[Pflienews] Catholic Charities Under Federal Investigation for Helping Teenager Get Abortion

[PFLI PharmAid Center]

*MEDIA RELEASE*

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
19 June 2008
CONTACT: Katie Walker
540.659.4942| kwalker at all.org <mailto:kwalker at all.org> 

*CATHOLIC CHARITIES UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR HELPING TEENAGER GET 
ABORTION
*
*Washington, DC (19 June 2008)* -- Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of the 
Diocese of Richmond, Va. is under fire for allegedly covering up a 
scandal in which Commonwealth Catholic Charities of Richmond (CCR), now 
under federal investigation, falsified documents and paid for a 
16-year-old to have an abortion in January.

"This latest scandal and the foot dragging that occurred on the part of 
the bishops gives us cause to wonder how serious a problem this really 
is in dioceses across America," said American Life League President 
Judie Brown, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is 
investigating CCR after learning employees not only illegally signed 
abortion consent forms, but also helped the girl implant a contraceptive 
device months before.

According to an investigative article from /The Wanderer,/ Bishop 
DiLorenzo wrote a letter to his fellow bishops April 29 - three months 
after the abortion - detailing how CCR was complicit in procuring and 
paying for the abortion. One employee is said to have accompanied the 
girl to the abortion mill January 18.

The Guatemalan girl is an illegal immigrant and ward of the federal 
Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Department of Health and Human 
Services.
 
The letter from Bishop DiLorenzo admits that the "implementation of the 
contraceptive device and the abortion were contrary to basic teachings 
of the Catholic Church ... we are aware that this incident is a most 
regrettable stain on the record of excellence both of the MRS (Migration 
and Refugee Services) and Catholic Charities."

/The Wanderer/ reports that it could find no evidence that the incident 
was reported to local social services or the Virginia State Police as is 
required by the Richmond diocese guidelines on reporting 
"ministry-related" sexual abuse.

According to the /Washington Times/, David Siegel, acting director of 
the HHS Refugee Resettlement Office, criticized the USCCB in a letter 
April 23.

"USCCB's inability to direct the actions of its sub-grantee was a 
failure of management, oversight and monitoring," he said in the letter 
to Johnny Young, executive director of the USCCB Migration and Refugee 
Services (MRS) agency.

Four Catholic Charities employees have been fired. Bishop DiLorenzo's 
letter also states MRS staff will receive training on "the primacy of 
Catholic teachings and beliefs as they impact their work or professional 
ethics ... to assure that such unacceptable incidents never happen again."

 "What is the criteria for employment?" asked Brown. "Does a diocese 
place more emphasis on being politically correct than in assuring that 
employees are people of ethical and moral strength?"

American Life League will be covering this story as more details emerge.

American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the 
largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States 
and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the 
moment of creation to natural death.  For more information or press 
inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
###

*FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Catholic.org:* Charity Investigated for Helping Teen in Abortion (6/19/2008)
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--abortioninvestiga0619jun19,0,1483528.story 
<http://nvs.all.org/sendstudio/link.php?M=42879&N=303&L=1267&F=H>

*Life Site News:* Catholic Charity Caught Helping Girl Obtain 
Abortion (6/19/2008)
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061906.html 
<http://nvs.all.org/sendstudio/link.php?M=42879&N=303&L=1266&F=H>

*Washington Times:* Virginia Law Eyed in Girls Abortion (6/18/2008)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/18/virginia-law-eyed-in-girls-abortion/ 
<http://nvs.all.org/sendstudio/link.php?M=42879&N=303&L=1265&F=H>

# # #


_______________________________
Katie Walker
Director of Communication
American Life League
1179 Courthouse Road
Stafford, Virginia 22554
540.659.4942
kwalker at all.org <mailto:kwalker at all.org>
http://www.all.org/ 
<http://nvs.all.org/sendstudio/link.php?M=42879&N=303&L=43&F=H>

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