Catholic Relief Services

Over the course of the past few years, several organizations have investigated Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and its partnerships.  In these investigations, CRS has been found to be intimately involved, either directly or indirectly, in the promotion of abortion and contraception.  A brief history of some of the serious concerns faithful Catholics have had regarding CRS is listed below.

The Lepanto Institute is committed to continuing these investigations until such time as CRS is finally brought into compliance with the Motu Proprio, On the Service of Charity, issued by Pope Benedict XVI.

Art. 10. § 3. In particular, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that charitable agencies dependent upon him do not receive financial support from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to Church’s teaching. Similarly, lest scandal be given to the faithful, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that these charitable agencies do not accept contributions for initiatives whose ends, or the means used to pursue them, are not in conformity with the Church’s teaching.

Unfortunately, CRS regularly receives large sums of money from government agencies and public foundations which actively push for world-wide use of abortion and contraception.  By accepting this money, CRS routinely finds itself in compromising positions.

• In 2011, noted Theologian Germain Grisez exposed CRS’s publication of a condom-promoting flip-chart with the standing order that CRS’s logo not be included on the charts.
• In July of 2012, Life Site News broke the story of CRS giving $5.3 million to CARE, a contraception and abortion-promoting organization.
• August 2, 2012, Red State revealed that CRS is a dues-paying member of COREgroup, an organization that pushes contraception.
• On August 14, Red State also revealed that CRS is a dues-paying member and on the executive committee of MEDiCAM, an organization that pushes contraception and abortion in Cambodia.  In fact, a CRS regional director was a member of the planning committee for MEDiCAM when it created a policy paper for 2011 indicating the intention to train abortion-providers.
• On September 6, 2012, Life Site News revealed that CRS had written several documents promoting condom use.
• In 2013, American Life League proved that CRS provided $64 million to organizations distributing contraception, committing abortion, and performing sterilizations.

What follows are links to reports created by the Lepanto Institute, exposing the on-going problems at CRS.

