Economic Justice
“Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from him?” (Is. 58:66ff)
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“Economic decisions have human consequences and moral content; they help or hurt people, strengthen or weaken family life, advance or diminish the quality of justice in our land.” (Pastoral Letter Economic Justice for All, 10th anniversary, p. 13)
Together with political participation, economic justice is at the center of the work for social justice. If we look at Scripture, we can see how the Book of Deuteronomy is sort of a “constitution” for the economic life of Israel; the prophets often called the king and the people’s attention on how they were wronging the poor and vulnerable of their land and thus moving away from God; Jesus was born poor and marginalized to identify himself with them. Our God has made a preferential, not exclusive, option for the poor. All this has very practical implication for us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ and members of His Church.
Catholic Social Teaching is filled with teachings regarding the economic life of our society, whether local or global. It has teachings and guidelines concerning the purpose of the economy, teachings about work, worker’s rights, private property, capital, economic systems, globalization of the economy, entrepreneurship, businesses life, the market, etc.
Recently, the bishops in the United States have presented messages regarding our current economic crisis – loss of jobs, foreclosures, market instability, among others consequences. Until the bishops publish another Pastoral Letter on the economy, “Economic Justice for All”, published in 1986, remains the guidelines on economic matters in the U.S.
El Paso is among the poorest cities in the nation reaching only 72% of the country’s per capita income. As a bi national region on the border with a volume of trading in the billions of dollars annually, it still has about 30% of its population living in poverty. El Paso is known for its low wage jobs and wages in general are 25-30% below the national level. Jobs that require higher education are not abundant, as the population lack access to education that would allow them to acquire higher paying jobs. Higher paying jobs do not come to El Paso, because the population lacks that level of education. So goes the vicious cycle of jobs and wages. An impoverished population is prey to several economic issues that contribute to further their poverty. Issues such wage theft, predatory lending, job training, a small contingent of organized labor, few organized communities, and trade practices that undermine labor.
The Diocese of El Paso is involved in several projects that seek to address some of these issues and economic realities, such as:
`
“Economic decisions have human consequences and moral content; they help or hurt people, strengthen or weaken family life, advance or diminish the quality of justice in our land.” (Pastoral Letter Economic Justice for All, 10th anniversary, p. 13)
Together with political participation, economic justice is at the center of the work for social justice. If we look at Scripture, we can see how the Book of Deuteronomy is sort of a “constitution” for the economic life of Israel; the prophets often called the king and the people’s attention on how they were wronging the poor and vulnerable of their land and thus moving away from God; Jesus was born poor and marginalized to identify himself with them. Our God has made a preferential, not exclusive, option for the poor. All this has very practical implication for us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ and members of His Church.
Catholic Social Teaching is filled with teachings regarding the economic life of our society, whether local or global. It has teachings and guidelines concerning the purpose of the economy, teachings about work, worker’s rights, private property, capital, economic systems, globalization of the economy, entrepreneurship, businesses life, the market, etc.
Recently, the bishops in the United States have presented messages regarding our current economic crisis – loss of jobs, foreclosures, market instability, among others consequences. Until the bishops publish another Pastoral Letter on the economy, “Economic Justice for All”, published in 1986, remains the guidelines on economic matters in the U.S.
El Paso is among the poorest cities in the nation reaching only 72% of the country’s per capita income. As a bi national region on the border with a volume of trading in the billions of dollars annually, it still has about 30% of its population living in poverty. El Paso is known for its low wage jobs and wages in general are 25-30% below the national level. Jobs that require higher education are not abundant, as the population lack access to education that would allow them to acquire higher paying jobs. Higher paying jobs do not come to El Paso, because the population lacks that level of education. So goes the vicious cycle of jobs and wages. An impoverished population is prey to several economic issues that contribute to further their poverty. Issues such wage theft, predatory lending, job training, a small contingent of organized labor, few organized communities, and trade practices that undermine labor.
The Diocese of El Paso is involved in several projects that seek to address some of these issues and economic realities, such as:
- The Catholic Campaign for Human Development
- The Annual Labor Day Mass in collaboration with local unions
- The FAIR TRADE initiative
- The Campaign to End Wage Theft
- The Campaign to End Predatory Lending
- Project ARRIBA