Springs bishop sends ultimatum to charity - Denver Post

[donco6]

Colorado Springs - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs has threatened to withhold donations from a nonprofit group if it does not state that it supports church teachings.

The anti-war Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission has accepted donations ranging from $3,500 to $6,000 from the diocese since the group was founded 26 years ago, director Sister Dorothy Schlaeger said. The commission's total 2003 annual budget was $89,000.

In an April 12 letter, Bishop Michael Sheridan, head of the diocese, asked group leaders to change their mission statement to explicitly support church teachings - including those that oppose abortion and homosexual behavior - or lose funding.

more

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E2178465,00.html

[montanacowboy]

1. Has the Catholic Church gone completely blotto?

what the hell are they doing? trying to go back to ruling the world again?

maybe they would like to start paying property tax on St. Patrick's Cathedral -

Glad to be an ex-Catholic - hopefully many more will join

[Malva Zebrina]

4. I suppose they are holding out for government money

otherwise known as faith based money, or church welfare.

[donco6]

6. This is the same Sheridan . . .

. . . who said Catholics who vote for "pro-choice, pro-gay" candidates should not receive communion.

[davidinalameda]

2. screw them

let them keep their money

I'm sure the charity can make up the difference

[pinto]

3. That's the Bishop's right AND the reason US ought NOT fund faith based

social service programs.

(I have mixed feeling about this, 'cause many Catholic charities/social service programs operate without theology as a determining factor for services...but if this is the new way it's going to go, I refuse any government funds to any faith based program, across the board.)

(also, I know the Bishop was speaking about church funds....I extrapolated to the government issue, which is all we really have a say in....)

[gratuitous]

5. Is the Commission a Catholic organization?

It's not clear from the article if the Commission is a specifically Catholic organization. If it is, I suppose the Bishop can order them around if he likes. But as I read the story, the Diocese is an annual contributor of less than 10% of the Commission's budget. If I was the chair of the Commission, I'd listen politely, then pointedly ask whether the Bishop thought his homophobia more actively supported the "Peace" or "Justice" part of the Commission's work. Then I'd ask him to leave the premises.

[damnraddem]

7. Why should a 'Catholic organization' be owned by the bishop?

If he doesn't have formal legal power over the organization, they should tell him to go screw himself. His letter will likely generate a lot more money in donations than he can withhold.

[donco6]

9. I do think its an attempt to reassert . . .

Catholic hierarchy. The group is run by nuns, mostly. He probably thinks he can intimidate them. Ha! These are the same ones that protested nukes out at the base and got arrested. Not an easily intimidated group.

[atreides1]

10. Interfaith Organization

"We're doing what he asks, but we don't feel that we can put that in our mission statement because of the fact that we're an interfaith organization."

[Massacure]

8. Bishop Sheridan is posessed by Satin!!!

Satire intended. :p

[Desperadoe]

11. This is the BFEE' M.O.

Smells like bribery and extortion by the good ol' BFEE. Think maybe this Bishop has a pedo-skeleton in his closet that someone has threatened to expose?