Dear Friends,
I received some inquiries recently regarding John Carr, who serves as the Executive Director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The inquiries, stemming from controversies over the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Center for Community Change, essentially asked if John is pro-life and committed to the goal of securing protection for the lives of unborn children.
Because I am in a position to answer that question, and because of the fact that hurting people’s reputations never serves our cause, let me state for the record that the answer to that question is “Yes.”
I have had many opportunities to talk to and listen to John over the years, in public and in private, to read his articles, and to discuss our common goal of seeing social justice and peace applied to our neighbors in the womb. His record is clear, and unlike some others, when he talks about justice and peace and human development, he does not fail to include the unborn.
I share with you below his own comments, as well as those of Richard Doerflinger, the Associate Director of the Secretariat for Pro-life Activities of the US Bishops’ Conference. As we work together to resolve the problems that do exist in our Church and in our culture, let’s do so with great caution to preserve the good reputation to which all of our colleagues have a right.
Fr. Frank Pavone
From John Carr:
My experience with CCC was that it focused on poverty, housing and immigration and had no involvement in issues involving abortion and homosexuality.
When I served, the board never discussed or acted on any position involving these matters and if they had, I would have vigorously opposed any advocacy for access to abortion or gay marriage.
I have spent my personal and professional life defending human life and dignity and Catholic teaching, including current efforts to keep abortion funding out of health care reform. I regret that once again the failure to contact me or CCHD has led to unfair allegations in attempts to undermine the essential work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
From Richard Doerflinger:
The facts behind the allegations about John Carr are simple enough: He was once on the board of an anti-poverty organization that did good work for providing food and housing and promoting rights for immigrants; long after he left the board, the group got into advocacy for abortion and gay rights agendas(which he would have strongly opposed if he had still been on the board). To turn this into a charge against John Carr is ridiculous.
But that is to understate the matter. I have worked with John on health care and abortion issues for two decades at the Catholic bishops’ conference. He has staunchly defended and promoted the Church’s teaching on the right to life of the unborn throughout this time — and often in secular liberal forums where it makes him many enemies and loses him many friends. His dedicated work on the health care reform issue is a major reason why the bishops’ advocacy for the pro-life amendment to the House health care bill was so successful.
The question of whether or not John Carr is pro-life is a straw dog. That’s not the problem the Reform CCHD coalition has been pointing to. They are saying that despite his attitudes towards abortion, he was in a leadership position with an organization (CCC) many of who’s member organizations (and most likely it’s stated mission, too?) had very “progessive” positions on gay and reproductive rights. Many of these groups were and still are funded by CCHD.
This was sort of inevitable because CCHD’s mission forces them into such coalitions. They don’t do direct charity. They are commissioned to work with community organizing groups battling the causes of poverty. These types of groups are traditionally leftist and the left eschews the human rights of the unborn. I should know, I was one of them. To prove the point - is CCHD funding any chastity or anti-abortion grassroots groups? If there are such groups to fund, why bother to fund those that compromise church teaching? The connections are there between promiscuity, availability of abortion, as a backup to it, and poverty if you don’t abort after being brainwashed into promiscuity. Read Wilcox et al.
People have recognized CCHD’s strong connections with Alinsky-style and/or founded organizations for years. No ones’s questioning Carr’s pro-life position. Only how he (read USCCB) carries it out politically. We at the grassroots - who struggle every day with Culture of Death’s brainwashing of our neighbors and friends - are waiting for the bishops (John Carr’s bosses) to take the bull by the horns. Perhaps these entanglements with “the dark side” are part of what’s keeping their hands tied.
Fr. Pavone,
With all due respect, I would like for you to take a look at the open letter ALL submitted in response to the insinuations that Reform CCHD Now is accusing John Carr of being pro-abortion or pro-homosexual. I would also ask that, after having read the letter, you address its contents as well.
http://www.all.org/article.php?id=12532
–Michael
With a lot of respect for Father Pavone, I wonder if he is “naive”. This John Carr is “rolling in the mud with pigs”. He is giving off a “false positive”.
I’m on the board of a pro-life organization. I need to be aware of the many activities that occur. From legislation to fundraising to prayer vigils.
Not in a million years would I be caught dead working as a board member for an organization that is diametrically opposed to what I am fighting for.
Which brings us to John Carr.
The fact that John Carr has been a board member of the CCC brings up two questions.
1. If he, as he claims, was unaware of what CCC stood for, then having him as a high executive for the USCCB is questionable. Questionable because if he is careless enough not to be aware of what happens at the CCC, how can we be confident that he is doing a good job.
He then must relinquish his position due to a lack of confidence he instills.
2. If he was aware of what the CCC is doing. And he issued that statement, then he’s misrepresenting the truth.
Which he then must immediately resign from his USCCB position.
