USCCB Statement on Labor Day, 100th Year of The United States Bishops' Program of Social Reconstruction

The United States Bishops' Program of Social Reconstruction was published in 1919 after the end of World War I as a guide for the economic changes during that time period. As the program reaches its centenary year, USCCB Chairman Bishop Dewane highlights key themes from Catholic social teaching presented in the Bishops' Program in a statement published this week. An excerpt of the statement echoes the same sentiment from the program's commencement a century ago.

As the "Bishops' Program" concluded 100 years ago, "[c]hanges in our economic and political systems will have only partial and feeble efficiency if they be not reinforced by the Christian view of work and wealth."  In this view, workers and owners both have rights and duties towards each other;  a business enterprise must view itself as a "society of persons" rather than a mere commercial instrument.

Visit the USCCB website to read the statement in full, in English or in Spanish.