“As followers of Christ, we are challenged to make a fundamental ‘option for the poor’ – to speak for the voiceless, to defend the defenseless, to assess life styles, policies, and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. This ‘option for the poor’ does not mean pitting one group against another, but rather, strengthening the whole community by assisting those who are the most vulnerable. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest responses.” (Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1986)

Notable Quotations from Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching

      Interfaith Sanctuary Homeless Shelter
      Care for the Elderly
      Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) (CCHD is the domestic anti-poverty campaign of the U.S. Catholic Bishops.)
      Local CCHD Contact
      Catholic Charities USA
      Human Trafficking
      Poverty
      Hunger
      Catholic Charities Campaign To Reduce Poverty In America

Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in the Catholic tradition that is reflected in the challenge of the Hebrew prophets, in Jesus' parable of the Last Judgment (Mt. 25:31-46), and in many papal and Episcopal social documents of the past one hundred years. This fundamental "option for the poor" does not pit one socioeconomic group against another. Meeting the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable members of society strengthens the whole community and ensures that all are protected. The Church calls on all of us to embrace this preferential option for the poor in our individual choices, to embody it in our lives, and to work to have it shape our public policies. A fundamental measure of our society is how well we care for the poor and vulnerable in our midst.