SPOKANE DIOCESE TO HOLD C.C.H.D. COLLECTION DESPITE FUNDING OF PRO-ABORTION, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE GROUPS

Washington, DC (14 May 2010) – Judie Brown,
president of American Life League, expressed
dismay after the Diocese of Spokane,
Washington, informed ALL that it will
participate in the Catholic Campaign for
Human Development’s annual collection,
following six months of continuing
revelations that the CCHD is funding
organizations that promote contraception,
abortion and/or same-sex “marriage.”

Brown said, “When such egregious violations
of Catholic doctrine have been verified and
exposed, it is the bishop’s responsibility
to protect his flock from scandal.”

Last November, ALL and the Reform CCHD Now
Coalition revealed that nearly 50
organizations receiving funds from the CCHD
were advocating ideologies that directly
contradict the Catholic Church’s teaching.

Michael Hichborn, ALL’s lead researcher on
the CCHD, said, ”It’s disheartening to hear
that Bishop William Skylstad will not be
joining his 10 brother bishops who have
announced that their dioceses will not take
up the CCHD’s annual collection this year
because of its history of funding such
organizations.”

Bishops are free to decide whether or not
their dioceses will participate in the
annual nationwide collection in November.
Those that do participate send 75 percent
of the collection to the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.
The remaining 25 percent is used for local
CCHD initiatives.

ALL and the Reform CCHD Now coalition have
released detailed reports on one-fifth of
last year’s CCHD grantees and recently
revealed a version of the Stations of the
Cross produced by the CCHD that highlighted
grantees advocating ideologies that violate
Church teaching.

“We hope that the Catholics of the Spokane
diocese will read our reports and write on
the CCHD collection envelope,

‘No funds for CCHD,’

and we continue to call on Catholics
throughout the country to withhold
donations to the CCHD until it is thoroughly
investigated and reformed,” said Hichborn.

American Life League was cofounded in 1979
by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots
Catholic pro-life organization in the United
States and is committed to the protection of
all innocent human beings from the moment of
creation to natural death.

For more  information or press inquiries,
please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Reform CCHD Now:
http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=85070&N=804&L=3538&F=T

American Life League: CCHD
http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=85070&N=804&L=3390&F=T