Catholic Bishops Renew Poverty Campaign and Call for Extension of Unemployment Benefits
We’ve been writing a great deal about the need for (and examples of) Catholic leadership on economic issues over the past few weeks. The sputtering economy and the spread of the Occupy movement have challenged faith leaders to address the economic concerns of their congregations — and Catholic clergy should be applauded for their efforts to meet this challenge.
The Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, a subdivision of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is celebrating Poverty Awareness Month (January) by re-launching its Poverty USA campaign. The campaign, which includes a new website, social media presence, interactive poverty tour, and daily activities beginning January 1st, will promote awareness of poverty in the United States.
“Our culture of life begins with a love that binds us to the hopes and joys, the struggles and the sorrows of people, especially those who are poor or any way afflicted,” said Bishop Jaime Soto, chairman of domestic anti-poverty effort. “We measure our own health by the quality of care we give to those most vulnerable. We labor with those whose work is burdensome.”
But Poverty USA is not the USCCB’s only approach to alleviate economic suffering. The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development (CDJHD), another subdivision of the USCCB, is appealing to members of the House of Representatives to “find effective ways to assure continuing Unemployment Insurance and Emergency Unemployment Compensation to protect jobless workers and their families.”
This plea from the USCCB on behalf of unemployed, uninsured Americans across the country comes at a time when Republicans in the House are leading efforts to cut unemployment benefits from a maximum duration of 99 to 59 weeks.
Bishop Stephen Blaire, chairman of the CDJHD, explained the relevance of economic issues to people of faith: “When the economy fails to generate sufficient jobs, there is a moral obligation to help protect the life and dignity of unemployed workers and their families.”
The Bishops’ message stands in direct opposition to conservative political and faith leaders who use The Big Lie to advocate destroying the social safety net right when Americans need it most. Hopefully the Bishops’ efforts will make clear that those who suggest otherwise (particularly Catholic politicians) do so in clear opposition to the Church’s position.
Photo Credit: David Sachs/SEIU, Flickr
Is it possible that the American R/C Bishops are finally getting to a wider understanding of the right to life?
We can only hope.