Members of the U.S. bishops' subcommittee overseeing the Catholic Campaign for Human Development reassured their fellow bishops and donors that "no group that opposes Catholic social or moral teaching is eligible for funding" from their domestic anti-poverty campaign.

"We pledge our ongoing efforts to ensure that all CCHD funds are used faithfully, effectively and in accord with Catholic social and moral teaching," Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Miss., subcommittee chairman, and the five other bishops who sit on the subcommittee said Nov. 17 in a statement to the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, joined the subcommittee in its statement.

The campaign has come under attack from a coalition of Catholic groups pushing for a boycott of this year's CCHD collection the weekend of Nov. 21-22. They claim some organizations that receive funding are not in line with church teaching.

The essential mission of CCHD is "to help the poor overcome poverty," the bishops' statement said. By contributing to the national collection, Catholics can respond to Pope Benedict XVI's invitation for every disciple of Christ to help the poor, it added.

"Across our nation, CCHD is helping thousands of low-income families improve their lives and communities, to seek justice and to defend their dignity," the statement said, adding that in the nation's current economic conditions it is needed "now more than ever."

"All CCHD grants are carefully reviewed at both the national and diocesan levels and are approved by the local diocesan bishop. No group that opposes Catholic social or moral teaching is eligible for CCHD funding," it said.

The CCHD Web site, www.usccb.org/cchd, includes background on when CCHD was founded, information on the collection and how grants are distributed.

"If any CCHD-funded group violates the conditions of a grant and acts in conflict with Catholic teaching, CCHD funding is immediately terminated," the bishops' statement said.

"However, one case is one too many, and we are committed to strengthening CCHD's review and monitoring processes to assure that all CCHD funds are used in accord with Catholic principles," it said. "We will continue to review CCHD's processes and guidelines to ensure that CCHD continues to practice what our church teaches on the option for the poor, participation, subsidiarity, solidarity and the dignity of all God's children."

The bishops created CCHD "to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ to 'bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, and set the downtrodden free,'" the bishops said in the statement, quoting the Gospel of St. Luke.

"As we approach the annual CCHD collection, we urge your generous support of the help and hope that CCHD has offered for decades," the bishops said. "CCHD is needed now more than ever in these tough economic times when so many families are suffering and poverty is growing."

Organizers of the boycott urged Catholics to state their objections to CCHD by downloading a specially designed coupon and putting it instead of contributions in the collection basket.

The coupon explains that the user's financial support will be withheld this year because of concern that some CCHD-sponsored programs do not fully support church teaching. It says the user will resume donations once the group demonstrates that "it will work only with groups fully in agreement with church teaching on social justice and family and life issues" and when it "publishes prominently on its Web site exactly where all CCHD funds" are distributed.

The bishops' statement cited three cases --- out of 250 funded groups during the last year --- in which funding was terminated and the groups were asked to repay any grant funds that were spent.

The bishops also pledged to "seek to strengthen CCHD's unique and essential efforts to practice charity, seek justice and pursue the common good as taught in the social encyclicals of the church, most recently by our current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in 'God Is Love' and 'Charity in Truth.'"

Rob Gasper, president of Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, one of the groups calling for a reform of CCHD, said in an Oct. 28 statement that he was trying to shed light "not only on the CCHD" but to also promote groups that serve the poor "in a way that is consistent with Catholic teaching."

"We just think that faithful Catholics in the pews should be able to trust that the money they give to the CCHD is going to reputable organizations that in no way work against the church," he said.

Stephen Phelan, communications manager for Human Life International, said the reform group supports the Catholic bishops and was confident the bishops will likewise "support this call for greater transparency in the CCHD and to a deep reform in the organization."

---CNS