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San Bernardino bishop reflects on Occupy Movement
What are we to make of the Occupy Movement that has found its way from Wall Street to many communities here in our diocese? How does our Catholic faith inform our view of it?
Some of us may have already joined the protests or considered it. Others may wonder ‘what’s the point?’ or question the use of civil disobedience as a means of political expression.
Certainly this movement is a reflection of the dissatisfaction and despair felt by so many who face unemployment, foreclosure, poverty, hunger and other ill effects of the Great Recession that has gripped our country for the past three years. Our diocese has felt this pain significantly, reporting unemployment and poverty rates that are among the worst in the United States. It’s no surprise, then, that people in San Bernardino, Riverside, Redlands, Victorville and other cities are taking to the streets to vent their frustration.
One of the great gifts of our nation is our right to freedom of expression, to speak our mind publicly when we disagree with a prevailing policy or wish to bring light to something we believe unjust. Those participating in the Occupy Movement are exercising that right and should be free to do so. At the same time, any destruction of property, violence and other abuses that take place as part of these protests must be condemned. Even such a strong statement of disagreement must carry the flag of civility. We have the right to disagree with one another. We do not have the right to be disrespectful of anyone.
The Occupy Movement is challenging the fairness of our economic system, given that more and more people are being hurt by it than helped by it these days. Our faith is concerned with the economy in its impact on the human dignity that God grants each of us. We may think of the economy in terms of job reports, business transactions, stock markets and growth projections but Catholic teaching holds that the economy must be measured by how well it serves the people. Does it provide opportunities for meaningful work for the individual, a stability of food and shelter so that families can thrive, a distribution of resources that does not disproportionately favor one group over another and, in reflection of our Lord Jesus’ call in Matthew’s Gospel, does it provide for the poor and most vulnerable among us?
The rest of the article:
calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=635f8ea6-66b9-45c6-9102-d3d5ff9c15cc
What are we to make of the Occupy Movement that has found its way from Wall Street to many communities here in our diocese? How does our Catholic faith inform our view of it?
Some of us may have already joined the protests or considered it. Others may wonder ‘what’s the point?’ or question the use of civil disobedience as a means of political expression.
Certainly this movement is a reflection of the dissatisfaction and despair felt by so many who face unemployment, foreclosure, poverty, hunger and other ill effects of the Great Recession that has gripped our country for the past three years. Our diocese has felt this pain significantly, reporting unemployment and poverty rates that are among the worst in the United States. It’s no surprise, then, that people in San Bernardino, Riverside, Redlands, Victorville and other cities are taking to the streets to vent their frustration.
One of the great gifts of our nation is our right to freedom of expression, to speak our mind publicly when we disagree with a prevailing policy or wish to bring light to something we believe unjust. Those participating in the Occupy Movement are exercising that right and should be free to do so. At the same time, any destruction of property, violence and other abuses that take place as part of these protests must be condemned. Even such a strong statement of disagreement must carry the flag of civility. We have the right to disagree with one another. We do not have the right to be disrespectful of anyone.
The Occupy Movement is challenging the fairness of our economic system, given that more and more people are being hurt by it than helped by it these days. Our faith is concerned with the economy in its impact on the human dignity that God grants each of us. We may think of the economy in terms of job reports, business transactions, stock markets and growth projections but Catholic teaching holds that the economy must be measured by how well it serves the people. Does it provide opportunities for meaningful work for the individual, a stability of food and shelter so that families can thrive, a distribution of resources that does not disproportionately favor one group over another and, in reflection of our Lord Jesus’ call in Matthew’s Gospel, does it provide for the poor and most vulnerable among us?
The rest of the article:
calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=635f8ea6-66b9-45c6-9102-d3d5ff9c15cc