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Michael Hichborn

President of the Lepanto InstitutePresident of the Lepanto Institute and former American Life League staffer, known for reports alleging that Catholic Relief Services funds or runs contraception-promoting programmes.

United StatesThe Lepanto InstituteNo analyses yet

About Michael Hichborn

Michael Hichborn is the president of the Lepanto Institute, a Catholic lay organisation that publishes investigations of Catholic charities and institutions. Before founding it, he worked at American Life League (ALL). ALL's own history says he led its programme focused on the Catholic bishops, which was designed to help bishops in their pro-life work (American Life League). He has described the Lepanto Institute as an outgrowth of the investigations he was conducting at ALL (Lepanto Institute).

Hichborn's best-known work concerns Catholic Relief Services (CRS). On 6 March 2024 he and Steven Mosher of the Population Research Institute presented, at a virtual press conference, a joint report on a year-long investigation alleging that CRS projects in Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Lesotho promoted condoms and contraception (ACI Africa; LifeSiteNews; PRI). CRS rejected the accusations as unfounded (ACI Prensa), as it has rejected similar allegations before. In 2021 the chairman of its board, Bishop Frank Caggiano, wrote to bishops about "provocateurs" spreading "false allegations" about CRS, and the Institute disputed his memo (Lepanto Institute).

He also authored a 64-page Lepanto report on CommonSpirit Health. Catholic News Agency quoted him arguing that any entity within a Catholic health system must follow Catholic moral law (National Catholic Register/CNA).

Hichborn appears regularly in traditionalist and conservative Catholic media, including Crisis Magazine's podcast (Crisis) and Sacred Heart Radio (Sacred Heart Radio).

On the timeline

Full timeline

Dated events, newest first.

  1. Lepanto Institute and PRI release report alleging CRS promoted contraception

    The Lepanto Institute and the Population Research Institute presented a report on Catholic Relief Services projects in Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. It alleged that CRS promoted condoms and contraception through federally funded…

    SourcesReport raises 'serious concern' about Catholic Relief Services' ties to… (LifeSiteNews)Catholic Relief Services Ignores Devastating Report, Issues Blanket Denial (Population Research Institute)

Sources for this profile

  1. ALL History — American Life League
  2. Our President — The Lepanto Institute
  3. Report raises 'serious concern' about Catholic Relief Services' ties to contraception, abortion — LifeSiteNews
  4. Response to Archbishop John Wester — Population Research Institute
  5. Lepanto Institute Responds to Bishop Chairman of Catholic Relief Services — The Lepanto Institute
  6. Complex Catholic Hospital Mergers Pose Ethics Challenge For U.S. Bishops — National Catholic Register (CNA)
  7. Uncovering Corruption in the Church (Guest: Michael Hichborn) — Crisis Magazine
  8. Michael Hichborn — Sacred Heart Radio
  9. Study links Catholic Relief Services to contraception, abortion programs in Africa (title reconstructed) — ACI Africa
  10. Catholic Relief Services niega estar vinculado al aborto en África (title reconstructed) — ACI Prensa

About this profile

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