Charities Which Are Not Explicitly "Catholic"

[JWH123]

Does the Catholic Church have a position regarding Catholics contributing to charitable causes which are not explicitly Catholic?

In addition to (not instead of) supporting my parish, I give every month to a couple of “Christian” charities. The one you may be familiar with is one called “World Vision International.” WV is an organization which aids children in third world countries, primarily in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. A family member asked me why I was involved with a “non-Catholic” charity when there are several Catholic charities around, but I wonder what Jesus’ directive that “whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me” has to do with any particular denomination. Aren’t these starving children in Cambodia and Nigeria His people (and MY brothers and sisters) too?

 

[Isca]

I believe that anything which comforts and helps other people has value. I sponsor 3 children via a Christian charity called Compassion, which operates in the USA, the UK and other countries. The children I sponsor are in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Haiti. They are all Christians being supported by Christian “projects” - a child gets schooling, healthcare and extra food when he or she is sponsored. In the last two years, my 9-year-old sponsored girl in Haiti has bought a goat and a sheep with the birthday money I’ve sent her - that is a big deal for her family.

I started sponsoring the children before I joined the Catholic Church, but I would not wish to stop my monthly support as I get regular letters from the children and know it is making a difference to their (disadvantaged) lives. They are regular church attenders and make frequent reference to that in their letters. Compassion is non-denominational, as far as I’m aware.

 

[robwar]

Does the Catholic Church have a position regarding Catholics contributing to charitable causes which are not explicitly Catholic?

In addition to (not instead of) supporting my parish, I give every month to a couple of “Christian” charities. The one you may be familiar with is one called “World Vision International.” WV is an organization which aids children in third world countries, primarily in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. A family member asked me why I was involved with a “non-Catholic” charity when there are several Catholic charities around, but I wonder what Jesus’ directive that “whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me” has to do with any particular denomination. Aren’t these starving children in Cambodia and Nigeria His people (and MY brothers and sisters) too?

I don’t think there any defined position by the Church. You are already supporting your parish and the type of charity is doing work (helping poor children, feeding the hungry etc) which would be in agreement with work done by the Catholic Church anyway. There are also secular groups as well which do this kind of work amoung the poor. I give clothes to Salvation Army which is essence is supporting them because they turn around and sell items donated to them to do their work. Again as with any charity, it is always good to check out how they are using the money donated to them and who is in charge and oversees their work and management. Giving to charity type groups shouldn’t replace support of one’s own parish (you are already doing that). Likewise giving to charity groups that are not Catholic support working with other Christians on common goals and corporate works of mercy. I think the only danger is ending up supporting groups that teach things that are contrary to the Catholic faith or are anti-Catholic. 700 club does charity work with Operations blessing but the concern there is that you would also be supporting Pat Robertson and the things he teaches. Its one thing to support common charity work it is another to support various teaching ministries out there and the junk the spit out.

 

[jaimeleglise]

As long as you research your charities to ensure that they do not promote anything contrary to The Catholic Church’s teachings such as contraception and abortion, I think it is ok. Some charities feed children but also give out contraceptives and abortions. I like to play it safe and help Catholic Charities that do not do this nor partner with those who do. I hope the Faith is being spread too.

 

[Miserissima]

As long as you research your charities to ensure that they do not promote anything contrary to The Catholic Church’s teachings such as contraception and abortion, I think it is ok. Some charities feed children but also give out contraceptives and abortions. I like to play it safe and help Catholic Charities that do not do this nor partner with those who do. I hope the Faith is being spread too.

…and in keeping with good stewardship, don’t forget to look at where your money is actually going. Charity Navigator is a pretty good website to see how a charity is allocating its donations.

 

[Tigg]

As long as you research your charities to ensure that they do not promote anything contrary to The Catholic Church’s teachings such as contraception and abortion, I think it is ok. Some charities feed children but also give out contraceptives and abortions. I like to play it safe and help Catholic Charities that do not do this nor partner with those who do. I hope the Faith is being spread too.

And…if one is doing their homework, they will find that even Catholic organizations are guilty of working against the Church by promoting ABC and giving abortion referrals. There are numerous threads on this subject…search this forum for “Catholic Relief Services and the CCHD” and you will see what I mean.

I am extremely leery of international agencies and NGO’s which are funded by foundations. Their solution in helping the poor is often times not to even let them be born. It is very difficult to wade through the byzantine networking of organizations with their various names and co-partners and funneling of money that surreptitiously ends up in the coffers of the death peddlers.

There is one non-Catholic organization that I have found (so far) to be safe. If someone is looking for such a charity, you might investigate “Barnabas Aid” which allows you to designate your donation to a specific project. Our monthly gift goes to airlifting Christians in high risk areas (Sudan/Syria) to safe havens and it also provides food to them and medical aid. On our little side of the world, there doesn’t seem to be much awareness of the martyrdom of thousands of Christians slaughtered by the Muslims.

 

[Tigg]

Does the Catholic Church have a position regarding Catholics contributing to charitable causes which are not explicitly Catholic?

