In Labor Day statement, Bishop Chairman echoes Pope Francis’ call to build economy without exclusion
WASHINGTON — For Labor Day, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, released a statement observing that there are both encouraging signs of economic recovery and ongoing hardships related to COVID-19.
Archbishop Coakley echoes Pope Francis’ call from the encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, to rise out of this crisis with an economy that expresses universal fraternity. He writes, “It is our task not only to reflect on the present ills of our economy, but also to build consensus around human dignity and the common good, the bedrocks of Catholic social teaching, and to answer the Pope’s call to propose new and creative economic responses to human need, both locally and globally.” Archbishop Coakley also calls attention to the Holy Father’s Economy of Francesco initiative, as well as the responses of the Churches’ many ministries to the increased needs of the pandemic.