The 1976 U.S. Catholic Bishops' Call To Action Conference in Detroit

A.D. 1977
Detroit Recommendations
Humankind

Preamble

The challenge facing the church in the United States and in the world today is to give the prophetic witness of Christ through effective "action on behalf of justice." (Justice in the World, Synod of Bishops, 197 1, par. no. 6)

While we affirm with gratitude all the positive elements -in our heritage, we are conscious of our complicity in the many injustices committed at home and abroad through our uncritical acceptance of the social, economic and political system in, which we participate.

We hear the cries of our oppressed brothers and sisters. The following recommendations are our expression of dedicated solidarity with them as together we struggle in the defense of human life in all its forms and in the creation of a just society.

I Recommendation: Education for Global Justice

To hunger and thirst after justice, both within and beyond our national boundaries, is a mandate laid upon us by both the Old and New Testaments.

The history of both our church and our nation clearly shows, however, that to accept the mandate toward justice means that we must be educated for justice. Such education touches every part of the Christian's life, and places every aspect of society under the judgment of the gospel. In the words of the Synod of Bishops in 197 1, education for justice demands a "renewal of heart, a recognition of sin in both its individual and social manifestations."

Education aimed at renewal of heart cannot be merely theoretical. It must obviously involve the whole person - putting us, with Christ, on the side of the poor and the oppressed. Such involvement demands a constant process of experience, prayerful reflection, informed analysis, and ever bolder actions when our Christian discernment leads us critically to reject certain values and structures of our national and world societies.

Education for justice dares to challenge Christian thinking and commitment to take "the rebirth of utopias" seriously in its search for a vision of a more just and peaceful world beyond present forms of either capitalism or socialism. As Pope Paul reminds us in his Call to Action, "There dwells within man a power which urges him to go beyond every system and every ideology." For Christians, faith and justice are inseparable. We recommend:

1. That the National Conference of Catholic Bishops strongly urge that by June 1978, there be established and supported in each diocese an office for justice and peace.

2. That the Office of International Justice and Peace of the USCC be encouraged and supported in its work. That office should assist diocesan justice and peace offices which should be separate and distinct from social services. This assistance shall include guidelines for the development and evaluation of programs and provide a vehicle of communication among those offices and between them and other organizations and movements concerned with international justice and peace. This national office will also serve as a resource for the local bishop.

3. That the USCC, through its Office of International Justice and Peace, establish and maintain in New York an office with professional staff as a center of information and liaison with the United Nations headquarters so that the U.S. Catholic community will have close contact with international and national organizations concerned with UN-related global issues and a channel for the expression of its views.

4. That the USCC, through its Office of International Justice and Peace, collaborate with other national ecclesial communities, the National Council Of Churches, the Jewish community and with other religions and that it enter into dialogue with other world religions on the issues of justice and peace.

5. That the Office of International Justice and Peace and the Department of Education of the USCC begin immediately to build on and support present efforts (USCC, NCEA, etc.) to develop new models of justlce education at all levels, affirmative of the different cultures among us, and stimulate research and evaluation in regions throughout the country (e.g., Catholic educational institutions, universities, etc.).

6. That comprehensive programs be developed to train persons in the content, strategy and spirituality of justice and peace education. These should be continually evaluated, researched, and shared on a national basis. Education for justice programs generated by this research and training should be implemented in all the church's educational endeavors by 1980 and be evaluated on a continuing basis. The above recommendations should be considered in the context of lifelong learning and every effort should be made to ensure the active participation of diverse socioeconomic, racial, religious, cultural and generational groups.

7. That the NCCB should invite all scholars to participate in the ministry of justice and peace by collaborative research into questions of global justice, including the relation of Catholic and other (e.g., socialist, Gandhian) traditions to contemporary situations. Further, the NCCB should investigate the possibility of establishing and supporting Catholic centers for research on global justice, including support for those already in existence.

We also recommend a stronger focus by the bishops in their communications with each other and with the faithful on issues of justice and peace, including regular evaluation of the effectiveness of their communication on these subjects.
manner:
a) By 1979, experiential models should be developed within the diocese which would utilize all the resources available to the faith community, namely, in the dimensions of teaching, sacrament and witness.
b) Introductory workshops should be held in dioceses for the preparation of clergy and laity involved in the teaching mission of the church.
c) Recognizing the unique leadership role or the bishops in the faith community, the NCCB should schedule workshops which will build the awareness, understanding, and support of the bishops for the justice education process.

9. That bishops and missionary societies initiate a mission program with the following elements:
a) Invite indigenous representatives of the Third World to raise critical consciousness of the people of the United States regarding their situation in order to engage us in solidarity with their aspirations and struggle for justice and peace.
b) Plans should be completed by the mission societies and the NCCB/USCC for utilizing returning missionaries more advantageously in justice and peace education programs.

10. That the Catholic Church should use television, radio, press, and other means of social communication as vehicles for bringing a larger and more comprehensive view of global justice before the public. In particular, the Department of Communications of the USCC and Unda-USA should give a high priority to using the means of social communication at every level to inform all peoples on the issues of global justice and persuade them to effective action.

