Some days I have empathy for Protestant Reformation...

For me, being Catholic is both a religion and a cultural identity. My family lived for several years in a house without indoor plumbing because, quite literally, my father would not lie about being Catholic for the sake of a job. One of my first recollections of public school was the teacher explaining to the class what a WASP was, and that I was not one of them. But everyone was going to show true Christian charity to the poor pagan boy anyway...

Instead of making an effort to fit in, I began wearing my Catholicism as a badge of distinction. Since I was partially motivated by a deep dislike for the teacher (and later took waaay too much pleasure in her getting embroiled in a titillating small town sexual scandal), this was not nearly as noble as it sounds.

It was not until later in life that I began to really appreciate our faith's true place in my life. The extended family of parish members who were there for me when my father was dying. The community that came together when a classmate of my daughter's struggled with, and ultimately succumbed to, a rare form of bone cancer. The looks for shared joy when my severely disabled son took first communion...

Over the last few years I have spent a lot of time studying Church history, and have increasingly found myself taking the role of an 'apologist'. It is not that I deny that the human leadership of the Church makes mistakes, but I think that those mistakes have to be viewed in the broader context of human history.

For example, I have come to accept the sexual abuse scandals as a combination of misguided efforts to protect the Church and poor applications of forgiveness and charity. I have gotten caught up in the slippery slope of poor judgement myself, so I have tried, very hard, not to judge the US bishops too harshly. Even when my stomach was still churning over the first revelations, we made a conscious effort to keep our collection giving up. More importantly, I have tried to remind myself on a regular basis not to let the actions of a few, no matter how horrible, color my perception of the entire ordinary, who give so much.

But there are times that I am sorely tested. Take this news release for example. The headline says it all: "Catholic Campaign for Human Development Ends All Funding to ACORN". If one relies exclusively on say, TV news this might seem like a welcome development. There are, after all, many questions about ACORN...

The problem is that, if one bothers to actually research the facts, the questions and accusations are seemingly baseless and have only been raised and pushed for political purposes:

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/acorn_accusations.html
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/florida/story/727793.html

As ACORN itself notes, the agency, not others, has been the chief whistle blower in virtually all cases. For example, it is required, by law, to submit all voter registration forms received, but flagged suspicious ones before passing them on. So when Bishop Roger Morin says this:

"More recently, the Subcommittee also became concerned about
widespread reports of ACORN involvement in alleged voter registration fraud and
political partisanship."

He appears to be saying that the subcommittee is reacting to false witness born against an agency which is, seemingly, pursuing the common good. In its Doctrinal Note on participation in political life, the Vatican states:

"The Church recognizes that while democracy is the best
expression of the direct participation of citizens in political choices, it
succeeds only to the extent that it is based on a correct understanding of the
human person. Catholic involvement in political life cannot compromise on this
principle, for otherwise the witness of the Christian faith in the world, as
well as the unity and interior coherence of the faithful, would be non-existent.
The democratic structures on which the modern state is based would be quite
fragile were its foundation not the centrality of the human person. It is
respect for the person that makes democratic participation possible. As the
Second Vatican Council teaches, the protection of «the rights of the person is,
indeed, a necessary condition for citizens, individually and collectively, to
play an active part in public life and administration»."

If use measurable reality as a yardstick, we do not have a significant problem with voter fraud in this country. In fact, when Indiana defended its voter ID law in front of the US Supreme Court, no evidence of actual voter fraud was presented. But we do have a serious problem with voter suppression and disenfranchisement. For example, we know that the Indiana law obstructed elderly nuns from voting.

Even more disturbing, the Attorney General firing scandal appears to have a strong connection to partisan based voter suppression (see also here). Remember, this is not just the realm of political accusations, but also a growing chain of confessions and criminal convictions. If you take away a person's right to vote, eliminating their voice in directing society, are you not attacking that person's inalienable rights as a human person, as defined by the Pastoral Constitution of the Second Vatican Council? Further, if you twist the Justice Department for partisan political purposes are you not eroding our legitimacy as a society in the eyes of God?

ACORN primarily is focused on activities that we, as Catholics, should support. For example, it's efforts to register the poor and dispossessed to vote is in keeping with our obligation to social justice. Hiring the poor to do the actual work is not without problems, but a laudable goal in its own right. Similarly, its work on affordable housing meets our obligation to the development of a socially just economy, while its requirement that participants undergo training and counseling on money management and fiscal restraint is compatible with our beliefs regarding personal responsibility.

There may be legitimate reasons for the CCHD not to have a financial connection to ACORN, but false accusations and the malfeasance of an employee eight years ago does not seem to be one. Using similar logic, I could argue that the much broader child abuse scandals, combined with all those questions about Catholicism's legitimacy as a Christian faith raised by various Protestant sects, is a valid reason to stop putting envelopes in the collection basket at Mass.

This leaves me wondering if the Bishops are acting out of ignorance of the underlying facts, or reacting to pressure from Catholics who have bought into the 'voter fraud' myth. Either way, I cannot help but be disappointed. I believe that we, as Catholics, should be at the forefront of the fight to enfranchise the poor in our political process, regardless of the partisan political consequences of doing so.

I realize that the Bishops may sometimes factoring in other things, like the need for unity. But when I see a group that appears to be legitimately pursuing part of our obligation to the less fortunate viciously maligned in a partisan political fight, it is hard for me not to take sides and make judgements. After all, Senator McCain attended an ACORN rally and called the participants "Great Americans" just two years ago...