Bishops and Catholic Relief Services to Confront Global Poverty

The U.S. Bishops and Catholic Relief Services are preparing to launch an initiative to confront global poverty. From the news release:

WASHINGTON—In an effort to engage one million Catholics in a fight against global poverty, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will launch Catholics Confront Global Poverty on February 23, at the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. This initiative will promote human life and dignity by addressing the many faces of poverty.

"In his 2009 World Day of Peace message, Pope Benedict XVI sets forth a challenge: fight poverty to build peace," said Albany Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, who will announce the launch. Drawing on the words of the pope as an inspiration for the initiative, he added, "It is important that 'people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world.' Only then can people work together to 'redress the marginalization of the world's poor' and 'fight poverty to build peace.'"

"These faces are related to one another, like the members of a family," said Steve Colecchi, director of International Justice and Peace at the USCCB. "Hunger frustrates the best laid plans for education. Diseases hamper productivity and the ability of people to support their families. War deepens every facet of poverty."

More information is available here.