In addition to (not instead of) supporting my parish, I give every month to a couple of “Christian” charities. The one you may be familiar with is one called “World Vision International.” WV is an organization which aids children in third world countries, primarily in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. A family member asked me why I was involved with a “non-Catholic” charity when there are several Catholic charities around, but I wonder what Jesus’ directive that “whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me” has to do with any particular denomination. Aren’t these starving children in Cambodia and Nigeria His people (and MY brothers and sisters) too?

You may want to read this regarding WV:

**WORLD VISION SPONSORS MAY BE SPONSORING ABORTIFACIENTS ALONG WITH CHILDREN
**
liveactionnews.org/world-vision-sponsors-may-be-sponsoring-abortfacients-along-with-children/

Another red flag for me regarding WV is that they are partnering with USAid which clearly advocates against the moral teaching of the Church.

 

[JWH123]

700 club does charity work with Operations blessing but the concern there is that you would also be supporting Pat Robertson and the things he teaches. Its one thing to support common charity work it is another to support various teaching ministries out there and the junk the spit out.

I find Pat Robertson to be more accepting of the Catholics than most of the evangelists out there. The people who post stuff on their facebook page, not so much. A few weeks ago, I saw the show when Pat’s guest was the priest who hears the Pope’s confession. (He started with Pope Benedict and now serves in that capacity for Pope Francis.) It was actually one of the best interactions between a Protestant evangelist and a Catholic priest that I have ever seen.

Unfortunately, when the video was posted on facebook, there were quite a few fans of the show who made derogatory comments about the show giving air time to the “church of the devil” and “why is he called ‘Father’ when the Bible says that is a no-no” and other assorted anti-Catholic sentiments. Sadly, some people in the Protestant community are brainwashed beyond the deep end, but based on how vitriolic these comments were, these people learned this garbage somewhere other than the 700 club show, because nobody on the show says that Catholics are of the devil.

As a Catholic, I am not offended by what Pat Robertson says one bit. Yes, he says that Purgatory doesn’t exist, but that is the standard Protestant position on the matter, and I don’t view him as having the authority to speak infallibly. In the big picture, I wish we didn’t have the divisions among the denominations of Christianity, because we are all, at the core, on the same side. Everybody who believes in eternal salvation based upon Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection as atonement for our sins should be united. There is a vile movement out there whose differences with us are far greater than the Catholic/Protestant differences; at least Catholics and Protestants agree on most moral absolutes. This movement disavows the existence of a creator, a savior, and an eternal life. And the people who belong to this movement want God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, they insist on a woman’s permanent right to choose what to do with her body, they want to make same-sex marriage the same kind of civil right as interracial marriage, and they want to use this country’s judicial branch to ensure that their ideals are written into the law of the land without regard for anybody else’s religious convictions. Whether they call themselves “atheists” or “secular humanists” is irrelevant; they are the ones who are bent on destroying us Christians by tearing our beliefs and way of life apart.

 

[Jerbear]

As long as the charity uses the donations you give for those in need, does it really matter what faith the charity affiliates with if any?

 

[Rau]

Does the Catholic Church have a position regarding Catholics contributing to charitable causes which are not explicitly Catholic?

I would be astounded if it had any difficulty with such contributions. The church does not have any monopoly or inbuilt superiority in the delivery of charitable services, and is honest enough to know that.

 

[anixx]

I would strongly look into moral ramifications. If while he is physically being fed, he is also being spiritually fed, then you really should consider if it is the Faith being fed to him. If it’s anything else, especially modernism, then i would suggest you reconsider your stance.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10,28)
If his soul and spirit are being distorted by lies, then I think it’s not charitable to the child and the society he lives in.
Your intentions are good, but if you provide means for those that would see the Catholic Church burn, then the entire action becomes evil. Consider well! God bless! May more and more Catholics bring the Truth to all nations.

 

[Tigg]

I would be astounded if it had any difficulty with such contributions. The church does not have any monopoly or inbuilt superiority in the delivery of charitable services, and is honest enough to know that.

But isn’t the big question how the donations are being used? Can a charity be trusted to uphold life issues if they do not hold to the same teachings as the Catholic faith?

Some social justice and humanitarian groups declare they are helping those in need by supplying them with contraceptives and abortifacients. The possibility of this was pointed out to the OP in a prior post regarding World Vision which is the charity he gives to. The question then becomes are we cooperating with a material evil (even remotely) by giving Catholic money to them? Here is food for thought:

The first principle of the natural moral law requires doing good and avoiding evil. One of its consequences is that each individual not only has to do good himself but also has to avoid his good actions’ being an occasion or providing a means for others to do evil. In fact, he ought to strive as far as possible to insure that others do good.

ewtn.com/library/THEOLOGY/COOPRTN.htm

 

[Rau]

But isn’t the big question how the donations are being used? Can a charity be trusted to uphold life issues if they do not hold to the same teachings as the Catholic faith?

Some social justice and humanitarian groups declare they are helping those in need by supplying them with contraceptives and abortifacients. The possibility of this was pointed out to the OP in a prior post regarding World Vision which is the charity he gives to. The question then becomes are we cooperating with a material evil (even remotely) by giving Catholic money to them? Here is food for thought:

It may be the big question, but not the question asked. The Church may well advise against specific organisation that act in dubious ways.