Why was the government funding the hobbies of Catholic bishops? Aren’t we supposed to have a separation of church and state? I’m not Catholic. Why should my taxes fund Catholic programs?
No disrespect at all to Catholics but I would be equally opposed to taking the money of Catholic, Protestant or atheist taxpayers and putting them towards Orthodox initiatives. How is it decided, anyway, whose denomination gets funded and at what rate?
Separation of church and state is meant to keep the state out of church business. The churches have always been able to lobby, etc. for their own needs. So if any church or other organization provides a service that the government desires, in this case the resettling of refugees, the government was always free to make contracts on those services. The alternative is to provide the services from within govt. departments or get out of the [immigration resettling] business altogether.
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it’s not just Catholics. Lots of religiously affiliated social services orgs get federal funding.
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But why though? It’s a contract for services provided. Aren’t all the JW’s or atheist orgs welcome to submit their quote for the [immigration] services they offer? We should only hope the contract ultimately accepted by the government is reasonable for all parties affected. If the federal govt doesn’t want to spend that money anymore so be it: the church is now free to do it out of charity and even proselytize the immigrants if they want!
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We (the church people) should not, ever, accept government money for any charity project, no matter how important or cherished. The funding *always* comes with political strings attached, *always* increases the overhead costs of operating the charity, and *always* corrupts the organization. Free money attracts conmen.
This is what happened to the Red Cross ages ago. It’s what’s happened to Catholic Charities a little more recently. Those organizations need to be given a respectful burial and remembered for the good work they once did. The money got to them.
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Agreed, google: Catholic NGO’s illegal aliens and see them try to dodge their behavior. My late wife and myself always tithed to the Salvation Army because she volunteered there, and often broke down weeping about the kids when she came home. After they went woke, I switched to Saint Peter’s until I discovered the behavior of those Catholoc NGO’s. Now my charity is limited to the local Loaves and Fishes.
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I stopped giving money to any kind of Catholic charities during the COVID times when I realized the level of mismanagement. I give money to the parish to help to keep the lights on, but that’s it. I sometimes give to the local food banks or directly to homeless. They will not do worse things with the money than Peter’s Pence did…
We used to send our hurricane-relief donations to SA, after having the experience locally of SA being literally the first people set up and giving out drinking water, ice, and hot meals, after the storm passed. They were well-organized, did good work. I was so disheartened to hear that the woke train had run them over.
We now look to Cajun Navy, Mennonite Disaster Service, and Samaritan’s Purse, when we’re looking for somewhere to send a donation for natural-disaster relief, domestically.
I am not Catholic, but during covid we donated to CC’s food pantry locally, because the increased need (what with all the marginal-income people out of work) was enormous.
I will never do that again. The stuff that has come out since then about CCs political/activist activities is horrifying, and we have since found other food banks that only collect and give away food.
I’m a Catholic and certified Sunday School teacher and I agree that the government and the church ought to be seperate, unfortunately Catholic Charities has sold out to the woke agenda and resettle illegals in the US. I no longer give to any Catholic charity and only put money in the collection plate, it’s such a shame since I love my church and going back to my Catholic faith stopped me from being a misanthropic alcoholic. This is what happens when churches get involved with government, they become corrupted
Based on a quick google search it appears that an Orthodox charity IOCC is at least eligible to receive grants from the US government. The government tenacles are everywhere.
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Is there any evidence they have received such grants?
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The levels of corruption that DOGE has unearthed is simply staggering. Same as all those so-called NGOs apparently doing all sorts of dirty things on the American taxpayer’s dime: unbelievable!
This is charity done with other people’s money: if the Catholic Church is so keen on resettling “refugees”, she should do so with its own money.
NGOs are some of the greatest rackets plaguing Western societies for over fifty years now: Musk exposing them and their sickening, revolting, self-serving hypocrisy is one of the best side effects of Trump’s second presidency!
I will remind everyone bemoaning the wokeness of this, that providing federal funds to religious charities to provide social services was one of George W. Bush’s big domestic policy pushes.
I remember thinking at the time that having government handing over money would not be good for the churches in the long run. Money always comes with strings.
One more reason W sucked. Remember how that got used as leverage to try and force Catholic Charities to place foster kids with gay couples?
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One down, dozens more to go! And it’s not just Catholics. Love to have our DHS boss be on the board of an open borders organization. Oops!
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
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