What the Holy See Is Telling the UN Rio+20

What the Holy See Is Telling the UN (Part 1)
Archbishop Chullikatt Explains Rio+20

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, JUNE 27, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the permanent observer of the Holy See's Mission to the United Nations, participated last week in a major UN conference in Brazil, Rio+20.

He explained to us both the conference itself, and the message the Holy See tried to promote there.

Part 2 of this interview will be published Thursday.

ZENIT: What is Rio+20?

Archbishop Chullikatt: It is the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20-22 June 2012. It marks the 20th Anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which also was held in Rio de Janeiro (the so-called Earth Summit). The scope of Rio+20 was to foster truly sustainable social, economic and environmental development for our planet and for present and future generations.

ZENIT: How was it organized?

Archbishop Chullikatt: It was organized within the United Nations system pursuant to General Assembly Resolutions 64/236 and 66/197 and was envisaged as a UN Conference which would bring together world leaders along with thousands of participants from governments, with a view to reducing poverty, advancing social equity and ensuring environmental protection. The Conference was attended by many Heads of State/Government, several intergovernmental organizations, such as the European Union, the African Union, the Group of Latin American Countries, the private sector and numerous Non-Governmental Organizations. Also present at the Conference were a good number of Catholic non-governmental organizations active in civil society, both in Brazil and internationally, who support the Holy See and work at the grass-roots level with communities in need.

Prior to the commencement of the Conference, there were a series of three preparatory meetings and a number of informal meetings where the final Outcome Document was negotiated and ultimately agreed upon (A/CONF.216/L.1, dated 19 June 2012).

ZENIT: What is the nature and structure of the Outcome Document and what themes were discussed?

Archbishop Chullikatt: The Outcome Document was formally adopted by the Conference on Friday night, 22 June 2012. It is a non-binding document entitled “The Future We Want”. It is 49 pages long with 283 paragraphs divided into six parts. Part I: Our Common Vision; Part II: Renewing Political Commitment; Part III: Green Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty eradication; Part IV: Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development; Part V: Framework for Action and Follow-up; VI Means of Implementation.

Rio+20 focused on issues mentioned above and various priority areas including, among others, decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness.

ZENIT: What is the Holy See’s Position on these themes?

Archbishop Chullikatt: The Holy See underlined its key priorities for the Rio+ 20 Conference in two “Position Papers” which were presented to the first and third Preparatory Committees of the Conference for its consideration:

http://www.holyseemission.org/statements/statement.aspx?id=385;http://www.holyseemission.org/statements/statement.aspx?id=383

In addition, the Holy See further outlined its vision for sustainable development during a Side-Event held during the Conference and in its formal intervention to the Plenary of the Conference.

http://www.holyseemission.org/pdf/Remarks%20of%20Cardinal%20Scherer.pdf

http://www.holyseemission.org/statements/statement.aspx?id=385

Q: Which were the issues of particular concern raised by the Holy See?

Archbishop Chullikatt: The Centrality of Human Beings in Sustainable Development

The Holy See underscored the many threats to the human family and its earthly home. It emphasized that the human person stands at the centre of the created world, and therefore, at the centre of sustainable development. In this way, it reaffirmed the first principle of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

The rights to water and sanitation, food, basic health care and education are intrinsically linked to the right to life, survival and development. These rights are at the service of the human person and the family.

The Need for a Profound and Farsighted Review of Development

From this perspective, the key principles which must permeate sustainable development policies include: responsibility, promotion and sharing in the common good, access to primary goods, universal solidarity capable of acknowledging the unity of the human family, protection of creation linked to intergenerational equity and solidarity, universal destination of goods as well as the fruits of human enterprise, and finally, subsidiarity, which enables public authorities from the local level to the highest institutions, to operate effectively for the enhancement of each person and family, the protection of resources and the promotion of the common good.

When such principles are applied at the international level, especially in relation to the transfer of technology to developing countries, the promotion of a more just global financial system and increasing aid-for-development, they should place inherent human dignity, integral human development, the family, the common good, the solidarity and safeguarding of the environment at the centre of economic activity.

