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Catholic Campaigns and Collections

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The International Debt Crisis
The Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
On National Collections

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The International Debt Crisis

At the end of every seven-year period you shall have a relaxation of debts, which shall be observed as follows. Every creditor shall relax his claim on what he has loaned his neighbor; he must not press his neighbor, his kinsman, because a relaxation in honor of the Lord has been proclaimed. Deuteronomy 15
In his providence God had given the earth to humanity, that meant that he had given it to everyone. Therefore the riches of creation were to be considered as a common good of the whole of humanity. Those who possessed these goods as personal property were really only stewards, ministers charged with working in the name of God, who remains the sole owner in the full sense, since it is God's will that created goods should serve everyone in a just way. The jubilee year was meant to restore this social justice. Pope John Paul II, As the Third Millennium Draws Near
While the details of the international debt crisis are quite complex, in essence it comes down to a fairly straightforward problem. Often through irresponsible practices on the parts of both creditors and debtor nations, the governments of some of the world's poorest countries have taken (and been given) loans that they do not have the capacity to repay. As a result, they have reduced spending on desperately needed health and education programs in an effort to meet their obligations to international lenders. But even after cutting back on social programs, many countries cannot make full repayment, and so over time debt builds up and makes it increasingly difficult to finance investments in the health, education, and development programs that could pull their people out of poverty. Pope John Paul II
In Ethiopia, debt payments are four times more than public spending on health, while over 100,000 children die every year from easily preventable and treatable diarrhea. Oxfam International, Position Paper, April, 1997
According to the Human Development Report for 1997, published by the UN Development Program (UNDP), sub-Saharan African governments transfer to northern creditors four times what they spend on the health of their people.
Pope John Paul II has identified the issue of international debt as a key priority for the church and an important element of our efforts to apply the tradition of jubilee to our day and time. The problem of the foreign debt is not only or even primarily economic; rather, it is a human problem for it leads to an ever-greater impoverishment and blocks the development and slows the advancement of those who are poorest. We ask ourselves whether the debt is valid, when paying it seriously jeopardizes the survival of our peoples, when the population was not consulted before contracting the debt, and when it has not always been used for lawful purposes. Latin American Catholic Bishops, Santo Domingo Conference, 1992
In Uganda, the government spends $3.00 per person annually on health and education and $17.00 per person annually on debt repayments. Yet one of every five Ugandan children dies from preventable disease before reaching the age five. Oxfam International, Position Paper, February, 1996
The globalized economy must be analyzed in the light of the principles of social justice, respecting the preferential option for the poor who must be allowed to take their place in such an economy, and the requirements of the international common good. For "the Church's social doctrine is a moral vision which aims to encourage governments, institutions and private organizations to shape a future consonant with the dignity of every person. Within this perspective it is possible to examine questions of external debt, internal political corruption and discrimination both within and between nations.” Pope John Paul II - Ecclesia In America

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The Catholic Campaign to End the use of the Death Penalty: A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death