The question is not that he is or isn’t pro-life, the question is whatever the scenario(s) expressed above, it is clear he is unfit for this position.
Besides, Mario Cuomo and Nancy Pelosi are both “personally” pro-life. But their actions speak otherwise.
John Carr’s actions speak louder than words.
What exactly is the purpose of the USCCB?
I echo Benedicta’s and Tito Edward’s excellent points. This matter is not about John Carr, per se. However, his high positions in both organizations makes him a prime example of the corruption that exists within the USCCB. In my opinion, this corruption is so pervasive throughout the USCCB that the only cure for that is the abolishment of the USCCB.
It is important to note that The Catholic Church does not distinguish between public morality and private morality in regards to our Faith and Morals.
Rather than huffing and puffing at critics, the USCCB should be explaining certain things, among them:
They should explain why they were shoveling money into an organization that one of their staffers served as the head of. Can they even spell “conflict of interest”? Rather than attacking the people who are bringing this to light they should be ramping up their own investigation. They might also wish to explain why Carr omitted noting his involvement with the CCC from his USCCB bio. They might also explain why Tom Chabolla, associate director of CCHD programs until 2008, and who worked under Carr, took Carr’s place on the CCC board after Carr left, during a time period when the CCC became involved in pro-abortion advocacy, and whether Chabolla and Carr maintained contacts about the CCC. Chabolla since leaving the CCHD is now assistant to the President of the Service Employees International Union. Finally, perhaps they can explain why, when this all came to light, the first reaction from the CCHD was to scrub their website of all mention of ties with the CCC.
In regard to the CCHD, Tom Chabolla concerns me far more than John Carr. Chabolla’s involvement with the CCC and the CCHD while the CCC was becoming involved in pro-abortion advocacy, and his subsequent attempts to convince Catholics to vote for Obama, notwithstanding Obama’s strident pro-abortion stance, leads me to wonder how many CCHD staffers share the Church’s opposition to abortion, and how this plays out in regard to the groups that are funded.
http://onelacatholic.blogspot.com/2008/11/ex-mahony-official-touts-obama-in.html
Time for the USCCB to stop shooting the messengers and to conduct internal investigations and clean house.
Can someone tell me what business Paul Booth, Fr. Thomas Reese, and Dr. Diana Hayes have speaking to an audience of Catholics at a USCCB-sponsored event?
http://www.pewsitter.com/view_news_id_28931.php
I was also wondering why the USCCB hasn’t come out to defend Tom Chabolla’s pro-life credentials since he was mentioned in the report as well.
And perhaps the USCCB wouldn’t mind explaining why the CCHD website called on Catholics to support the CCC (until Feb 01) even though the initial report on CCC came out three months ago?
It’s like an onion … there’s always another layer to peel back, and each one stinks worse than the previous.
Clearly the line has been drawn in the sand between those who are for Him, and those who are against Him. It is time for those Bishops who have been asleep, to wake up, and “Be Not Afraid”. Actually, the time has come for all of us who are for Him, to wake up!
This is just another in many blows being delivered to the Holy Church. Many of the faithful would be shocked at how riddled the Church’s administrative body in America has become with those intent on doing harm to God’s Word. Friends, this is nothing short of the influence and corruption by the most Evil One. There is a battle enjoined now, on this earth, in this place for every living soul born and those yet conceived. Our Church Superiors have been corrupted and lured away from Holy Teachings in order to mislead the faithful in both their spiritual as well as secular beliefs. Pray for the fire of the Holy Spirit to renew within our Church Leadership in fidelity to God’s Word and a renewed awe for the sacrifice of His most divine Son, Jesus Christ.
Okay Father, now I am really confused.
Did just miss the point that the USCCB, in the person of your homeboy Johnny C., is funding people and groups the fight against you and the unborn? Did you miss that point, or did you deliberately miss that point?
I guess what I am asking is, are yiou just dumb or are you really with the enemy? am I supposed to keep sending you money on the basis of your indifference to the vilest corruption of the Church in the US? Maybe I’ll just go find one of the drunks living under the overpass…
Let’s all take a deep breath and refrain from attacking Fr. Pavone, whose pro-life commitments, like John Carr’s, have not come into question by the Reform CCHD Now coalition. This is just nonsense.
What is not nonsense is asking Fr. Pavone to actually read the reports and respond to them instead of responding to USCCB spin. It is false to claim that CCC only began its advocacy for Really Bad Things after Carr left. It is disingenuous to ignore the fact that after Carr left, he was replaced by another CCHD exec, Chabolla, who very much presided over the CCC’s doing of Really Bad Things.