• “My Changing Body”
  • CRS and My Changing Body – 26 January, 2015
    • From 2009-2010, CRS implemented a sex education program called “My Changing Body,” which promotes abortifacient contraception, masturbation, consistent condom use, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Alan Guttmacher Institute and several other abortion and contraception providing organizations.
  • Analysis of CRS’s Response to Report on ‘My Changing Body’ – 10 February 2015
    • Following the publication of our report, CRS issued a statement which leaves more questions than answers.
• “Support and Assistance to Indigenous Implementing Agencies (SAIDIA)”
  • CRS, PEPFAR, and the Cover-up – 3 March 2015
    • This 56-page report, jointly investigated by the Lepanto Institute and Population Research Institute, proves that contraception and condoms were promoted through various programs under the auspices of the SAIDIA Project where CRS was the lead.
  • Investigative Organizations Address Denials Made by CRS – 5 March 2015
    • Following the publication of our report, CRS denied all wrongdoing, but ignored the key evidence against them.
  • CRS Implemented Condom-Promoting Video Series – 9 March 2015
    • Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) showed that through the SAIDIA project, CRS implemented a condom-promoting series called Shuga.
  • CRS Confirms Implementation of Condom-Promoting Video – 13 March 2015
    • In its response to the FOIA documents, CRS admits that Shuga was implemented, but denies having had a hand in it.  However, a grant proposal written by CRS, and on CRS letterhead, indicates an intention to move forward with Shuga Season 2.
  • FOIA Documents Contradict CRS Claims Regarding Healthy Choices Program – 16 March 2015
    • Further analysis of the FOIA documents reveal that CRS’s initial denials regarding the contraception-promoting Healthy Choices 2 program, as implemented through the SAIDIA project, were untrue.
• CRS Personnel
  • CRS Executive in Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ – 20 April 2015
    • A top-level executive at CRS was discovered to be in a same-sex “marriage, and a major promoter of homosexuality on social media.
  • CRS and USCCB Employees Celebrate Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ – 31 May 2016
    • Another employee at CRS was found to be in a same-sex “relationship” and celebrating same-sex “marriage.”
  • A Problem of Personnel at Catholic Relief Services – 26 July 2016
    • CRS’s Senior Health and HIV Technical Adviser is discovered to donated to pro-abortion candidates, allied herself with pro-abortion organizations on social media, and been an author of several condom-promoting documents for CRS.
  • Catholic Relief Services Employees Stand With planned Parenthood – 01 August 2016
    • A former Chief of Party for CRS is discovered to be promoting Planned Parenthood on social media.
  • 98% of CRS Employee Political Donations go to Pro-Abortion Candidates – 08 August 2016
    • A survey of 191 public records regarding political campaign contributions from CRS employees reveals that 98% of the contributions were made to pro-abortion candidates.
  • Catholic Relief Services CEO to Participate in Initiative of Women’s Ordination Group – 30 November 2016
    • Dr. Carolyn Woo, the former CEO of Catholic Relief Services, became a central figure in a new project initiative of the heretical organization called FutureChurch.
  • CRS Still Employs Planned Parenthood Supporter – 01 November 2017
    • A year after revealing that an employee of CRS was actively promoting Planned Parenthood on social media, and she was still gainfully employed there.
  • Catholic Relief Services’ McCarrick Problem – 16 August 2018
    • Disgraced homosexual predator, Theodore McCarrick served on the board of Catholic Relief Services for 18 years, and on its Foundations board for 12 years.
  • Did Catholic Relief Services Director Participate in Pagan Ritual? – 28 May 2019
    • CRS’s Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality in Latin America and the Caribbean was photographed at a Blessingway ceremony, a pagan/pantheistic rite with origins in Navajo spiritualistic traditions.
• CRS Lobbying on Behalf of Contraception Providers
  • CRS and the USCCB Sent a Letter to Congress Requesting Funds for Contraception-Spreading Programs – 02 May 2016
    • In 2016, CRS lobbied Congress, asking for nearly $6 billion to be provided to both USAID and PEPFAR.  Both of these government agencies are the largest suppliers of condoms and contraception in the world.
  • USCCB Confirms Funding Request Included Contraception-Spreading Projects – 20 June 2016
    • The US Conference of Catholic Bishops was reluctant to admit that such funding request would also fund contraception overseas.  They would offer no explanation as to why it is morally acceptable for the Catholic Church to ask for funding to such gravely immoral organizations.
  • CRS Asks Congress to Fund Agency Funding Planned Parenthood – 22 January 2018
    • In 2018, CRS lobbied Congress on behalf of the Global Fund, an organization which has provided grants to planned Parenthood.
  • Catholic Relief Services Asks Congress to Fund Major Contraception-Pushing Agencies – 19 March 2019
    • In 2019, CRS lobbied Congress on behalf of USAID, PEPFAR and the Global Fund, despite knowing the contraception-pushing agenda of these three agencies.  CRS receives 2/3 of its overall revenue from organizations such as these.
• CRS and Project AXxess
  • Inventory Reports Show CRS Distributed Millions of Units of Abortifacient Contraception and Condoms – 17 October 2016
