Refuting the non-refutation of the CCHD

I promised myself that I’d written the last article of the year about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) – the collection won’t be tabled, no matter how much scandal swirls around it, and the collection’s various supportive bishops and CCHD offices are scrambling to write ameliorating publicity pieces to assure fellow Catholics that despite its problems, CCHD will somehow help people who are struggling to find affordable housing, jobs, or medical care. However, the “For the Record – The Truth about CCHD Funding” document currently on the national CCHD pages at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website is too much. Similar – in fact identical in some sections – to a 1997 CCHD document with the same name, “For the Record…” presents itself as refuting numerous “allegations.”