The American bishops, in their own statement dated May 12, had said: “‘Because of its opposition to the human rights of some of the most defenseless members of the human race, and because of its purposes and activities deliberately contradicting essential teachings of the Catholic faith, Catholics for a Free Choice merits no recognition or support as a Catholic organization.” The US bishops issued their statement in response to a movement, inaugurated by Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), to downgrade the status of the Holy See at the United Nations. The American bishops had previously condemned the group, noting its clear contradiction of Church teaching.

Shortly after the bishops’ statement was released, a Christian web site reported that the Ford Foundation, one of America’s most powerful philanthropic institutions, has become a major source of funding for pro-abortion groups, including CFFC. Crosswalk.com said the Ford Foundation gave $875,000 in 1998 to CFFC affiliates in Latin America and to a companion group, Catholics for the Right to Decide. In 1996, the Ford Foundation gave these groups $1,300,000.

According to the Encyclopedia of Associations, CFFC has an annual budget of $900,000, most of which comes from major donors, including the Ford Foundation, investment guru Warren Buffett’s Buffett Foundation, and the computer pioneer David and Lucille Packard’s foundation. Buffett gave $200,000 to fund CFFC pro-abortion programs in Mexico in 1998, while the Packard Foundation donated $400,000.

Still later in May it was revealed that CFFC has endorsed a new project to circumvent abortion laws in countries where the practice is still illegal. The group is supporting a project in which a ship called the “Sea Change” picks up women and performs abortions on board the ship, 12 miles off shore. The 12-mile limit puts the ship in international waters, officially outside the country’s jurisdiction. The campaign is headed up by The Women on Waves Foundation, which was founded in 1999 by Dutch abortionist Rebecca Gomperts and is based in the Netherlands.

The guidelines were approved by the US bishops last November and were part of the implementation of a papal document from the early 1990s called Ex Corde Ecclesiae. Among the most controversial requirements is that Catholic theologians must receive a “mandate” from the local bishop to teach. The guidelines also say college presidents should be Catholics who profess fidelity to the faith and that a majority of trustees and faculty should be Catholics, as much as possible.

Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of Houston, the president of the bishops’ conference, said he will appoint a committee representing bishops and academic organizations to work out details as to how the rules should be put into effect. “We want to make sure that that process is very workable and is agreeable to both groups,” he said. The norms are due to go into effect on May 3, 2001.

Casey, who was 68, served two terms as governor and briefly considered a run for president against President Bill Clinton in 1996. He was a devout Catholic who received an honorary degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1994 for his public advocacy of the pro-life cause. He was the “Casey” of the landmark 1992 US Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, in which the court reaffirmed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. He also made headlines in 1992 when he was denied a chance to speak at the Democratic National Convention; he made no secret of his belief that he was barred because of party leaders’ disapproval of his pro-life views. “My party, the Democratic Party, should be the protector and claims to be the protector of the powerless,” he once said. “It’s time to get back to what this country is all about, protecting all of the powerless. . . . And that includes unborn children.”