Saul Alinsky and "Catholic Action" at Modesto
Submitted by Betsy K.
The information below regarding a conference at Modesto, CA. concerns current “Catholic Action" for Social Justice, Community Organizing, the environment, etc... Catholics should understand the difference between the teachings of radical Saul Alinsky (and Catholic organizations influenced by Alinsky) and authentic Catholic Action for the good of the spiritual kingdom.
Expert, Stephanie Block, explains the difference:
"Catholic Action is ordered toward Christianizing society, diffusing it with Christian culture and values. Alinskyian organizing, on the other hand, is entirely about growing political power, with Alinsky explaining that “The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power.” His book, however, “Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away.”(2)... "In the light of all this, one can see that Catholic Action concerns, first and foremost, a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly kingdom."(Emphasis added0
"Modesto becomes a world stage in February when a Vatican co-sponsored conference gathers more than 600 people from across the world to discuss social justice issues.
The U.S. regional World Meeting of Popular Movements will be held Feb. 16-19 at Central Catholic High School, an interfaith gathering where grass-roots community representatives will meet along with papal and international social justice group leaders.
Pope Francis is exploring an off-site presence, including the possibility of teleconferencing into parts of the convening, which is co-sponsored by the Vatican's Department of Integral Human Development [Instituting the Dicastery for promoting Integral Human Development,] [IHD] the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and PICO – the largest network of faith-based groups in the nation. [Read Pope Francis' newly formed Integral Human Development Program - nothing about abortion?...my comment]
Among those from the Vatican planning to attend is Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the IHD. Turkson is among Francis’ senior leaders and president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace...
The conference aims to help grass-roots groups push for worker rights, housing and environmental justice, according to the PICO release. Sister Davis said the selection of Modesto is appropriate given Stockton Diocese Bishop Stephen Blaire's experience working for and concern with social justice issues." (Emphasis added]
"It is an error to think of CCHD as an ordinary charity. In fact, it is an extreme left-wing political organization whose ties stretch back to the “father” of community organizing himself, Saul Alinsky, and to Barack Obama in his community-organizing days in Chicago.
And unbeknownst to most Catholics, almost no CCHD grants actually provide direct relief to the poor.
Because CCHD and ACORN are cousins in a sense, their common bonds must have made it excruciating for CCHD to disown ACORN. Both groups were inspired by radical agitator Alinsky, the Marxist Machiavelli who dedicated his grassroots activism classic, Rules for Radicals, to Lucifer, whom he called “the first radical.”
Alinsky developed the concept of “community organizing” to mobilize poor neighborhoods to make demands, long and loud, on public officials and the private sector.
Here are some select recipients of CCHD grants:
*Alinsky’s Industrial Areas Foundation, the mother of all community-organizing networks with dozens of affiliates nationwide (and affiliates in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom), has received plenty of money over the years from CCHD. Alinsky referred to its training institute as a “school for professional radicals.” Ex-seminarian Edward T. Chambers has run it since Alinsky’s death in 1972.
People Improving Communities Through Organizing (PICO), was founded in 1972 by Father John Baumann, a Jesuit priest trained in Alinsky’s techniques. It claims to have 53 affiliates in 17 states."
HOLY MOTHER EARTH?
"On April 28, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences hosted a lop-sided summit at the Vatican in which Jeffrey Sachs, president of the Earth Institute and longstanding advocate of abortion as a key step towards saving the Earth, was a featured speaker.
"Vatican City, Nov 16, 2016 / 11:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Ahead of the next international exposition, to be held in Kazakhstan during the summer of 2017, the Vatican announced Wednesday its participation under the theme “Energy for the Common Good: Caring for our Common Home...In keeping with their unique position, the Vatican’s exhibit at the Expo will include both a practical and a spiritual aspect, said Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which is responsible for the organization of the Vatican’s presence at the Expo."
