Washington D.C., Aug 21, 2008 / 04:51 am
The U.S. Catholic bishops have issued their 2008 Labor Day statement in which they address Catholic social teaching and defend workers’ rights, calling for “renewed vigor as we seek to build together a society that cares for its own, reaches out to the poor and vulnerable, and offers true hope to all.” According to the bishops, the more we share and exercise self-control over our possession and use of earthly goods, the less need we have for regulatory laws required when “economic privateers and profit seeking pirates” take over whole areas of the economy.
Noting that the United States is blessed with freedom, energy, and creative initiative, the statement reminds Catholics that such blessings must be tempered by “a deep sense of responsibility for one another, for our planet, and for the future.”
The statement was issued by William Murphy, Bishop of Rockville Centre, New York and Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
In the statement Bishop Murphy describes his inspiration, the late “labor priest” Monsignor George Higgins. Monsignor Higgins worked for workers’ rights for more than fifty years.