The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops today conclude their annual Spring General
Assembly, where they approved a proposal to draft a message entitled Catholic Reflections
on Work, Poverty and a Broken Economy. It will be the first major document
from the US bishops since the publication of the encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI,
Deus Caritas Est and Caritas in Veritate. “It has been a long time
since the body of bishops has addressed the moral and human dimensions of economic
life in light of Catholic teaching,” said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California,
chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. “This is especially
urgent when so many of our people are suffering and wonder whether their Church cares
and has anything to say about their situation and the economy that has left them behind.”
During
the debate before the decision was made to draft the message, several bishops spoke
of the need to move beyond previous economic statements made by the bishops’ conference.
“I
was particularly gratified to see that there was a balance in some of the principles
that should be emphasized...I think there really is a perception problem with the
conference and with this committee particularly as being seen at times as partisan,
and I hope we will seriously take the principle of subsidiarity,” said Archbishop
Joseph Naumann of Kansas City.
“I think we need to talk about the debt, and
the real seriousness of that debt, and that we can’t just simply go on,” Archbishop
Naumann continued. “Sometimes we are perceived as just encouraging the government
to spend more money, with no realist way as how we are going to afford to do this.”