Bishop Thomas John Paprocki: Looking at Effective Programs that Address Poverty

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

The 2024 Spring Plenary Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) took place June 13-15 in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to the public sessions, the bishops spent time in executive session reflecting on the future of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). This discussion was prompted in part by the fact that, in 2022, the most recent year for which information is publicly available, the campaign operated at a $5.7 million deficit. CCHD is also plagued by repeated reports of giving grants to organizations that promote or are affiliated with causes that are contrary to Catholic teachings.

Executive session supposedly provides a confidential forum for brainstorming and frank discussion of proposals before going into public debate and decision-making. I say “supposedly” because shortly after the “confidential” executive session there was a story in the National Catholic Reporter in which Michael Sean Winters wrote, “Several bishops told me that in the executive session where the Catholic Campaign for Human Development was discussed, the support for the program was overwhelming. Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki intervened to suggest it was time to sunset the program, and his sentiments were echoed by Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Joseph Naumann.” ….