The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. . . . I renew the appeal I made . . . for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary. -Pope John Paul II Papal Mass, St. Louis, Missouri, January 27, 1999
Twenty-five years ago, our Conference of bishops first called for an end to the death penalty. We renew this call to seize a new moment and new momentum. This is a time to teach clearly, encourage reflection, and call for common action in the Catholic community to bring about an end to the use of the death penalty in our land. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
No matter how heinous the crime, if society can protect itself without ending a human life, it should do so. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
While the Old Testament includes some passages about taking the life of one who kills, the Old Testament and the teaching of Christ in the New Testament call us to protect life, practice mercy, and reject vengeance. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
When Cain killed Abel, God did not end Cain’s life. Instead, he sent Cain into exile, not only sparing his life but protecting it by putting “a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight” (Gn 4:15). –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
When the state, in our names and with our taxes, ends a human life despite having non-lethal alternatives, it suggests that society can overcome violence with violence. The use of the death penalty ought to be abandoned not only for what it does to those who are executed, but for what it does to all of society. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
Our faith and Catholic teaching offer a moral framework for choices about the use of the death penalty. A principled Catholic response to crime and punishment is rooted in our convictions about good and evil, sin and redemption, justice and mercy. It is also shaped by our commitment to the life and dignity of every human person, and the common good. The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis teach that every life is a precious gift from God (see Genesis 2:7, 21-23). This gift must be respected and protected. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
Each of us is called to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Even when people deny the dignity of others, we must still recognize that their dignity is a gift from God and is not something that is earned or lost through their behavior. Respect for life applies to all, even the perpetrators of terrible acts. Punishment should be consistent with the demands of justice and with respect for human life and dignity. “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” USCCB, 2005. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
In Catholic teaching the state has the recourse to impose the death penalty upon criminals convicted of heinous crimes if this ultimate sanction is the only available means to protect society from a grave threat to human life. However, this right should not be exercised when other ways are available to punish criminals and to protect society that are more respectful of human life. “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” USCCB, 2005. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
We also share the hurt and horror, the loss and heartache that are the result of unspeakable acts of violence. We have presided at the funerals of police officers killed in the line of duty and have consoled parents who have lost children. We have heard the anger and despair of victims’ families who feel ignored by the criminal justice system, society as a whole, and, at times, even the Church. Our family of faith must care for sisters and brothers who have been wounded by violence and support them in their loss and search for justice. They deserve our compassion, solidarity, and support— spiritual, pastoral, and personal. However, standing with families of victims does not compel us to support the use of the death penalty. “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” USCCB, 2005. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
For many left behind, a death sentence offers the illusion of closure and vindication. No act, even an execution, can bring back a loved one or heal terrible wounds. The pain and loss of one death cannot be wiped away by another death. “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” USCCB, 2005. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
The death penalty arouses deep passions and strong convictions. People of goodwill disagree. In these reflections, we offer neither judgment nor condemnation but instead encourage engagement and dialogue, which we hope may lead to re-examination and conversion. Our goal is not just to proclaim a position, but to persuade Catholics and others to join us in working to end the use of the death penalty. We seek to help build a culture of life in which our nation will no longer try to teach that killing is wrong by killing those who kill. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
“[Punishment] ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent.” John Paul II, The Gospel of Life,
“If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Others question whether our criminal justice system can indeed protect society. They point to examples of the release of offenders who subsequently commit horrible acts of violence. But in the face of a growing culture of death, every effort should be made to promote a culture of life. Therefore, we believe that the primary response to these situations should not be the use of the death penalty but should instead be the promotion of needed reform of the criminal justice system so that society is more effectively protected. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
Public policies that treat some lives as unworthy of protection, or that are perceived as vengeful, fracture the moral conviction that human life is sacred. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
Defending all human life should unite us as “people of life and for life.” –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
We hope and pray that this campaign will help bring an end to the use of the death penalty. This end may come through an act of Congress or a definitive court decision; more likely the death penalty will be abandoned and wither away through the everyday choices of prosecutors and legislators, judges and jurors, and ordinary citizens who make a commitment to respect human life in every situation. We look forward to the day when our society chooses not to answer violence with violence. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
For the Catholic community, this issue—like all life issues—is more than public policy. It involves our faith and the central principle that human life is sacred. Church teaching on the life and dignity of every human person should guide all our decisions about life, including the use of the death penalty. We are called to reflect on what the Lord’s command, “You shall not kill” (Ex 20:13) means for us today. –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
In his encyclical The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II told us that we have an “inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.”18 This Catholic campaign brings us together for common action to end the use of the death penalty, to reject a culture of death, and to build a culture of life. It poses an old and fundamental choice: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.” (Dt 30:19) –USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death

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On National Collections

“As faithful disciples and imitators of Christ, you are urged to go against the current, choosing the evangelical option of serving the brethren…above all, because you are impelled by the unceasing power of divine charity.” Pope John Paul II (2001)
Great is the generosity you showed me today. . . . May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day. 1 Samuel 24:19-20

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