When entering trade agreements, the United States should support principles that “defend human life and dignity, protect the environment and public health, and promote justice and peace in our world,” wrote the bishops who oversee the justice and peace committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a letter dated July 19 to the new U.S. trade representative Michael Froman. Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., and Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, echoed the call of Pope Francis in his letter to G-8 leaders, that “every economic and political theory or action must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one’s own human potential.” The bishops highlighted several areas of concern in free trade agreements, including labor protections, care for indigenous people, the need to alleviate causes of migration, protection of agriculture in developing and rural areas and sustainable development and care for creation.
Free but Moral Trade
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, by J.D. Long García
A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, by Terrance Klein
In a pre-conclave meeting, an Italian cardinal, and backer of Cardinal Parolin as next pope, attacked Pope Francis for opening positions of responsibility in the church to men and women not in holy orders.
As the film’s title promises, there is plenty of sin on display, even before the vampires arrive.