The Need for an Integrally Human Model of Development with Ethical and Moral Dimensions

The ongoing economic and financial crisis must also take into consideration the moral and cultural crisis. Admittedly, it is a complex challenge to move from a merely technological model of development to an integrally human model, which takes as its point of departure the inherent dignity and worth of the human person and his/her fundamental social dimension which is the family. In the end, it is people who are charged with stewardship over nature; but as with everything human, this stewardship necessarily possesses an ethical dimension.

The Green Economy, Human Dignity, Integral Human Development and the Family

The Conference sought to place the notion of the so-called “green economy” primarily at the intersection between environment and development. A good number of the developing countries, especially from Africa, while sometimes suspicious of so-called “environment-friendly green economic policy” and the challenges it may place on developing countries which lack access to more environmentally friendly technologies and sources of energy, demanded that such a policy be accompanied by an enhanced and more coordinated support from the developed countries. These developing countries sought capacity building, technology transfer, funding and technical support, as well as closing of technology-gaps between developed and developing countries.

In the end, for a green economy to succeed it must be applied in an inclusive manner, directing it clearly to the promotion of the common good and the eradication of poverty on the local level, an element which is essential to the attainment of sustainable development. In other words, we need to forge an alliance between environment and development, which should benefit each and every human person. Therefore, in order to put this green economy in its right perspective, the Holy See emphasized that the “green economy” must be anchored in principles that are essential in effectively promoting respect for the inherent dignity of every human person, for integral human development and for the institution of the family, based on the marriage of one man and one woman, the natural and fundamental group unit of society (cf. UDHR, art. 16, ICCPR, art. 23, ICESCR, art. 10).

ZE12062807 - 2012-06-28
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-35104?l=english

WHAT THE HOLY SEE IS TELLING THE UN (PART 2)

Archbishop Chullikatt Explains Rio+20

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, JUNE 28, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the permanent observer of the Holy See's Mission to the United Nations, participated last week in a major UN conference in Brazil, Rio+20.

He explained to us both the conference itself, and the message the Holy See tried to promote there.

Part 1 of this interview was published on Wednesday

ZENIT: How is the Family relevant for sustainable development?

Archbishop Chullikatt: It is the family where life, survival and development begin, and where children are first educated to adopt a vocational and ethical attitude, which freely assumes responsibility, in genuine solidarity with one another and all of creation. The uniqueness of the institution of the family, the legal obligation to protect it, and its importance for sustainable development, poverty eradication and the green economy may be summarized as follows:

The family is a community of solidarity

The family is a community of love, harmony and solidarity, based on the enduring bond of communion between the husband and wife, which is uniquely suited by its nature to give birth to children, teach respect, distinction and complementarity between the two sexes and transmit the cultural, ethical, social, spiritual, and religious values, essential for the integral development and well-being of children, of extended family relations, and of society. (Preamble E, Charter on the Rights of the Family)

The family is a unique social institution

The family is an unrepeatable social institution that cultivates within its members a sense of their inherent dignity, from which rights and duties derive. It also develops each member’s sense of acquired dignity, which comes to fulfilment through a fully and harmonious developed personality, gradually formed and educated in authentic freedom and responsible life in society.

The family is enriched by inter/intra-generational relationships

The family is enriched and extended by inter-generational solidarity and inter/intra-generational transmission of values which assist members to grow in human wisdom to appreciate a sustainable comprehensive management of the environment, natural resources, and the universal destination of goods, while ensuring that the inherent dignity of the human person is not violated in attempts to preserve the environment.

The family is a principal agent of peace

The family is a principal agent of peace where the same love that nurtures its members, and builds and maintains unity and harmony in the family, is vital to the building of peace in society.

The family is an economic unit

The family is an economic unit which naturally produces and forms human capital and provides workers, consumers, and service providers, especially for its most vulnerable members.

It is deeply unfortunate that the aforementioned role of the family has not been fully recognized in the Outcome Document despite having been proposed many times by the delegation of the Holy See.

ZENIT: What are your key concerns regarding the Outcome document?

Archbishop Chullikatt: The Outcome Document is the result of a series of complex multilateral negotiations which lasted almost a year. It is not a perfect document. However, the international community, with the required political will and through strict implementation of the applicable measures, can render it fruitful.

