Preparing for the visit of Pope Francis

Interfaith Voices: the Pope’s Message on Economic Justice

Pope Francis will be making his first Papal visit to the United States in September. The Pope will address the Congress in DC on Thursday, September 24 and address the United Nations on Friday, September 25. He’ll also be joining the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Pope Francis will most likely be speaking on some of the topics from his recently released encyclical, namely: environmental and economic justice.

The Pope’s visit is not only a joyous occasion but it also presents a great opportunity for the IWJ network and those who we work closely with to bring momentum to our work. The Pope’s message on economic justice is really an amplification of the solid drumbeat worker justice advocates have been singing for years. With one of the world’s most prominent and respected faith leaders singing our song, now is a great time to get more voices involved.

Anticpating the Pope’s visit in late September, IWJ will be producing materials and supporting affiliates coordinating events that should build your local work:

-          Labor Day Weekend for Worker Justice: This year’s Labor Day Weekend material will highlight messages from the Pope’s encyclical. The toolkit will include bulletin inserts and other material to help study the Pope’s document.

-          Watch Parties: The Pope will be making his address to Congress on Sept 24. We encourage everyone to gather and listen where they can!

-          Roundtable Events: After the Pope’s visit, it’s important to process his message in our communities and think about how we’ll continue our work in light of what we’ve heard. Roundtable events should include the following:

o   Invited guests: local faith leaders, local bishop (especially those recently appointed), workers, elected officials, members of the press

o   A means of recording. If possible, video record or broadcast your event! Designate a note taker. It’ll be good to have for your own history keeping, as well as the national collection of conversations. IWJ National will be looking for key quotes from events to feature in a follow up piece.

o   An “ask”. Conversations like these are a great opportunity to bring new people and new energy into your local work.

IWJ National will be producing sample Letters to the Editor and a sample agenda for the roundtable event to help make the planning process as easy as possible. If you have questions or suggestions on how to build this even greater, please don’t hesitate to contact Janel at jbailey@iwj.org or 773-391-5543

Rev. David Hansen