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	Bishops Investigate ACORN, Some Parishioners Squirrel Away Funds Chicago Tribune November 10, 2008 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2008/11/parishioners-ur.html Roman Catholic parishioners will be asked to put a second donation in the collection plate on Nov. 23 to support the Catholic Campaign on Human Development. But one group is urging parishioners to hold on to their wallets. Meanwhile, the Catholic bishops are exploring whether they should do the same. They fear that more than $1 million in grant money awarded to ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, might have put the church's tax-exempt status in jeopardy after the group was accused by Republicans and others of voter fraud in 15 states. A $1.2 million grant to ACORN was frozen by the Catholic church in June when it was discovered that ACORN's voter-registration efforts targeted low-income neighborhoods believed to favor then Democratic candidate Barack Obama. The CCHD receives about $9.4 million each year in special collections from Catholic churches. It has reportedly given more than $7.3 million to ACORN over the past decade for about 320 projects. "Non-partisan voter registration, especially in poor communities, is important and needed work," said Bishop Roger Morin, head of the CCHD subcommittee. "Too often poor voters are not registered or are not encouraged to participate in the vital choices that affect their families and communities. However, these allegations and controversies raise serious and legitimate concerns." In Chicago, CCHD funds have gone to support violence prevention, immigrant issues and. educationGrants have been awarded to the Chicago Workers' Collaborative, the Interfaith Leadership Project in Cicero, Little Village Environmental Justice and the Logan Square Neighbor Association just to name a few. This year's churchwide collection for CCHD will take place on Nov. 23. Meanwhile, another group is asking parishioners to withhold their money from the collection plate starting this Sunday. A coalition of Catholic reform groups urged fellow parishioners to withhold financial donations and "send the bishops a message that irresponsibility and secrecy will no longer be tolerated." Supporters from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Voice of the Faithful, We Are Catholics and the Coalition of Concerned Catholics said the campaign is the only way they believe they have a vote in the church. "Catholics have no elections, recall procedures or impeachment processes that allow them to replace those who have cost parishioners so much," said a statement sent out by the group. "Withholding donations is the best way for a disenfranchised laity to send, with one voice, a message to church officials in the only language they understand--MONEY!"
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