The negotiations of the Outcome Document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development provided a unique opportunity for the Holy See and for all members of the Catholic community to gather in Rio to articulate a message for the international community, which moves from a charity or concern for our fellow brothers and sisters rooted in self-interest or sentimentality to one which fosters deep love and genuine solidarity for all our brothers and sisters around the world.

During negotiations, movement was slow on certain sections of the outcome document where deep tensions emerged on international economic and financial realities. Inequalities between regions, especially in Africa, put pressure on certain delegations, especially those of the developed world, to concretely demonstrate solidarity by realistically striving to eradicate poverty and hunger as the primary obstacles to development.

The Outcome Document should have adopted measures to transfer suitable technologies to the local level, to promote a more equitable and inclusive global market, to respect commitments made to provide aid-development, and to find new ways to put human dignity, the common good and the protection of creation at the center of economic life.

In addition, there is concern in regard to the meaning and application of certain concepts. While notions such as “green economy” could provide an opportunity to produce and create new avenues for greater care of the environment, we must recognize that technological solutions unaccompanied by just, ethical and responsible considerations and involvement of local communities will not assist the poor.

Those applying the Rio+20 Outcome Document must put the wellbeing of the human person at the center of concern of sustainable development. Such an approach will help to avoid, among other things, the risks of reductionist and sterile neo-malthusian approaches, which view human beings as obstacles to development, an inherently flawed vision which some delegations of developed nations attempted to weave into the Outcome Document.

There is no conflict between human beings and their development. In order to eradicate poverty and hunger we need to empower the human person. We must encourage peoples and nations to shape their own future, “a future they need”, in accordance with their dignity, religious beliefs, cultures and proven traditions.

Regrettably, some delegations promoted the dubious notion of "sexual and reproductive rights". Fortunately, this expression does not appear in the document. This approach to sustainable development would have undermined the First Principle of Rio, namely: that the human being is at the centre of sustainable development. The human being is always an end in himself, and sustainable development is the means which serves that end.  Any anti-life policy is anti-development. Any policy promoting abortion or abortifacients masquerading as contraceptives, fails in the same way by attacking the right to life in the safest sanctuary of the womb, and the health of the woman whose body created this home. In the end, such a policy is not at the service of health, children, their mothers or the family but amounts to violence against women and children and the family.

The Holy See gave a Statement of Position which takes issue with vague and ambiguous wording contained in the Outcome Document. For the Holy See, the term “sexual and reproductive health,” found in the document, should be applied to a holistic concept of health that embraces the person in the entirety of his or her personality, mind and body, and which fosters the achievement of personal maturity in sexuality and in the mutual love and decision making that characterizes the conjugal relationship in accordance with the norms of the natural moral order.

Moreover, unfortunately, the Outcome Document of this Conference neglected the fundamental role that religious organizations play in promoting sustainable development. Religious institutions, such as those of the Catholic Church, play a fundamental role in educating people on the need to love and care for the poor out of love and solidarity. In addition, these institutions provide education to millions of children around the world so that they can be productive and responsible members of society and future leaders of our countries. Moreover, religious organizations also play a vital role of living in solidarity with the most vulnerable persons in society and providing a voice to the voiceless. Failure to fully engage religious institutions in order to achieve a human centred sustainable development is a failure to recognize the true nature of the human person and recognize the innate spiritual dimension of individuals and society.

In addition, it is important to understand that the poor and developing countries arrived at the Conference with a lot of expectations. They sought assistance, solidarity and expertise, especially at the social, financial and economic levels from their brothers and sisters of developed nations. However, many felt disillusioned that the Outcome Document of this Conference failed to deliver for them.  Governments need to make good on their promises; otherwise a prosperous and better future will always remain a dream for the most vulnerable persons in the world.

In conclusion, new development models created or promoted as a result of this recently concluded Conference must be respectful of the human person and promote a more just and caring international community. Moreover, such models should be guided by the principles I mentioned earlier regarding the Holy See’s position on this issue. While political debate is necessary, willingness to live and work in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world is needed, otherwise sustainable development will forever remain a distant and unrealized dream. The world has changed a great deal since the first Rio Conference but despite the progress, far too many children go without food, far too many families see their homes and communities destroyed by man-made and environmental catastrophes, and far too many people are depressed, disappointed and disillusioned. Now is the time for governments to recognize that sustainable development starts with the human person and his/her family. This is the way to build “a future we need.” This is the way to true progress.

