Setting the record straight
February 5, 2025
This week I want to respond to the criticism some political leaders have leveled against Catholic Church, charging that we are misusing federal funding for refugee settlement and that such ministries prove that the church is more concerned with its “bottom line” rather than the humanitarian service mandated by the Gospel.
I share the disappointment of Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who called these attacks both baseless and “scurrilous.”
Here are the facts. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops receives federal grants to assist in refugee resettlement. This partnership between church and government has been in place since Congress enacted the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in 1980. The U.S. government invited us then to partner with them in this work and, over this half-century, we have done so effectively and efficiently.
Annual audited statements show that these funds are exclusively used to resettle and serve migrants and refugees. Special attention is given to the vulnerable, particularly minors and those at risk of human trafficking.
When a Catholic agency accepts such a grant, it agrees to carry out services on behalf of the government. The same goes for any charity that receives federal, state or municipal dollars to help the underserved. It’s not unusual for government disbursements to cover only part of the total cost of the service provided, in which case the charity makes up the difference from donor funds. The claim that the church is engaged in charitable work to accrue revenue, as has been suggested (recently and many years ago, by nativists who sought to exclude Catholics from public life), is simply false. Moreover, it belies basic understanding of a key mission of the Catholic Church. Christ himself commanded us to serve those in need, regardless of their proximity or national origin.
We take up this work, serving people of any race, creed or color, because it is the Gospel. In a word, we serve those coming to us not because they are Catholic, but because we are Catholic, with eyes and ears open to what Jesus reminded us about how we will be judged: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25).
The truth matters, and that is why I feel it is important to set the record straight. No one who serves those in need has any interest in getting into a back and forth with public figures who make demonstrably false statements about why the church serves. They are too busy feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless. They would rather use the limited time God grants each of us to pursue the demands of the Gospel.