Following is the fourth in a five-part series highlighting issues that will impact the fall elections in Virginia.

Social Justice

All members of the human family (regardless of national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences) have basic human rights, including the right to life and to those things necessary to the proper development of life. Members of society share a common responsibility for guaranteeing the rights of all those who are defenseless and marginalized — born and unborn, young and elderly, native and immigrant, working and on welfare. Indeed, the command to love one’s neighbor knows no boundaries and invites each person to have special concern for those who need help the most. In other words, followers of Christ are called to respond to the needs of all of their brothers and sisters, especially those with the greatest needs ("Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions," U.S. Catholic Bishops).

These principles of Catholic social teaching (i.e., respect for human life and dignity, solidarity, and preferential option for the poor and vulnerable) mean that economic choices and institutions must be judged by whether they protect life and dignity, support the family and serve the common good. In other words, an essential moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring. Society has a moral obligation, including governmental action where necessary, to ensure opportunity, meet basic needs and pursue justice in economic life ("A Catholic Framework for Economic Life," U.S. Catholic Bishops). Although voluntary groups help many of the poorest in our communities, governments have an obligation to provide adequately funded "safety net" services, and to implement policies and programs that break cycles of poverty and ensure fair treatment for all workers.

In a global economy of growing prosperity for some and pervasive poverty for others, immigrants face particularly daunting challenges. The U.S. Catholic bishops "call upon all people of good will, but Catholics especially, to welcome the newcomers in their neighborhoods and schools, in their places of work and worship, with heartfelt hospitality, openness and eagerness both to help and to learn from our brothers and sisters, of whatever race, religion, ethnicity or background" ("Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity," U.S. Catholic Bishops). Many immigrants who could not obtain employment in their countries of origin have found willing U.S. employers and perform jobs that help fuel our nation’s economy. Yet, too many of these workers also lack health care, safe housing and basic labor protections. In a culture that sometimes values workers only for their productivity, the Church teaches that "regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity that should be respected … . Government policies that respect the basic human rights of the undocumented are necessary" ("Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, a Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States"). This pastoral letter also explains, "The Church recognizes that all the goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right."

In Virginia, many immigrants labor to provide the food we eat, yet some face the prospect of being denied basic worker protections. In addition, many more low-income families in our commonwealth struggle just to afford basic necessities, such as housing, utilities, transportation and child care. Economic and social policies of particular concern to our Church community that are being examined by the commonwealth’s lawmakers and candidates include:

— Legislation to establish a "refundable" Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit program that would enable working families whose incomes are too low to pay state taxes to receive a state "refund" for part of the credit amount.

• Legislation that would increase the minimum wage applicable to Virginia workers in 2006 from $5.15 per hour to $6.15 per hour.
• Legislation that would make undocumented immigrants ineligible for worker’s compensation benefits in the event of workplace injury or death.

For more information go to www.vacatholic.org.