President Bush's faith-based initiative to fund community programs is a step in the right direction, although not the final answer to the needs of such programs, according to the executive director of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.

"The president is not intending this program to be the answer to everything, and in fact the funds available [to organizations] are very limited," said Msgr. Gregory Cox, one of more than 1,000 church and community workers who attended a speech by the president March 3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. "But the fact that the government is looking at trying to develop partnerships with faith-based groups, and reminding them that they do need to be accountable and show positive outcomes if they receive funds, is important."

The program maintains the constitutionally mandated separation between church and state by requiring that the funds be used for a public purpose and open to people from all religious backgrounds without requiring them to listen to religious proselytizing to receive services.

President Bush established, by executive order, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to provide government funds to community agencies run by religious organizations, after proposed legislation stalled in Congress. The newly formed office was intended to make good on Bush's 2000 campaign vow to direct more funding to and ease the red tape for religious organizations seeking federal money for community outreach programs.

Msgr. Cox said the faith-based initiative program levels the funding playing field for religious charities. It's important to remember, he noted, that faith-based programs are not intended to take on the responsibility of the government.

"This program is not the answer but a piece to a larger puzzle," said Msgr. Cox. "It's strictly public money for a public purpose."

In fact, in his March 3 address --- part of a re-election campaign tour in Los Angeles --- Bush told the assembled workers, "You can't proselytize. But you can use federal money to help a person quit drinking. You can use federal money to help a person find housing, but you can't say only Methodists allowed."

The president said that in 2003 $1.1 billion in government funds were granted to faith-based organizations. And he singled out the Catholic Church as a model for community social service.

"Faith-based programs were initiated by a lot of faiths, but the Catholic Church has always been on the forefront of faith-based programs," he said. "The Catholic Church has been providing hospitals and schools and they've been making a big difference in neighborhoods."