11. That the role of small intentional communities, such as Catholic Worker and other ecumenical grass-roots groups, be recognized and promoted in the work of education and formation for justice. These communities are focuses of evangelization, effective instruments of conscientization and creative political and social action, and support for the persons involved in the struggle for justice. They have also proven to be first-line outreach to the orphan, widow and the stranger in the land at a time when we have more and more people sleeping in the streets and refugees coming from other countries. Families and single people should consider linking up with such grass-roots communities for justice and peace.

II Recommendation: Defense of Human Rights

The Catholic Church has increasingly seen the defense of human rights as inseparable from its gospel mandate. We reaffirm the expression of these rights by many nations through the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, we recommend:

1. That the NCCB, file USCC and the Catholic community of' the United States advocate before their government a foreign policy that is in keeping with the defense of human rights as stipulated in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have openly reaffirmed, during this bicentennial year many traditional national ideals such as the right of self-determination; we should acknowledge this same right in our foreign policy by allowing the development of political and economic systems that differ from our own.

We urge that no economic or military support be extended to any government which displays a pattern of gross violations of human rights, whet* her based on political or religious grounds. We call ,.on the people of the United States to restrict any further government or corporate involvement in these nations, allowing exceptions only for specific humanitarian needs.

2. That this assembly express its appreciation for the leadership on the issues of human rights given by the NCCB and the USCC. We urge both of these groups to continue examining the moral dimensions of the policies of our government and to address particular attention to the operational effects of multinational corporations with large investments in Third World countries. The results of these examinations, and the statements and teaching of the hierarchy on these subjects, should be better publicized than in the past. We ask the bishops to utilize the programs of education for global justice recommended above.

3. That all Catholics and Catholic institutions review their purchases and investments, applying moral ethical criteria suggested in the "guidelines" published by such groups as the National Federation of Priests' Councils, the Justice and Peace Center in Milwaukee and the National Council of Churches.

After such review, a representation should be made to the corporations in question; and whether divestment or continued ownership is called for, institutions should give public reasons for their decisions in this matter. The work of the National Catholic Coalition for Responsible Investment and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility should be commended and supported by participation.

4. That the church in America affirm the right of every person to a nutritionally adequate diet. That in the light of the urgency of world hunger and malnutrition, the U.S. Catholic community continue to implement the bishops' pastoral plan on the world food crisis and that Operation Rice Bowl become a regular element in the annual observance of the Lenten season. It is strongly recommended that any communal effort to express solidarity with the hungry of the world be coupled with redistribution of resources and with public policies necessary to make that distribution possible.

5. That parishes promote enrollment in organizations such as Bread for the World, the Christian citizens' organization enlisting members who in turn contact government leaders on policy matters that have a direct bearing on world hunger, and that maximum use be made of its publications in parish bulletins and other available media.

6. That the Catholic community respond even more generously than in the past to the needs of the peoples in the Third and Fourth Worlds through the American Catholic Bishops' Overseas Appeal (Laetare Sunday). We further recommend that the bishops responsible for Catholic Relief Services evaluate the policies, programs, activities and structures of Catholic Relief Services toward making it an even more effective instrument for the integral development of people, including the promotion of human rights, and to insure that this humanitarian assistance to the needy transcends government priorities and national security policies.

7. We call all Christians to "live simply, so that others may simply live" (Elizabeth Seton). To this end we recommend:
a) That the bishops, through study groups and other means, educate Catholics to a sense of moral responsibility to share the world's goods.
b) That the Catholic community on all levels, examine its lifestyle and reduce its unnecessary consumption of goods. We call upon the leaders of the Catholic community to demonstrate, institutionally and personally, this simplicity and reduced consumption of goods.

8. that the NCCB, through the offices of justice and peace and other appropriate groups available to them, urge individual Catholics and other citizens to convince their local political representatives to urge the United States to ratify the UN Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Social and Economic Rights.

9. That the NCCB advocate adequate and accessible health care as a human right, by the issuance of a pastoral letter.

10. That the church recognize that the issue of undocumented immigration into the United States is an international question and that undocumented immigrants have the basic human right to be free from economic and physical abuse by the U.S. government and private employers.

In particular, the church should condemn the physical abuse of undocumented immigrant women by supporting legislation which grants immunity to deportation where an abuse is alleged while the alleged abuse is being investigated. We further recommend that the church also recognize that undocumented immigrants in the United States have a basic human right to sustain themselves through employment. The church should encourage legislation granting amnesty to all undocumented workers in the United States.

11. Since economic development has often failed to promote human development especially in the Third and Fourth World nations, we urge the NCCB, the USCC and other appropriate organizations to actively support and critically challenge both U.S. and corporate involvement in developing nations with regard to their promotion of human rights.

12. That in light of continuing violations of human rights, guaranteed by the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), to which the Holy See was a signatory, we recommend that the Office of International Justice and Peace of the USCC encourage implementation of the U.S. Commission to monitor the Helsinki Accord, and- focus the attention of U.S. Catholics and other citizens on the continuing suppression of the religious, political, cultural and other human rights of the oppressed nations of Eastern Europe, including the right to emigrate.

