Bearing false witness?
[The following piece by Anne Hendershott appeared in the Wall Street Journal on September 18. Hendershott emailed the WSJstory to Cal Catholic with a note (“I just wanted to thank you and your great editors for the information on SDOP - I have been doing research on Acorn, IAF, and PICO so the SDOP part really helped this article.”)]Claiming that the opposition is "bearing false witness" by spreading misinformation about his health-care plan, President Barack Obama has asked religious leaders to become the latest conscripts in the battle over health-care reform. And although each version of the proposed health-care bill so far has explicitly authorized the government plan to cover the cost of abortion, many Catholic leaders and organizations have joined up, pledging their support.
For faithful Catholics, it is discouraging to see that Catholic Charities USA and the Catholic Health Association have both embraced the plan. And it is even more discouraging to learn that some parish priests and bishops are leading the fight for it. While Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, has urged lawmakers to block the current House legislation unless it can be amended to prohibit public financing for abortion, his is a lonely voice. In a commentary posted on the Web site of the San Bernardino Diocese in California, Bishop Gerald Barnes denigrated those who have participated in what he called the "anger-fueled conduct" at town meetings and directed followers to the Bishops' Web site to learn about Catholics' moral obligation to help others gain access to quality health care.
The Web site advises Catholics to "join the efforts of local groups funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development." As it happens, the Catholic Campaign has been involved in funding left-leaning organizations and activities from its earliest years, subsidizing not only the Industrial Areas Foundation but also Acorn (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), both of which have promoted pro-choice candidates for office. And though "funding irregularities" at Acorn ended financial support from the Catholic Campaign, an organization called the Pacific Institute for Community Organizations (PICO) has stepped in to fill the void.
Founded in 1972 under the leadership of Father John Baumann, a Jesuit who learned community organizing in Chicago, PICO has become heavily invested in promoting the president's health-care reform. It has organized "Faith and Health Care Sundays" throughout the country. When the San Diego Organizing Project, a PICO affiliate, held an "action on health care" at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Pastor Bob Fambrini accused opponents of misleading the faithful on health care in the same way that they had supposedly "lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
To allay fears about the Democrats' health-care plan, PICO has teamed up with the liberal Christian group Sojourners and the George Soros-funded Catholics in Alliance for the Public Good to provide congregations with a "Health Care Tool Kit." While the kit's brochure does not deny that the proposed health-care reform will fund elective abortion with public money, it states rather neutrally: "How Congress applies current policy on federal funding for abortion to new systems created through health reform will be an important issue for the faith community." It also reassures readers that conscience protections will remain in place—even though no such assurance is offered in any of the versions of the reform.
Last month, the Orange County Congregation Community Organization, a PICO affiliate, gathered more than 300 community members at St. Callistus Catholic Church in Garden Grove, Calif., for a "A Prayer Vigil for Health Care." The main speaker at the vigil, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a pro-choice Democrat from California, was joined at the head table by Auxiliary Bishop Dominic Luong. In 2002 the Catholic Campaign supported community agencies that helped Ms. Sanchez defeat Catholic pro-life Rep. Bob Dornan.
Drawing upon support within Catholic community agencies is a strategy that worked well for Mr. Obama when he was running for president. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United tried to neutralize the abortion issue during the campaign by suggesting that Mr. Obama's proposals on "social justice" issues like poverty were the way to reduce abortion rates without restricting abortion rights.
Now personnel from these organizations are playing a role in enlisting Catholic support for health-care reform. Alexia Kelley, appointed to head the president's Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives, couples a decade of experience of working on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development with her most recent work as co-founder and director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Chris Korzen, a co-founder of Catholics United and of the Catholic Voting Project in 2004, recently organized support for pro-choice Kathleen Sebelius's appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services by gathering signatures for an online petition titled "Catholics for Sebelius." Since joining the administration, of course, Ms. Sebelius has played a key role in pushing for health-care reform.
The latest polls indicate that support for reform has dipped below 50%. With numbers like these, it's no wonder the president is looking for help, but Catholics should not be Mr. Obama's faith-healers.
—Ms. Hendershott heads the Politics, Philosophy and Economics Program at The King's College in New York. Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W13
From http://www.calcatholic.com/
