USCCB: 1986 pastoral letter on the economy remains relevant today

September 16, 2026

​​​​​​Economic Justice for All, the U.S. bishops’ 1986 pastoral letter on Catholic social teaching and the U.S. economy, remains relevant today, according to a resource published yesterday by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Unfortunately, the principles of economic justice articulated by the bishops in 1986 remain as relevant and necessary today amid persistent poverty, growing inequality, revolutionary technological changes, and the marginalization of many people and communities,” the USCCB stated in its resource, which offers ten principles for reflection. “Our faith calls us to evaluate the economy, including our role in it through the lens of human dignity, the common good, the family, creation, and especially the poor and vulnerable.”

The resource also drew attention to four social encyclicals published since 1986: Pope St. John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus (1991), Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate (2009), Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ (2015), and Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas (2026).

 

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Further information:

• Economic Justice for All Summary Resource (USCCB, 9/15/26)
• Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy (USCCB, 11/1986)