The U.S. Bishops Support Pope Francis' Call for an Economy Based upon Justice and the Common Good
U.S. BISHOPS ANNUAL LABOR DAY STATEMENT
SEPTEMBER 6, 2021
In a document entitled, "A Dream for a Better Economy," Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, of Oklahoma City, and Chairperson of the U.S. bishops' committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development echoes Pope Francis’ call from the encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, to rise out of this crisis with an economy that expresses universal fraternity. He writes, “It is our task not only to reflect on the present ills of our economy, but also to build consensus around human dignity and the common good, the bedrocks of Catholic social teaching, and to answer the Pope’s call to propose new and creative economic responses to human need, both locally and globally.”
Archbishop Coakley goes on to point out that “Pope Francis shares a vision for a post-COVID world that aspires to a global fraternity which leaves no one at the margins of society. He decries the reality that women are not yet recognized as having the same dignity as men, that racism shamefully continues, and that those who are poor, disabled, unborn, or elderly are often considered dispensable.” To this he adds, “Rejecting a neoliberal vision, Francis writes that markets cannot solve societal problems on their own; therefore, proactive policies centered on the common good must be created.”
The full document is available at U.S.C.C.B website.