It is also disingenuous to not ask the question of how Carr could not know what was going on at the CCC when he had worked with them since 1983!!! It is in error to not ask the USCCB, which Fr. Pavone is also defending here, why they silently removed their link to this troubling organization silently, and after this last round of reports by RCN.
One could go on and on. Please read the reports, and try to avoid the bluster on either side. The CCHD and its leadership are at this point culpably ignorant if they think they can continue their old alliances and not have anyone notice how truly corrupt they have become.
It is well past time for a deep reform of the CCHD, and not by the like-minded at the USCCB.
Doesn’t Carr know you are known by the company that you keep. Yes, I know Jesus hung out with sinners. He also told them to ask for forgiveness and sin no more.
Dear Father Pavone:
The essential problem here is that the CCHD is allied closely with leftist organizations that view the problem of poverty via a left wing political agenda. I suspect that there may be those like Mr. Carr who because they are sympathetic to ultra liberal political approaches to economic and social problems, iadvertenly but still inevitably will lead to close associations with groups that are sympathetic to other elements of the left wing poltical agenda. among these of course are maintenance of the current abortion regimen.
I think it is clear that the problem is not jsut whether Mr. Carr is personally pro life. ( If those who know him say he is, I think this should certainly be conceded. The larger and more important problem is that the USCCB because ti is largely sympathetic to left wing political approaches to all kinds of social problems will routinely find itself in bed with groups who favor the whole left wing agenda including abortion on demand. A look at the groups funded by CCHD shows that many of them are not only not pro life, they favor political approaches to poverty that are not very likely to help the poor. If such left wing approaches to dealing with poverty worked, our inner cities which are have been under the political control of the poltical left for decades would not be in ruins. (Have any of the Bishops bothered to look at the condition of Detroit recently!) For those of concerned with poverty there are many organizations that help the poor without perpetuating a political ideology that manifestly will grind the poor into perpetual poverty. Think Mother Theres’s sisters of Charity, or The Little sisters of the poor, or Local Parishes chapter of the St. vincent DePaul society. The CCHD is hopelessly corrupted and I could not in good conscience continue to support them, until the stables are cleaned. ( and that means not jsut avoiding support from overtly pro abortion groups, but to cease and desist from their left wing bias in funding.
Father,
We seem to be derailing.
Let us be clear.
John Carr currently oversees the CCHD.
Thirty-one (31) CCHD grantees are partners with the Campaign for Community Change (CCC).
Among other things CCC organized to stop the Stupak Amendment which would restrict federal funding for most abortions.
Neither Carr nor the USCCB have addressed this. Nor have they addressed the charge that after Carr left the CCC’s board of directors, Tom Chabolla, associate director of programs for the CCHD until 2008, joined the board.
If John Carr and the USCCB did not know about the proabort legislative history and dissent of the groups they are funneling money into, which has been public information for ten years, their ineptitude makes them ineligible for their roles. If there were dots connecting these groups to slavery or pedophilia, this discussion would not be happening.
The USCCB’s funding and connection to harmful initiatives that end in the death of children is indefensible.
If the good father was pro life himself, he would have stood up to the U.S.C.C.B. for allowing Catholics to vote for a radical pro choice candidate. Only Bishops Burke and Martino did, to my knowledge. The end never justifies the means, and for the good Bishops to say in their letter on voting, it’s a matter of conscienous, is bull. Not even the pill is a matter of conscienous. If it’s chruch and state violation, and taxation is brought upon the church, to save the unborn, real pro lifer’s would say, “bring it on”, we in the pews would be glad to reach farther in our pockets. Obama is for national health, and our Bishops will throw the abortion issue out to get nation health. Just watch and see.
I must say, Father, I agree that you should read more deeply about the USCCB. And also about their involvement with the Stupak amendment, which I believe you also supported - and yet, in addition to the many bad things it ignored in the health care bill, it also, fatally, enshrined abortion for rape and incest. How could that have been called a prolife amendment? And yet, John Carr and Mr Doerflinger were in there negotiating this travesty with Nancy Pelosi. And then Mr Doerflinger dares to cite this as his main piece of evidence that John Carr is prolife. Please see this for the street theater that it is!
Once rape/incest exceptions are admitted for abortion, the intellectual foundation for prolife crumbles.
Dear Father, as an Executive Board member of Arizona RTL, I was challenged to prove that the USCCB had ties to the Center for Community Change abortion policies. I looked up the CCC on the internet and one of their articles directed me to a page with a list of their coalition members. Included were Planned Parenthood, Physicians for Reproductive Health, National Abortion Federation and various other suspect groups. I believe that though some of their issues are valid, if they support abortion in any way we must exclude them from our treasure and blessings. After 50+ million babies destroyed, we should take a very hard look at