Promote Economic Justice

Justice requires that we build economic systems which value the inherent dignity of all human beings, meet the basic needs of each and every person—physical, spiritual, and intellectual—and prioritize the common good. Unfortunately, too often the rules governing national economies and the global economic system benefit the few at the expense of the many. Laborers in the United States, shop owners in Asia, and family farmers throughout the global south struggle as the gap between rich and poor widens. The inequity in the system must be met with policies that promote economic justice and equity, especially policies that enhance the influence of low and middle-income people, people of color, and women to ensure that the common good is served.

LCWR members minister with those who are marginalized and oppressed. They know economic inequality and poverty from experience and are committed to continuing to serve those most in need, while acting to effect the changes in policy that will ensure protection for the venerable, an end to structural poverty and economic justice for all.

We call on governments, at every level to focus on the common good as we advocate for policies that:

• Promote the long-term commitments needed to create economic opportunity for all through investments in high-quality, affordable education, especially for women and girls; sustainable jobs with living wages; and policies that help those most in need to build social and economic assets that allow them to care for themselves and their families in dignity;
• Prioritize human and environmental security by rectifying the extreme disparity in social and military spending so that we can become a community committed to human dignity where real human and environmental security is assured;
• Meet critical human needs abroad by investing in well-targeted foreign assistance that helps to end hunger and extreme poverty, prevent conflict, empower families and communities and build sustainable development;
• Provide access to quality, affordable health care for all by investing in public health and wellness and making needed improvements in the health care system.

LCWR has spoken publically and consistently on the need for economic justice