Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition recently announced the formation of a new political organization called the Catholic Alliance. The goal of this new organization, according to Christian Coalition executive director, Ralph Reed, is "to mobilize millions of Catholics the way we've mobilized millions of evangelicals." By having the word "Catholic" in the organization's title, Robertson and Reed hope to attract the support of Catholics who are otherwise wary of Robertson and his political ambitions. However, as Reed admitted in an interview, this new organization will operate as a "fully owned subsidiary" of Robertson's Christian Coalition. Its primary purpose, as explained by Reed, will be "to get as many voter guides as possible in the Catholic churches in 1996."

The Catholic Alliance held its first public event on December 9th in Boston, Massachusetts. Speaking to a crowd of about 400 people (most of whom were not Catholic), leaders of the Christian Coalition called for greater unity between conservative Catholics and the political followers of Pat Robertson. Executive Director Ralph Reed insisted, "We are at a historic moment. We can no longer afford to be divided."

But many Catholics were not buying this line. At a press conference hosted by The Interfaith Alliance, several Catholics spoke out against Robertson's attempt to recruit Catholics to his counterfeit organization. One of those who objected to Robertson's efforts was Father Paul McLaughlin, the pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and a member of The Interfaith Alliance. According to Father McLaughlin, "There is nothing Catholic about the Catholic Alliance. Rather, it is a fraudulent group with one goal: to increase the political power of Pat Robertson."

Another speaker at the press conference was Ray Landry, a high school teacher in North Reading, Massachusetts, and an active Catholic. He warned Catholics, "Don't be fooled by the Catholic label: it's nothing more than false advertising designed to confuse unsuspecting Catholics." After repeating Ralph Reed's words about using Catholics to provide "the swing vote" and thereby making Robertson's Christian Coalition "an even more effective organization in the electorate," Landry summed up the real purposes of the Christian Coalition's Catholic Alliance: "the name of the game is power_not values, not morals, not principles just raw political power."

Sister Pat Lambert of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston pointed out that on issues like welfare reform, capital punishment, civil rights, health care, gun control, labor laws, and immigration, the agenda of the Christian Coalition's Catholic Alliance runs directly counter to the social teachings of the Catholic Church. After quoting Church authorities on these matters, she said, "Nowhere in their rhetoric or in their agenda do I find a genuine sense of compassion for those less fortunate than themselves. . . . Nowhere in their exuberant support of the death penalty do I find the Christian values of love and mercy." On these and other issues, she insisted, "the Catholic Alliance does not represent the Catholic Church."

Also at the press conference was Sister Mary Carol Bennett of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who serves as co-chair of the Southwest Pennsylvania Interfaith Alliance. Representing a grassroots movement which now encompasses 16 states and includes over 20,000 members, Sister Bennett warmly welcomed the Boston community's efforts to organize a local Interfaith Alliance. She also reminded Catholics in Boston and across the nation that "Pat Robertson and his Christian Coalition have no interest in the Catholic faith except to use it for their own political purposes. That is why Catholics and other people of faith must speak out against this crass manipulation of religion."

Father McLaughlin returned to the podium and concluded the press conference with a challenge to the voters, candidates, and politicians of Massachusetts. Noting that Massachusetts had thus far avoided the hostile political climate in which the extreme right thrives, he called upon the citizens of Massachusetts "to resist the temptation to give in to the politics of deceit and division practiced by groups like Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition." He warned, "Do not give in to their political demands and do not fall prey to their political tricks." He also called upon Catholic pastors and others with teaching responsibilities to "inform Catholics about the serious differences between the agenda of the Catholic Alliance and the teachings of the Catholic Church." To those "who want to practice Pat Robertson's brand of politics," Father McLaughlin firmly insisted, "Not in my state, and absolutely not in my Church!"

All across the nation, The Interfaith Alliance is working with Catholic leaders and Catholic organizations to expose the Catholic Alliance for what it really is: a front group for Pat Robertson and his extremist brand of right-wing politics.