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Marshall Ganz, a 'volunteer' for the Campaign of Barack Obama has been referred to by some in the campaign as an 'architect' of its strategy. Ganz was an early architect of the 'Voice of the Faithful' an organization which calls for radical restructuring of the Catholic church.

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - As the Presidential primary season approaches, it is time for Catholics to become aware of the sources of campaign finances for all of the candidates. One question which should be asked is whether there is money from the abuse settlements against the Catholic Church which has found its way into the coffers of any of the current political candidates?

The reason this question becomes particularly apropos is a recent discovery made in the current political field. One of the Democratic presidential candidates, Barack Obama, has as what some call his campaign ‘architect’ the same man who was the architect of a movement against the Catholic Church for the past five years: Marshall Ganz.

A union activist and a community organizer, Ganz teaches organizing for change at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He helped to organize a movement against the Catholic Church in which innocent faithful suffered harassment for doing nothing more than what Americans are promised in the U.S. Constitution, exercising their freedom to worship.

The Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) website proclaims Marshall Ganz's role in its formation. The organization is a Trojan horse which hid its ulterior motives in a contrived concern for the Church and the victims of abuse. Many good Catholics could see through VOTF, the problem is that there are few such wise Catholics in main stream American journalism.

Here, one of his former student assistants, Aimee Carevich, writes to the VOTF rank and file about her admiration for and work with Ganz:

"I still remember the day when Marshall excitedly told me that VOTF had been founded. I cannot convey how much hope was expressed through his face, and that hope was contagious. . . . Over the last several weeks I have heard many VOTF leaders say that it is time to take the organization to the next level. I sincerely believe that with some leadership training, and some smart and powerful organizing, VOTF can rise to its feet and claim a piece of the power that the Catholic hierarchy currently holds. I am here to get that ball rolling - to make a clarion call for more action that confronts the hierarchy and demands more power. After all, as the VOTF opening prayer states, 'We are the Church.' Indeed, you are the Church, and it is my privilege to be working with you." (www.votf.org/vineyard/July04/national.html#aimee)

Ganz helped to form ‘Voice of the Faithful’ in order to lobby against the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and to stage his coup of the Catholic Church. This organization does not seek to encourage Catholics to proclaim and live their faith, but rather to take control of the Catholic Church and change its teaching and morality. Why would the agnostic Marshall Ganz be so interested in the future of the Catholic Church and then turn such a blind eye to the issue of abuse in other occupations, other Christian communities and other faiths? I have one thought.

Opensecrets.org reports that law firms financially support Democrats three times more than Republicans. Lawyers contributed 137 million (more than a tenth of a billion) to the Democrats during the 2004 election cycle. The Republicans received one third of that amount. For the 2008 election year lawyers have already contributed over 58 million to the Democrats.

Is anyone asking where they are getting this money?

Does any of it come from settlements with the Catholic Church? Is that one of the reasons that the Church was such a target? Was it in the hopes of silencing her voice, as demanded by some, and then using the money to finance her political enemies? If this was a part of these efforts, Catholics should be deeply concerned.

This is why Ganz' significant presence in the Obama campaign is ominous.

However, Obama should not be the only one scrutinized. Mary Jo Bane, for example, worked with Ganz on organizing against Catholics at the beginning of the abuse crisis. Bane is a close associate of Hillary Clinton and a former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services under the Senator's husband.

The question of what became of the money lawyers received in the sexual abuse crisis has been bantered around over the past several years. Yet, no mainstream journalist will even touch the issue. It is time for Catholic journalists and bloggers to start asking two questions of the various candidates in both parties: "Can you verifiably certify that no money traceable back to the Catholic abuse settlements is in your coffers? If not, then disclose how much is from the settlements - and from whom was it donated?"

Barack Obama’s campaign made a grave mistake by bringing Ganz into the campaign when he volunteered to assist them. By doing so, they have insulted Catholics who have been harassed by Ganz’ tactics for five years. Yet, the move now allows us to look under the carpet and demand transparency from all of the candidates.


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