WASHINGTON (ABP) -- According to documents released by the White House, "faith-based" organizations received about $1.17 billion in federal grant money in 2003.

That was about 8 percent of the $14.5 billion for which religious groups were eligible.

Since taking office in 2001, President Bush has pushed hard to expand government's ability to fund social services through churches and other deeply religious organizations. When Congress failed to back his plan through legislation, Bush began implementing many of the changes through executive orders and other administrative means.

Many supporters of church-state separation oppose Bush's plan, saying it violates the Constitution's ban on government support for religion.

Bush has touted the plan as a way to provide government support to grass-roots social agencies previously discriminated against in funding. But an analysis of Florida grants by the Associated Press, which was given the White House list, showed that many of them went to programs that had been receiving federal grants for years and that considered themselves only nominally religious.

For instance, Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida received a $1 million grant in 2003 for a refugee-resettlement program. But they had already been receiving federal grants for such programs for five years, and a spokesperson with the organization said proselytizing wasn't part of their work.

"We provide services as Christians, not for the purposes of conversion," said Karen Rieley, according to the AP.

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