The Lepanto Institute has denounced that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), a program dependent on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, continued funding the Border Workers United (BWU) organization despite receiving evidence in 2022 that the entity was actively participating in pro-abortion activities and contrary to Catholic doctrine. According to the updated report published this Tuesday, the CCHD delivered another $100,000 to BWU distributed in two grant periods that ended in 2024, thus ignoring previous warnings.
New evidence: pro-abortion marches and events contrary to Catholic morality
The expanded version of the report presents additional evidence of BWU’s direct involvement in openly pro-abortion activities, including its participation in a public event organized “to show love to our local abortion providers” and its attendance at a “Selma-themed drag show.” In the 2022 first report, the Lepanto Institute had already shown photographs published by the organization itself on social media, in which BWU members marched carrying pink signs with the slogan “Stand with Planned Parenthood.”
Michael Hichborn, president of the Lepanto Institute, harshly questioned the bishops’ lack of action: “How many times do we have to present evidence, directly from the beneficiaries themselves, that demonstrates their participation in gravely immoral activities before the bishops do something? What we have obtained from BWU could not be clearer.” Hichborn also recalled that the last CCHD subsidy was granted “after our first report demonstrated their involvement in pro-LGBT activism and marches in favor of Planned Parenthood.”
Criticism of the lack of oversight in the use of Catholic funds
The Lepanto Institute maintains that the case demonstrates a serious lack of vigilance in the allocation of resources collected among the faithful, accusing the CCHD of allowing “vast amounts of Catholic money” to end up in the hands of organizations that openly attack the morality and social doctrine of the Church. “The CCHD shows no intention of preventing Catholic funds from supporting entities that undermine the Church’s teachings,” stated Hichborn, who added that the situation “has only gotten worse.”
In the face of this reiteration of irregularities, the Lepanto Institute renewed its call to the United States bishops to proceed with the permanent dissolution of the CCHD, arguing that the structure has proven incapable of ensuring the doctrinal fidelity of the projects it funds.