Catholic Bishops: help against poverty

The Catholic bishops of Washington State have addressed a letter to all Washingtonians expressing their concern that poverty is reaching crisis proportions and has called on all people to take direct action with those who are homeless, mentally ill, addicted and hungry.

The pastoral letter is a formal declaration by the bishops that recognizing and taking action to address poverty are moral issues and priorities for Catholics and all people of good faith.

The bishops – Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, and Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane – met with people from around the state who shared their experiences of poverty in listening sessions held over the past year.

The bishops heard in the voices of people who are poor express both a plea for mercy and a desire to participate fully in the life of their communities.

The bishops invite those who enjoy the material necessities of life to stop and look into the face of poverty and recognize that the poor are not strangers. They are our sisters and brothers, members of our human family.

The pastoral letter, entitled “Who Is My Neighbor? The Face of Poverty in Washington State,” emphasizes the urgent need for action. The letter urges Catholic people and parishes, and government and public officials, to take direct action that demonstrates concern for our sisters and brothers.

Some things are best addressed by individuals, families, churches and charities, but when problems such as homelessness, hunger, drug addiction and mental illness are common to every community, it is a just and reasonable expectation that society will act cooperatively to address these problems.

It is not the bishops’ intention to prescribe specific policy options but to propose a moral basis for determining whether public policies serve justice, i.e., whether public policies serve people.

The letter urges Catholics to advocate on behalf of those who lack the basic rights of food and shelter, access to health care, a living wage and education and to ask difficult questions and search for solutions.