How to Cover the Catholic Church

How to Cover the Catholic Church

Missions, the Church in Latin America, and Aid to the Church in Central and

Eastern Europe.

It oversees the promotional work for Peter’s Pence, an annual collection

given to the pope for charitable use at his discretion, and it tracks the amount

raised, although the dioceses give the proceeds to the pope, directly or through

his apostolic nuncio in Washington.

The executive director of the Office of National Collections is Mary

Mencarini Campbell.

The committee also has a temporary subcommittee on the church in

Africa, for which the bishops have been providing ongoing, coordinated assis-

tance from the U.S. church, but without the benefit of a yearly collection in

all U.S. parishes.

Grant making for the CCHD collection is overseen by a subcommittee

of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. A sub-

committee of the Committee on Communications oversees use of Catholic

Communication Campaign funds. The Administrative Committee oversees

the distribution of The CRS Collection.

Committee on Pro-Life Activities

This committee seeks to raise U.S. awareness of the dignity and sacredness

of human life from conception to natural death and to promote policies and

practices supportive of human life and dignity. It seeks to advance American

society’s support for laws prohibiting or restricting abortion, euthanasia,

human cloning and embryonic stem cell research involving the destruction of

human embryos. It sponsors Respect Life Month each October to advocate for

comprehensive respect for human life and dignity, including advocacy for the

poor, elderly and other vulnerable members of society as well as the unborn

who find their basic rights at risk. The executive director of the Office of Pro-

Life Activities is Tom Grenchik.

Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People

This committee seeks to ensure that dioceses meet high standards in their

policies, programs and actions to prevent sexual abuse of minors by clergy,

other church workers or volunteers and that dioceses respond effectively to

allegations of such abuse through assistance to victims, thorough investiga-

tion of allegations, cooperation with civil authorities, and removal from min-

istry of those who have committed such crimes. It oversees implementation

of the

Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People

adopted by the

bishops in June 2002 and of the “essential norms” adopted by the bishops