An Open Letter to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

We, the undersigned clergy, leaders, and staff of Gamaliel affiliates across this country, represent more than a thousand congregations and religious institutions in twelve states in the U.S.

We thank you for the decades of financial support that you have provided to our affiliates through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). You have enabled us to raise up and develop leaders from poor and marginalized communities who are claiming their God-given right to participate in the decision-making that impacts their lives, their families, and their communities.

We write to you in advance of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2024 Annual Spring Plenary Assembly with grave concern for the future of CCHD. We have been alerted that the number of grants approved this year, as well as the size of those grants, will likely be significantly reduced.

We know that CCHD has been under attack for many of its 50-plus years by a vocal and extremist right-wing group in the Catholic Church whose agenda does not appear to align with the Scriptural and moral mandate to address the problems of the poor and marginalized in society. Recently, they engaged in a public “hit job” on CCHD (see article from National Catholic Reporter) claiming that CCHD funds have been mismanaged.

In response to the claim of mismanagement, nothing could be farther from the truth based on our experience. Through the years, CCHD has consistently required our affiliates to provide a full and public accounting of the use of those funds.

As for the ongoing attacks on CCHD, we believe—as our evidence is anecdotal—that it is a small group who are driving the agenda to weaken or even destroy CCHD. While they are very vocal, they do not represent the beliefs of the majority of parishioners in the dioceses across this country who faithfully give to the CCHD offering.

We know that you will be spending time in prayer and dialogue with your clergy colleagues at the Spring Assembly and that CCHD funding will likely be an area of focus during that time. We urge you to consider the lives that you have impacted through CCHD over the last five decades and what that has meant for the flourishing of the Kingdom of God. At the same time, we urge you to consider the potential harm and the long-term negative impact that a significantly-reduced CCHD program (or worse, the end of CCHD) will have on millions of poor and marginalized people across this country—not just in 2024, but for decades to come.

We commit to praying with you and for you as you prepare for and participate in the Spring Plenary Assembly, and we look forward to a renewed commitment to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development program!

In community,

Signatures