    • From 2006-2010, CRS was an implementing partner in a USAID-funded project called Project AXxes.  Inventory reports from quarterly and annual reports for Project AXxes show that CRS received and dispensed 2.25 million units of contraception.
  • CRS Urges Concerned Catholics to Ignore Evidence in Reports – 25 October 2016
    • In the face of the evidence, CRS claimed the 4 years of inventory reports were all a clerical error, just as with the SAIDIA project.
• CRS Padding Reports for Funding
  • Liberians Accuse Catholic Relief Services of Fear-Mongering for Funds – 18 January 2017
    • Local Liberians accused CRS of “raising their profile by putting us down,” and concluding that CRS is “Pushing up fire and praying for a self-fulfilling prophecy in Liberia.”
• CRS Giving Catholic Funds to Enemies of the Church
  • Catholic Relief Services is a Major Funder of Contraception-Lobbyists – 22 July 2018
    • Catholic Relief Services is an annual $54,000 dues-paying member of an organization called InterAction, which lobbies the US government to expand access to both abortion and contraception.
• CRS and the Mikolo Project
  • Catholic Relief Services Created Funding Mechanism for Contraception-Spreading Project – 27 March 2019
    • From 2013-2018, Catholic Relief Services participated in a project which had the stated objective of spreading contraception to vulnerable women living in poverty in rural areas of Madagascar.  CRS’s role in this project was to create a self-sustaining financial mechanism that would provide funding to Community Health Volunteers, whose job (among other things) it was to teach women all about contraception and to sell them various pills and devices.
• CRS and Baho Neza
  • Catholic Relief Services to Help Implement Campaign Centered on Spreading Contraception in Rwanda – 29 April 2019
    • On April 26, several Rwandan government agencies, including the Ministry of Health officially launched a three-year initiative called the Baho Neza Integrated Health Campaign to encourage the use and distribution of contraception.  Catholic Relief Services is identified as one of the implementing partners on this campaign.
• OVC Projects in Africa
  • Catholic Relief Services Documents Promote Condoms in 4Children Project – 02 March 2020
    • On February 13 of 2019, the Lepanto Institute discovered several documents bearing CRS copyrights, written by CRS employees, and housed on CRS controlled websites which promote condoms.
  • Catholic Relief Services Manages Website that Promotes Abortion, Contraception, and Condoms – 09 March 2020
    • In 2015, Catholic Relief Services obtained control over a website (OVCSupport.org) which is an internet library that contains documents which promote abortion, contraception, homosexuality, and condom use.  Despite being in control over the website and maintaining the authority and power to remove any content which is offensive, CRS simultaneously hid behind a disclaimer indicating that the contents of the website do not reflect on the beliefs or actions of CRS.
  • Catholic Relief Services-Led Project Referred Girls to Contraception and Abortion Providing Organizations – 16 March 2020
    • Catholic Relief Services created a health referral network which includes “sexual and reproductive health” as a component. In relation to this, CRS’s project partnered with another project, creating a direct referral system with an organization called RENATA, a group which promotes and dispenses contraception and even takes girls to have abortions. At least three other organizations included in this network (created by CRS as the lead on the project) promote and/or provide condoms and contraception. This network was designed to last beyond CRS’s participation in the project, planting seeds of corruption which will only bear corrupt fruit.
  • Catholic Relief Services Referral Network in Nigeria Included Planned Parenthood Associates – 26 March 2020
    • From 2013-2018, CRS implemented a project in Nigeria called SMILE which created a referral network that included several pro-abortion organizations, including two that were affiliated with Planned Parenthood.
  • Catholic Relief Services Caught in Contraception Indoctrination Scheme – 13 April 2020
    • CRS implemented a program called DREAMS, which was specifically designed to promote and distribute condoms and encourage the use of other forms of contraception.
  • Catholic Relief Services Used/Promoted Pornographic, Contraception-Promoting Curriculums – 04 May 2020
    • CRS purchased and implemented two comprehensive sexual education curricula that include the promotion of condoms and contraception.
• Joint Lepanto Institute – Population Research Institute Investigation
  • Report: Catholic Relief Services, Government Funding, and Contraception – 06 March 2024
    • A year long investigation of CRS projects in Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho included an analysis of official CRS and government documents as well as on the ground interviews and fact-finding.  The 130-page report concludes that CRS directly promoted masturbation, implemented contraception-promoting projects, and created referral networks that included contraception peddlers.
  • Moral Theologian Calls on Bishops to Withdraw Support from CRS – 11 March 2024
    • Prominent moral theologian Dr. Christian Brugger provided five clear “expressions of evildoing” on the part of CRS, and supported “the report’s recommendation to the bishops of the United States that in the absence of salutary change, the bishops both individually and collectively should withdraw their support from Catholic Relief Services.”