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DOCUMENTS OF UNITED STATES BISHOPS
Office for Social Justice
60 Plato Boulevard
#230
Saint Paul, MN 55017
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The central message is simple: our faith is profoundly social. We cannot be
called truly "Catholic" unless we hear and heed the Church's call to serve those
in need and work for justice and peace. We cannot call ourselves followers of
Jesus unless we take up his mission of bringing "good news to the poor, liberty to
captives, and new sight to the blind"
Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993
Selected Statements
The United States bishops have stated the Church’s social teaching is integral to its identity and
mission and they seek a renewed commitment to integrate and to share the riches of the Church’s
social teaching. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal,
conciliar, and episcopal documents. A selection of statements by U.S. bishops on various social
issues is offered here.
General Catholic Social Teaching
Program of Social Reconstruction 1919
Pastoral Letter of 1919
Communities of Salt and Light, 1993
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, 1998
Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice, 1998
Citizenship
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, 2007, 2012
Criminal Justice
Capital Punishment, 1980
Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal
Justice, 2000
A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death, 2005
Diversity and Racism
Brothers and Sisters to Us 1979
Asian and Pacific Presence: Harmony in Faith, 2001
Economic Justice and Local Poverty Issues
Economic Justice for All, 1996
A Decade after “Economic Justice for All:” Continuing Principles, Changing Context, New
Challenges, 1996
A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and Respect the Dignity of all
God’s Children, 2002
For I Was Hungry and you Gave Me Food: Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers, and
Farmworkers, 2003
Elders
Blessings of Age: A Pastoral Message on Growing Older Within the Faith Community, 1999
Environment
Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, 2001
The Columbia River Watershed: Caring for Creation and the Common Good (An International
Pastoral Letter by the Catholic Bishops of the Watershed Region, 2001)
Human Trafficking
On Human Trafficking, 2007
Immigrants/Refugees
Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity, 2001
Strangers no Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, 2003
Statement on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, 2012
Global Solidarity
Called to Global Solidarity, 1997
A Call to Solidarity with Africa, 2001
Peace and Non-Violence
The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response, 1983
The Harvest of Justice is Sown in Peace, 1993 (A Reflection of the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops on the Tenth Anniversary of The Challenge of Peace)
Confronting a Culture of Violence, 1994
When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women, 2002
Documents of local bishops
In God’s Image, Pastoral Letter on Racism by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, 2003
Unlocking the Gate in Our Hearts, MN Bishops, 2012
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