This is the way to a more just and equitable world for all.

Archbishop Tomasi's Address at the 20th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Archbishop Tomasi's Address at the 20th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

"If Justice is Violated, Wealth and Debt Become Instruments of Exploitation"

GENEVA, Switzerland, JUNE 25, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the address given by Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi, Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, at the 20th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
* * *
Madam President,

1. The Holy See strongly supports the Report’s assertion that human rights as well as the rules of justice and ethics apply to all economic and social relations, including foreign debt obligations. Human rights criteria for evaluating foreign debt can be an important tool for moving development from the narrow "economic" or material understanding to one based on integral human development, one that promotes "the development of each man and of the whole man"1. This recognizes the "right to development"2 grounded in the humanity of each and every person, from conception to natural death, regardless of their age, nationality, race, religion, ethnicity, sex and disability status. At the same time, we acknowledge the role that corruption has played and continues to play in aggravating the problem of debt obligations in many less developed countries.

2. A people-centered ethics is one that is grounded in a view of the human person which emphasizes human dignity, the basis of human rights, for human rights are those rights that spring from what it means to be human. All just economic activity respects this human dignity. Wealth and debt must serve the common good. If justice is violated, wealth and debt become instruments of exploitation, especially of the poor and marginalized. But unjust, and especially exploitative, economic transactions are invalid and must be made just, even if each party agreed to the legal terms of the exchange, as it may happen when the rich lend to the poor. For many years now all have come to recognize that "the heavy burden of external debt (…) compromises the economies of whole peoples and hinders their social and political progress."3

3. Foreign debt is just a symptom of the lack of justice in the flow of capital in the world4. "The debt question is part of a vaster problem: that of the persistence of poverty, sometimes even extreme, and the emergence of new inequalities which are accompanying the globalization process. If the aim is globalization without marginalization, we can no longer tolerate a world in which there live side by side the immensely rich and the miserably poor, the have-nots deprived even of essentials and people who thoughtlessly waste what others so desperately need. Such contrasts are an affront to the dignity of the human person."

Thus, in evaluating foreign loans consideration should be given to: (1) Reducing unethical loan practices and (2) Better aligning foreign loans with authentic human development. If both the loan process and the loan use have to respect human rights there is a much better chance that the money from the loan will promote development and the  necessary environment for the enjoyment of human rights. Many of the barriers to development arise because the human costs and benefits of economic activities are not given adequate, or any, weight in the decision making process. "Human costs always include economic costs, and economic dysfunctions always involve human costs"5 and the consequent violation of human rights.

4. While institutionalizing the inclusion of human rights into the cost and benefit calculations will present challenges, we would like to remind the Council that every past improvement in human rights and expansion of participation and inclusion faced the same challenge. In a few words, financial relationships that increase inequality and do not promote income convergence are "contrary to justice".6

5. Along with the Report, and most objective observers, the Holy See recognizes that loans to developing countries have at times promoted inequality and have become barriers to development rather than serving as tools to promote development. Often this is due to changes in outside economic circumstances which can turn a good and just loan arrangement into a barrier to development and a vehicle for exploitation. One such change in outside circumstances that the Report addresses and responds to relates to fluctuations in currency values.

6. The Holy See supports the new principle for transparency in foreign loans at all levels and by all actors (borrowers, lenders and international agencies) in order to lessen the chance of the grave mistakes that were made in the past, when corruption led to secret loans for dubious purposes, taken out by leaders not interested in the common good with the poor in developing countries bearing the burden. We support this reform and encourage efforts to correct the injustices of past loans with more aggressive debt forgiveness.
The Holy See hopes that "the process of debt cancellation and reduction for the poorest countries will be continued and accelerated. At the same time, these processes must not be made conditional upon structural adjustments that are detrimental to the most vulnerable populations."7 The Holy See supports the Human Rights Council’s call to end conditionality in debt forgiveness and renegotiation, and supports its call to respect the sovereignty and right of each country to independently plan its own development strategies and not be forced by outside agencies or governments to pursue policies which are more in the interest of the lending nations than the common good of the developing nations. Furthermore, programs for debt cancellation or relief should not result in insurmountable obstacles to future responsible borrowing that may be critically necessary for the long-term development and prosperity of the country at risk.

