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MANASSAS, VA, Nov. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Richard A. Viguerie, a Catholic layman in a parish in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, has sent two letters to Catholics throughout the nation to encourage them not to contribute to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) this weekend because of the pro-abortion and homosexual organizations that are funded by CCHD.

He also states, "Unfortunately, CCHD does almost nothing to actually benefit the poor. Instead, close to all of the grants from CCHD go to groups which engage in 'community organizing' for legislative and political purposes."

The two letters are online at http://tinyurl.com/yd2247f and http://tinyurl.com/ybusr38

Viguerie cites the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, which promotes both homosexual lifestyles and birth control for teens, and the LA Community Action Network, which supports homosexual marriage and "emergency contraception" (a euphemism for abortifacients) as examples of how the CCHD funds organizations with operations and missions that are opposed to Catholic moral teachings.

CCHD has come under fire for their grants to the leftist Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says it no longer funds ACORN. However, Viguerie writes that CCHD "continues to fund other organizations that are clones of ACORN or closely allied with ACORN."

Viguerie encourages Catholics to go to the CCHD website at http://tinyurl.com/y9ob63m to read what the grantees say they do in their own words.

"Almost none of the grantees provide any direct help to people in need of food, shelter, clothing, or medicine," he wrote. "Rather, they are all about power, grassroots organizing, and political influence."

Viguerie is calling on Catholics to: (1) boycott the upcoming CCHD collection at all Masses; and (2) communicate with their pastor and bishop to tell them that they will not contribute to any cause promoted by the bishops until funding is stopped of left-wing political groups.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation magazine). He is an active member of a parish in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.