAM and according to your article this was done 5 -6 years ago. CRS has already responded adequately to these allegation and the relationships clarified at least to my satisfaction . If any mistakes were made, and its a big if, they have been corrected.Therefore, can you provide and substantiate concrete evidence that CRS today or in 2015 provided funding to organizations that carry out abortion, sterilization and the elimination of children (those are your words).
It seems you are rehashing old stuff, spreading it as if it were happening now and staying in business as a result
I will increase my support for CRS.
We are in the process of writing profiles for the organizations CRS is currently funding. These organizations distribute contraception, perform sterilizations and commit abortions.
While you may be satisfied with CRS’s excuses as to why they are providing funds to these groups, many are not. CRS claims it would never fund Planned Parenthood for even a morally neutral project, but then provides grant money to organizations (like Population Services International) that do exactly what Planned Parenthood does. CRS isn’t even being consistent to its own standards.
None are so blind as those that will not see…
And, no, I do not support sodomite priests now the bishops that cover up abuse situations…I am not fine with those at all. I am also not fine with ‘Catholic’ groups funding evil things.
You have not given Edward Rooney a proper answer. Are you “re-hashing old stuff”?
Therese,
What I wrote in this article is still current. Though some of it was discovered between 3 and 4 years ago, the facts have not changed and CRS’s funding practices continue, despite the problems. According to the most recent list of grants from Catholic Relief Services, organizations like CARE and PSI are still receiving funding from CRS, despite the fact that those organizations are spreading the Culture of Death among the world’s poorest people. CRS is still a member of MEDiCAM and COREgroup, despite the fact that those organizations are very actively pushing contraception and abortion as well.
There is more information that will be published soon, but the charge of “re-hashing old stuff” is non-sequitur. Planned Parenthood has been performing abortions and selling sex to children since 1973. Would Edward Rooney suggest that we all just acknowledge that and move on because constantly mentioning that Planned Parenthood is “the world’s largest abortion retail chain” is “old hat?” Or do we keep reminding folks that there is a problem and work to see it resolved?
Maybe the Vatican should retire its non member status with the UN. Then there wont be a chance at all that it can influence the direction of the UN , probably the greatest protagonist for abortion in the world. If CRS is associated with PSI, CARE then there is the chance it might be able to change or influence the direction of these NGOs, just like the Vatican can Influence the UN when it comes to the defense of human life and other egregious practices and policies, despite its non-voting member status. The fact that you are a member of an organization does not mean you agree or support everthing it does
So is there any national/international org. that CAN be trusted to be faithful stewards of our charitable contributions?
We highly recommend:
Caritas in Veritate International – http://www.charityintruthint.com/
Cross Catholic Outreach – http://www.crosscatholic.org/
St. Bryce Missions – http://stbryce.org/
Forwarding to my bishop- I’m not sure if rice bowls are distributed here. But thank you for the well researched article. This is a bombshell. I have worked in developing countries and yes, this is genocide and contributes directly to sex-trafficking. Anyone who thinks differently is hiding their head in the contraceptive/abortion sand. We need to educate Natural Family planning- which doesn’t cost a thing and is completely portable. NFP does not stop rape, but rapists don’t generally stop to use condoms or ask victims if they are on the pill.
It would be great to add these organizations at the end of the article.
All of this is very disturbing, At this point it comes down to he says and she says. Is it possible to somehow petition the Vatican for an independent audit to provide definitive answers.
It is getting pretty bad when even officials within our Church are rightfully questioned.
We do not donate to CRS because of this information.
I also believe the info from Lepanto and Church Militant is not false.
Let’s have a good audit by an independent group
One more audit. Meanwhile souls are being lost. This has been going on for years. If the bishops wanted to do something they should have done it by now. I just don’t understand what is going on. I know there are some wonderful bishops so why can’t they lead the investigation? It seems the laity are going to have to just let the bishops know we will be giving our money to the good organizations that Michael has mentioned and not to CRS until we know they have stopped promoting sin. Our first duty is to lead souls to heaven.
Father Feeney,
In his response to you, i believe that Mr. Hichborn very ably cited Canon 212 §3.
What you call the “official Catholic Church” has a notorious history of unresponsiveness. I really do not mean to be flip, but aren’t you familiar with the priest scandals of recent years?
You say that you “stand by official church teaching.” You may not agree with his analysis, but where on earth do you imagine that Mr Hichborn is contradicting the Catechism?
Thank you for the list of faithful Catholic charities. What do you know about the Catholic organization, Food for the Poor?
Protestant groups who are doing charitable work, and at the same time give witness to Our Lord and His teaching, put us to shame. Is Christian charity only about money or is it also about sharing the gospel for the saving of souls?
Food for the Poor is not a Catholic organization. Cross is both Catholic AND protestant evangelical. It depends on which website you visit. The Pontifical Mission Societies support our Mission Church in 1500 diocese around the world doing charitable work but ALSO and OF COURSE give witness to our lord and his teaching and have been doing so for over 100 years. What is shameful is that most Catholics do not know and support this. http://www.onefamilyinmission.org
CRS defends these charges against Lepanto every year.
Here’s a way to put Mike’s “payment coupon” to good use. http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-faithful-catholics-can-do-operation.html
I do not think the tract sent to CRS would be as effective as a handbill people could print out, or a summary of the problem which could be printed & handed out to fellow parishioners.
Thank you for your research and alerting the faithful to these scandals!
Perhaps a massive letter writing campaign notifying CRS we are boycotting would have an effect.
I’m glad that I don’t support CRS any more! When I learned about its true dealings, I was so angered! I’m not giving any more money to CRS until they stop promoting abortion!
The name Catholic stands on principles which are pro life in all circumstances.To supply condoms.make abortions readily available,are against the teachings of the church. To do good in the ways of the Lord is to teach abstinence to those and show the consequences if not heeded to .Our catholic church has taken many slaps in the face because of a lack to represent the better good. Our church is not fallible but this CRS is using the name Catholic in a very deceiving way. The vatican should look into this and make changes .China has a program half as bad? Spare the son and NO MORE daughters.
For a few years now, I have BEGGED my parish to stop distributing Rice Bowls, to no avail. CRS Rice Bowls have been polluting my time line. So, I finally commented on it and the 5 whole people that praised CRS. They reported me to FB 5 times for SPAM! lol…I guess they can’t stand the truth. How sad. I even provided a link to this article.
We highly recommend:
Catholic Connect Foundation – https://www.catholicconnect.care/
St. Bryce Missions – http://stbryce.org/