By Vicki Yamasaki, Corpus Christi for Unity and Peace - CUP’s investigation will unveil a systemic issue stemming from inadequate financial oversight, raising the question of who truly governs the Catholic Church in America: the bishops or the government. At the pinnacle is the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which has amassed billions of dollars from the government, making these funds a significant portion of their revenue. The USCCB then distributes millions of government funds to Catholic Charities and other Catholic NGOs, thereby wielding substantial influence over these organizations. But who is ultimately in the driver’s seat? The government. As Aristotle aptly put it, “The man who has the purse strings rules the house.”