Casey is hoping the controversy over Mexican partners will “re-clarify” Development and Peace’s role within the Canadian church.

“We still consider ourselves very much an important part of the Catholic Church and Catholic social action,” he said.

A team of Canadian bishops and advisors travelled to Mexico in April to investigate reports from LifeSiteNews.com which alleged the Catholic development agency funded five partners that were advocating for a uniform abortion law in Mexico which would legalize abortion through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The organizations themselves deny they have engaged in any active advocacy on abortion and were simply signatories to a wide-ranging statement from a consortium of dozens of human rights organizations. The statement covered a whole gamut of human rights issues in Mexico and was prepared to familiarize United Nations officials with Mexico’s human rights situation from the point of view of Mexican civil society groups.

The investigation team’s report was to be presented to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops permanent council meeting in Ottawa June 17-18. It is widely expected the bishops will make a statement about the affair, and possibly give direction for future Development and Peace policy following the meeting.

Casey said he has been given no information about what’s in the report and no indication of what measures the bishops may be contemplating.

“I’m just leaving the bishops to do their determination,” he said.

The controversy, which broke in March, continues to draw interest and concern among Development and Peace’s 13,000 members, Casey said.

“We’re going back and forth with the pro-life groups, which have kept us relentlessly in their sights,” said Casey. “We’ve had a lot of reaction from our membership. We still get letters every day relating to this. Most of them now have become very supportive, whereas earlier in the controversy they were questioning.”

Development and Peace was established just after the closing of the Second Vatican Council by Canada’s bishops as a popular movement with a national membership. It spends more than $20 million a year helping organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia combat poverty and build up local communities.