First Things recently featured an article on Catholic Charities.  The organisation, one would think, upholds Christianity and Catholicism.

Catholic Charities has engaged a lobbying organisation to help draft a position document on poverty. The Sheridan Group is run by a gay Catholic. This is unbiblical, but, apparently, the charity isn’t too worried.

Gabriel Torretta, writing for First Things, points out (emphases mine):

Catholic Charities could have hired any number of successful Washington lobbying firms to draft their poverty legislation. By hiring the Sheridan Group without apparent regard for its policy portfolio, Catholic Charities sends a clear message: paying lip service to Catholic teachings is more important than following them. Nor is this message lost on the public:

Sister Jeannine Gramick, a Catholic nun and one of the founders of New Ways Ministry, which provides support for LGBT Catholics, said Catholic Charities USA and some local Catholic Charities agencies have provided behind-the-scenes support for the LGBT Catholic community.

“Catholic Charities in general have been the most progressive wing of the church other than the nuns,” she said. “In some cases, Catholic Charities USA has supported our events. I feel they personally are pro-gay but they can’t do this publicly.”

Hiring a group that actively works to advance a position on homosexuality that the Church has continually opposed creates a cognitive dissonance, separating what Catholic Charities says about its adherence to Church teachings and what it does. And when it comes to being Catholic, actions speak louder than words.

This is just to alert Catholics who believe this charity is one in accordance with scriptural and Church teaching to investigate further before making further donations.

A First Things reader, austinne, describes her experience in volunteering for the charity:

I volunteered for a Catholic Charities refugee resettlement program. In all the ways Catholic Charities used to help them feel integrated in our country–prayer, church community, or God was never mentioned. I suggested that we could put something in the welcome packet, a prayer perhaps, and was rebuffed. Catholic Charities would never do that; I was reprimanded as if the idea was manipulative instead of supportive. I think if we really believe “God is our refuge and strength” and that our faith is true, we would be sharing that too.

Austinne is correct — a Christian charity should be gently sharing the faith, which is a great source of comfort in times of the desolation and confusion in which a refugee would find himself.  To reprimand a volunteer for mooting the idea is reprehensible, to say the least.

Once again, things aren’t always what they seem — another reminder to be careful with charitable donations.