7. Greater transparency will also help in preventing the building up of unsustainable levels of debt by developing nations. In both developing and developed countries the lack of transparency in the accumulating of debt has added to economic uncertainty in the world financial system. The Guiding Principles on Foreign Debt and Human Rights  move in the direction of a concrete solution. Sovereign debt cannot be viewed as an exclusively economic problem. It affects future generations a well as the social conditions that allow the enjoyment of human rights of vast numbers of people entitled to the solidarity of the whole human family.
Thank you, Madam President.

__________________________________
1 Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, n.14
2 General Assembly resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986.
3 Pope John Paul II noted in his World Peace Day Message of 1998 WPD 1998, n.4.http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/peace/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_08121997_xxxi-world-day-for-peace_en.html
4 Idem
5 Pope Benedict XVI,  Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, n. 32.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html
6 Cfr  Aquinas ST, II, II, QQ78.
7 From the Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See. Monday, 8 January 2007.

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Holy See: Put Justice at Base of Trade

Affirms Economic Systems Must Protect Human Dignity
GENEVA, Switzerland, DEC. 7, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- International trade should be based on social justice, particularly as the poor are hit hardest by the global recession, says the Holy See's permanent observer at the Geneva U.N. offices.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi affirmed this when he addressed the Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, Vatican Radio reported. The three-day event concluded last Thursday and focused on "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment."

During the meeting, ministers of the 139 WTO member countries evaluated the state of negotiations for a worldwide agreement on the liberalization of trade.

Though "every country has the right to define its own economic model," Archbishop Tomasi said, systems should be thought out in the context of "inclusive and equitable globalization," in which "solidarity, investment, the transfer of technology, the capacity to build and the exchange of knowledge are means at the service of development." All of this, he added, should be "based on the centrality of the person."

Economy should protect the dignity inherent to every human person, the prelate affirmed. And that is why the market should be directed to the common good, responding above all to the needs of the poorest.

To attain this objective, the Holy See representative contended, there must be "a decisive step toward a system of trade based on the principle of social justice."

Cardinal Martino Praises G-8 Summit on Crisis

Says it Concurs With Heart of Church's Social Doctrine

ROME, MARCH 30, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- The Group of Eight labor ministers meeting in Rome to discuss ways to help those affected by the global downturn are addressing the heart of the Church's social teaching, says a Vatican aide.

In an article published Sunday by L'Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, expressed his support for the three-day summit, under way in Rome through Tuesday.

The meeting is titled "The Human Dimension of the Crisis," and has as its focus to discuss how to strengthen welfare systems and help put people back to work.

The G-8 meeting was called to prepare for the Group of 20 summit due to begin Thursday in London. It also responds to demonstrations that have been sparked in several European capitals, leading up to the London meeting, in protest of the decreasing job availability and financial stability.

Cardinal Martino lauded the social summit initiative, as it implies "providing for the person by safeguarding his dignity through the adaptation of the social systems; beginning again from the person, and creating the conditions for the birth of new jobs."

He explained, "These topics are important for the Church and are at the heart of her social teaching."

The Church's social and economic thought, the cardinal continued, "is based on the principle of the dignity of the person" as the "basic pillar of society itself" and as the "goal of all social institutions."

Because of this, the Church's social doctrine states that it is "in times of economic upheaval when systems of social protection must be reinforced, so that the person can enjoy his fundamental rights, put in danger by the crisis," he added, quoting John Paul II's "Centessimus Annus."

Cardinal Martino also noted that the true center of economic activity: "Through work, not money or technology, man is a protagonist of development.

"And because of this it is only through work that the economy can start up again."

Rethinking the system

The cardinal affirmed that the crisis must be an occasion to "rethink the global economic and financial system, which phenomena like globalization, migration and the issue of the environment had already begun to question over the last few years."

