From Cambodia to El Salvador, Bangladesh to Tanzania, Maryknoll missioners accompany people and communities affected by poverty and extreme poverty.
Based on our belief that each person is both sacred and social, created in God’s image, and destined to share in the goods of the Earth as part of a community of justice and mercy, we hear the cry of the poor and we are called to respond. From the time of the Old Testament to today, we recognize poverty as a common result of unjust oppression of those forced to live on the margins, prohibited from participating in society. We listen to our suffering brothers and sisters and we hear echoes of God’s frequent warnings to the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, of their duty to care for those who are poor, powerless, and excluded by society.
Embracing this duty, we advocate for social and economic change, to eliminate the roots causes of poverty found in unjust economic structures. We promote the globalization of solidarity, the enhancement of inclusive human security, and development that is rooted in social justice and ecological sustainability.
Maryknoll Leadership Statement: Trading in justice: The local impact of global economic decisions
WEBINAR: U.S. Trade Policy – Putting People and Planet First
PRAYER: Virtual Good Friday Way of the Cross for Economic and Ecological Justice
POLICY BRIEF: End the Pandemic Through Global Vaccine Access
SPECIAL PROGRAM: Integral Ecology Program
NEWSLETTER: Encounters Where Faith, Economy, Ecology Meet
PRESS STATEMENT: Faith communities call for a new trade model
Pope Francis addresses U.S. bishops, urging them to uphold the dignity of migrants. He criticizes policies that equate illegal status with criminality while acknowledging a nation’s right to security and calls for compassion, integration, and respect for fundamental rights. Read the letter as a PDF and on the Vatican website. February 10, 2025 Dear Brothers…
From our friends at Catholic Relief Services: The new Administration has issued immediate stop work orders on almost all foreign aid as programs are being reviewed. While Secretary of State…
A Population Reference Bureau report shows a global dearth of primary care and its effects on life expectancy. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. Roughly 50 percent of the world’s population lacks access to good primary health care, according to the Population Reference Bureau, a non-profit organization…
Indigenous Maasai community leaders met with the Tanzanian president in their ongoing to struggle to defend their land and human rights. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. On December 1, 150 Maasai delegates from Ngorongoro, Loliondo, and Sale met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the…
Sign the petition and join the global call to cancel and remedy unjust and unsustainable debts. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the ceremonial door, the Porta Sancta, in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to launch the 2025 Jubilee Year. Jubilee…
On Christmas Eve 2024, Pope Francis opened the ceremonial door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to launch the 2025 Jubilee Year. Jubilee years are declared every quarter century in…
Pope Francis and leaders from the Global South call for a new international financial architecture that breaks the cycle forcing many countries to spend more on debt repayments and interest than on caring for people and the planet. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. A quarter of a century…
In a series of two-page briefs, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns addresses key global issues which are the focus of our work in Washington, DC, and at the UN. Inspired by the Gospel and Maryknoll missioners’ commitment to stand with vulnerable communities around the world, we offer these briefs as resources on the intersection…
Fr. James Kroeger, MM, who served in the Philippines, wrote the following reflection which was published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books. The young mother’s face beamed as she held her week-old baby in her arms. It was clear that this was the joy of her life….
The third of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns U.S. elections webinars, Debt Relief in a Jubilee Year, will be held on Wednesday, October 16, at 6pm ET | 3pm…
The Belgian theologian, Joseph Comblin, in his book, The Meaning of Mission, wrote, and I’m paraphrasing here, “If the Gospels do not cause raised eyebrows, then chances are the Gospels are being compromised.” Is there a Gospel text more uncomfortable, more eyebrow-raising, than today’s Gospel from Mark? Especially for Christians living in a rich country…
Susan Gunn, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns shares the need for debt relief to developing countries and the impact the United States elections can have on the issue. This webinar was recorded on Wednesday, October 16, as part of our webinar series in anticipation of the United States elections on November 5,…
September 2024 Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 23 other organizations in a policy brief on biodiversity: Protecting the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to Halt Biodiversity Loss. The policy brief notes the importance of addressing biodiversity loss while also emphasizing the role of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge in protecting…
With the United States elections on November 5 around the corner, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns seeks to address some key policy areas that are at stake. For the month…
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns will hold webinars on policy issues relevant to the United States elections, which are only two months away.
An update on the Sustainable Development Goals shows not enough progress made on the improvement targets.
Tens of thousands of Maasai People living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania joined a five-day protest in August, forcing President Samia Suluhu Hassan to acknowledge their demands to restore essential social services and the right to vote.
Kenyan Catholic bishops expressed solidarity and support for young people in Kenya who, frustrated by corruption, grinding poverty, and lack of jobs, protested President Ruto’s proposal to raise taxes for making payments on debts to international creditors, and won.
