Father Marx and I have always understood that good staffing is critical to running an effective pro-life organization. You either have bright, capable and motivated people at your side, or you don’t get things done. As we begin 2006, let me introduce three key players of the PRI team to you.
PRI’s Man in Lima, Peru
I’ll start with our man in Lima, Carlos Polo, who runs PRI’s Latin American office. I have already recounted some of Carlos’ victories over the past year in our Vision 2006, but with Carlos there is always something new to report. In early December Carlos, working in tandem with the Catholic Church in Peru, successfully amended a so-called human rights bill that would have created special rights for homosexuals including, prospectively, the right to marry. Another of Carlos’ recent victories graces the cover of this issue. He discovered that two U.S. taxpayer-funded groups in Peru were in violation of USAID policy, promoting the abortifacient morning-after pill (MAP). After carefully compiling the evidence, he flew up to Washington, where we arranged for him to talk with senior USAID officials. The result? Not only have these two groups been reprimanded for their actions, USAID has decided to order them to return part of their grants. This precedent-setting action would not have happened without Carlos’ investigative acumen.
Latin American Dynamo
I feel a special bond with Carlos, a short dynamo of a man responsible for an area — Latin America — twice as large as the United States. He understands as well as I that the stakes couldn’t be higher for his homeland and his region.
Latin America Targeted
The culture of death is targeting this traditionally Catholic area, seeking to erode away respect for the sanctity of life and to weaken the family. Carlos is on the front lines, organizing, investigating, and counter-attacking the culture of death in the government, in the courts, in the media, and in the legislature. I am proud to stand by him.
First-Rate Reporting
Another key player is our Vice President for Communications, Joseph A. D’Agostino. Week-in and week-out, Joseph produces some of the finest pro-life reporting and analysis around. He writes for our Weekly Briefing and the PRI Review on a wide sweep of issues.
His recent stories include the battles over the U.S. Supreme Court, China’s one-child policy, the proposed two-child policy in the Philippines, and the Muslim rioting in France. His goal — our goal — is to bring you not just the story, but the story behind the story — for example, how shifting demographics is driving Muslim unrest in Europe.
PRI’s Eyes and Ears in D.C.
Joseph is also our eyes and ears in our nation’s capital, representing us at important meetings of pro-life, pro-family groups in Washington. There, in coalition with numerous other groups, he helps to drive the agenda forward. We are leaders in the effort to end the assault on human life that goes under the name of “population stabilization” or “family planning.”
Taking Care of Business
Finally, you wouldn’t be receiving this publication at all without the able efforts of our Director of Operations, Joel Bockrath. Joel ensures that our printer gets our mailings out, that our accountant gets our bills paid, and that our computer techie keeps our PCs virus-free. And he does it all in a pleasant, easygoing manner that makes him a joy to be around.
Joel is coming up on his one-year anniversary of joining our staff and, like Carlos and Joseph, has over the past twelve months made himself indispensable to our work.
Deep Faith and Prayer
All three are men of deep faith and constant prayer. I am deeply grateful to each of them for their vital contribution to PRI. And to you, my friends, for making it all possible in this Year of Our Lord, 2006.
