Sister Mary Scullion's Talk from the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference
I would like to thank Nan Roman and her dedicated colleagues at the NAEH for their steadfast leadership. And I would like to thank each of you for your commitment, hard work and advocacy. Together we made progress developing best practices, providing emergency assistance, building housing and securing additional resources to end and prevent homelessness. We are acutely aware that homelessness fundamentally is a devastating sign of poverty. As we work to address the urgent and growing needs of those who are homeless, we strive towards our long term goal of ending hunger, homeless and poverty.
As you are aware, Pope Francis is visiting the United States in less than three months. This dynamic pope has seized the imagination of millions around the globe - Catholic and non-Catholic alike. This is in large part because he has spoken out so forcibly about those who are poor and suffering. He reminds us: "In a world where there is so much wealth… it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry."
In the depths of our humanity, all of us hear this cry, and it calls forth from us our truest selves. Pope Francis has given us a gift, by urging us to refocus on the truth of poverty and struggle, both in its global and local forms. He is inviting us to tap the wellsprings of compassion and goodness within us, and he is urging us to reenvision our societies along the lines of justice and human dignity.
This is a message that our country needs to hear. The housing and homeless crisis, which draws all of us to this conference, is only part of a deep and inhumane web of poverty that affects tens of millions of Americans.
Just last week, speaking at the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Pope Francis spoke powerfully about the urgent need for real structural change in a world of injustice. He called for an “economy at the service of peoples,” in which “human beings and nature must not be at the service of money. .. A just economy must create the conditions for everyone to be able to enjoy a childhood without want, to develop their talents when young, to work with full rights during their active years and to enjoy a dignified retirement as they grow older.”
Many of us believe that this Pope, who is not one to mince words, will have a similar message when he comes to the United States in September. That’s why we have organized our Mercy and Justice campaign. His presence in this country represents an historic opportunity. We need to ensure that the events surrounding his visit are not just lots of pomp and ceremony – but real concrete action that takes seriously his fervent challenge to compassion, human dignity, and the common good.
Part of our campaign is a statement entitled “A Time For Mercy and Justice: Pope Francis and the Common Good in the United State, which outlines both the urgency of this moment and key elements of a just society, including affordable housing for all citizens. We have sent this statement to every member of Congress as well as to the President and Vice-President. We are urging our national leaders, in light of the Pope’s visit to our country, to develop a bipartisan legislative agenda that will meet the needs of our sisters and brothers struggling with hunger, homelessness and poverty.
In your registration packets and on the lunch table, all of you have received our Mercy and Justice Action sheet (along with a gift of a Mercy and Justice button, which we hope you will wear proudly!). We are asking two very concrete things of you. First of all, our elected officials need to hear from thousands of constituents around the country, urging them to support the Mercy and Justice agenda. Our website is set up with an easy action link that sends the message directly to both your Senators, your congressional representative, and to the White House. In fact, if you have a cell phone, there’s no reason you can’t send that message right now. Go to mercyandjustice.org and click on the orange ADVOCATE button and type your address. Raise your hand if you have any questions and a Project HOME community member can help you.
Secondly, we need more national, regional, and state organizations to sign on to endorse the Mercy and Justice Statement that we hand-delivered to all members of Congress. We already have almost fifty organizations, including the National Alliance and some of the groups represented here today. But if we want to demonstrate broad national support, that is not enough. We need all of you to get your national and regional organizations to sign on through our website – directions are on back side of the action sheet. You can fill those out and leave them at your tables, and we will collect them. And we need you and your organizations to mobilize your networks – your colleagues, clients, co-workers, friends, congregation members – everyone you can think of.
We must seize this moment. The vision of Pope Francis reminds all of us, whether we belong to religious traditions or not, that the ancient call for compassion and justice is in truth an invitation to us to a fullness of life and a richness of human community. As we meet the needs of those in poverty, we are healing ourselves and our nation. As we ensure that all families have enough to eat, we are building the banquet table for everyone. As we work to provide healthcare and quality education to all, we are making our whole society healthier and wiser. As we bring those living on our streets home, we are finding our own way home. because none of us are home until all of us are home.
Last week Pope Francis told participants of the World Meeting of Popular Movement, “The globalization of hope, a hope which springs up from peoples and takes root among the poor, must replace the globalization of exclusion and indifference!” This is our work, as well. Let us seize this important historic moment and bring that hope to life here in the United States. Let us build a society of inclusion and caring. Let us act for mercy and seek justice. Thank you!