13. That the NCCB and the USCC mobilize the international conscience on behalf of all political prisoners under repressive governments in any country of the world who are subject to torture, disappearance and assassination without respect for their basic human rights to life and liberty.

III Recommendation: Disarmament and Peace

In the spirit of the biblical promise of liberty and justice, it is important to consider the words of Isaiah 2:4:

"He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again."

Likewise, in the gospel we are reminded that the message of Jesus is one of peace, nonviolence and reconciliation (Matt. 5,43-46).

The teaching of John XXIII in Pacem in Terris laid a solid foundation for this recommendation:

"Justice, then, right reason and consideration for human dignity and life urgently demand that the arms race should cease; that the stockpiles which exist in various countries should be reduced equally and simultaneously by the parties concerned; that nuclear weapons should be banned; and finally that all come to an agreement on a fitting program of disarmament, employing mutual and effective controls."

The bishops of the world at Vatican II added a further note: "Any act of war aimed indiscriminately at the destruction of entire cities and of extensive areas along with their population is a crime against God and man himself. It merits unequivocal and unhesitating condemnation."

In speaking of atomic weapons, Pope Paul VI, on the 20th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, issued a challenge to the world: "Let these shameful weapons be banned," and "let this terrible art, which consists in manufacturing, multiplying and storing bombs to terrorize the
people... be outlawed."

Finally, the April 1976 statement of the Holy See to the United Nations on the subject of disarmament opens with the assertion that tile armaments race "is to be unreservedly condemned." It goes on to say that:

"The obvious contradiction between the waste involved in the overproduction of military devices and the extent of unsatisfied vital needs (developing countries and the marginal and poor elements in rich societies) is in itself an act of aggression against those who are the victims of it. It is an act of aggression which amounts to a crime, for even when they are not used, by their cost alone armaments kill the poor by causing them to starve."

In 1971, Cardinal John Krol, speaking on behalf of the American hierarchy, insisted that "current directions must be reversed" in the armaments race. Five years later, we recommend:

1. That, in the light of consistent church teaching on modern warfare, the U.S. Catholic community condemn, and be among those who lead in resisting the production, possession, proliferation and threatened use of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of indiscriminate effect, even in a policy of deterrence, and that we support adequate controls over the processing, handling and custody of all nuclear materials which can be converted to military or terrorist uses.

2. That the bishops of the United States take the lead in defending human life by bringing the moral questions relative to the production and use of such weapons before the people of the United States in order to help all persons of goodwill form correct consciences on these matters.

3. That peace education programs at every level of church life emphasize the dangers and evils of the arms race and an aggressive military posture because of tile threat they pose to all humanity. Since the arms race has developed an irrational dynamic of its own in order to justify proliferation of weapons, it will require an immense moral commitment and a profound educational effort if this dynamic is to be universally reversed, paving the way for initiatives for disarmament leading to general and complete disarmament. These education programs should also include the search for nonviolent alternatives to national defense.

4. That the church in the United States, respecting the decision of those who choose to serve in the military, give its support to those who on grounds of conscience refuse to serve in war or preparation for war; that Catholics support legal provision for selective and general conscientious objection to military service and to the payment of war or military taxes.

5. That the church support amnesty for those who refused service or offered nonviolent resistance to the Vietnam war. That this amnesty be extended to those veterans with less than honorable discharges for offenses which would not be crimes in civilian life; and that the U.S. armed forces adopt a policy of single-type discharge.

6. That the Catholic community do all in its power to the effect that governments and nongovernmental agencies pursue methods of promoting liberty and justice through reconciliation and economic development assistance rather than through arming combatants on any side; that the sale or transfers of arms overseas be halted; that the United States convert to a peace-based economy as more consistent with the needs of its citizens and its responsibility for world peace making and Third and Fourth World development.

7. That services of reconciliation between people and nations be encouraged so that the world community can face in prayer the fact that large numbers of people have already perished through the use of indiscriminate weaponry. Joined to such reconciliation services should be petitions that these weapons never again be utilized.

8. That Pope Paul's theme for the 197 7 World Day of Peace, "If you want peace, defend life," be explored throughout the Catholic community in various forums for study and discussion with the intent of linking the concern for the right to life with efforts to promote an end to the wanton destruction of life by modern warfare.

9. That the Catholic community continue to press all governments for full disclosure of information concerning prisoners of war and those missing in action in all conflicts and that such information not be withheld for political or economic reasons.

10. That the National Catholic Community Service explore forms of ministry to the military alternate to the current system in which chaplains are officers in the armed services; that special attention be given to church -paid salaries other than government-paid salaries; that these recommendations be considered by the bishops at their meeting in spring 1978.

11. That Catholics be encouraged to support movements for freedom, justice and reconciliation in other nations. There is a Christian imperative to identify with oppressed peoples in such countries as South Africa, Chile, those countries under Communist domination, Korea, the Philippines, Northern Ireland, and Lebanon, to name a few.

Such identification and support, however, should take the form of nonviolent material and spiritual assistance with the intention of producing reconciliation among all sides in the conflict.

 

Reprinted with permission of the Quixote Center.