Media CenterCRS' Joan Rosenhauer - We are All Called to Faithful Citizenship

At the 2015 Joint Religious Legislative Coalition’s Day on the Hill, Catholic Relief Services' Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. Operations, spoke on the need for an increase in "faithful citizenship," and the crucial role of social justice in politics. The Catholic Spirit has more:

The core values of the faith should shape all of Catholics’ decisions — including those involving politics….

The major faith traditions all have at their core the message we believe should shape how we run society, she said. Values that are part of Catholic identity and shared by other traditions include the sacredness of human life, the common good and principle of solidarity, a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, and stewardship of the environment, Rosenhauer said....

“The idea that what we are bringing are the core values of what we share as human beings to decision making and we are not trying to make state a reflection of any one tradition,” Rosenhauer said. “We do want to make sure that we have a chance to raise our voices in light of what we believe. And that’s a critical part of our democracy.

Becoming a faithful citizen does require work, she said. “Faithful citizenship is bringing our values to the debate after examining our consciences and determining what our faith calls us to in light of really understanding the issues and doing that with civility."

Read the full article, "Day on the Hill participants discuss social justice issues with legislators," on The Catholic Spirit.