February 24, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, says some abortion opponents are upset that he agreed to serve on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
“I have received a fair amount of what I would term hate mail that questioned why I would associate with a contemporary Hitler and that also told me that I would probably go to hell,” he said in a speech in Washington on Monday.
President Obama, who supports keeping abortion legal, set up the 25-member advisory council of religious and secular leaders earlier this month as part of a new White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
“There can be no doubt that Catholic Charities is a pro-life organization,” Father Snyder said, adding that the administration was “well aware of where we stand on this issue.”
“However, there are also areas where the teachings of our Church and the policies of this administration converge, especially when it comes to the poor and marginalized.”
President Obama said he wants the new White House office to help religious and community organizations fight poverty, promote economic recovery, assist women and children, reduce the need for abortion, support responsible fatherhood, and foster an international discussion between people of different religions.
The advisory council includes “an extremely diverse group of people,” Father Snyder said. “One of our purposes is to find out what common ground might exist between such diverse opinions. Our voice needs to be at the table; our values need to be championed in these discussions.”
Speaking to the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, Father Snyder also said the demand for his group’s services had reached “epic proportions” because of the economic tailspin.