It is necessary, he asserted, to articulate "new inspiring principles" based on fraternity between peoples. The cardinal said the first of these principles must be "the universal common good, which was theorized by John XXIII in 'Pacem in Terris,'" and consists in "considering humanity as a family."

Another principle must be the "spirit of international cooperation in the economic and financial areas and in the field of development," which "requires that, beyond the strict logic of the market, there be awareness of the duty of solidarity," he said.

"In fact," Cardinal Martino added, "solidarity is central in the reorganization of the fabric of a world economy, which as the present crisis demonstrates, [though] negatively, is ever more intertwined."

Solidarity also "implies fostering greater participation in the decision-making process by both developed as well as underdeveloped countries, by both international organizations as well as civil society in general," he continued.

Subjects, not objects

The cardinal added a third principle of subsidiarity, "thanks to which it is possible to stimulate the spirit of initiative, fundamental basis of all socio-economic development, in poor countries themselves, so that the latter might be considered not as a problem, but as subjects and protagonists of a new and more human future for the whole world."

The fourth principle on which the world economic system should be reorganized is that of responsibility, he noted, "which is translated into transparency, accountability, consistency and coordination between economic entities themselves and governments and civil society."

Cardinal Martino said it is "very positive" that the International Labor Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have associated themselves with this G-8 summit.

He underlined the necessity of finding "strategies to combat poverty" in order to enhance "social cohesion," which is one of the most serious problems caused by the crisis, given the widening gap between rich and poor.

"Finally," the cardinal concluded, "peace, also social peace, finds its foundation in the rational and moral order of society [...] it is based on a correct conception of the person and requires the building of an order based on justice and charity."

US Bishops' Conference/Catholic Relief Services call for Strong international affairs budget. Please consider acting

Urge Congress to invest in a more prosperous and just world
Write your members of Congress now!


TAKE ACTION NOW! Ask your members of Congress to sign a bipartisan letter to President-elect Barack Obama in support of a strong international affairs budget that includes critical assistance for poor and marginalized people worldwide.

WHAT WILL THIS ACTION ACCOMPLISH? A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives has prepared a letter to President-elect Obama to urge him to include a strong international affairs budget in his overall proposal for the fiscal year 2010 U.S. government budget. While the current financial crisis is seriously straining our nation, now more than ever is the time for the U.S. to remain engaged in the world. A strong international affairs budget will demonstrate our nation’s commitment to help poor people. In the long-term, such investments will also promote a more stable world and protect the global economy.

WHY IS THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET IMPORTANT? The U.S. international affairs budget includes overall funding levels for our nations’ investments in global humanitarian, economic, and diplomatic initiatives. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) receives some of the funding from the international affairs budget for its emergency response, agriculture, education, HIV and other health programs.

At this point in the process of developing the 2010 international affairs budget, CRS and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are principally concerned with advocating for the highest possible total funding level. That will allow the programs that we care about most the ones that feed millions of hungry people, save millions of lives affected by HIV, help poor people start their own business and become financially independent and educate millions of children around the globe to expand and multiply. It is only later in the budget process that we will focus our advocacy on specific programs that address poverty and injustice.

HOW MUCH MONEY IS THE U.S. INVESTING IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS? The majority of Americans believe that we spend much more money on international affairs initiatives than we actually do. Only about one percent of the entire U.S. government budget or a little more than 34 billion funds international initiatives. While the international affairs budget has grown in recent years, it is still far less in real terms than at the height of the Cold War. Especially as the global economy faces challenges, the poor and marginalized need our assistance.

WHAT DOES THE INTERNATONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET HAVE TO DO WITH MY FAITH? Catholic social teaching is rooted in upholding the fundamental dignity of every human life and directs us to be in solidarity with our neighbors. As Catholics, we are called to help people who are poor, dying, and sick whether they live here in the United States or across all continents. A strong U.S. international affairs budget can demonstrate our nation’s moral commitment to upholding human life and dignity by providing much needed funding to programs that help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the refugee, and heal the sick.

HOW CAN I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH’S EFFORTS TO END GLOBAL POVERTY?
CRS and the USCCB welcome you to join our Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty that seeks to address some of the root causes of global poverty. Please visit our campaign website to join today.