What does the Catholic Church say about International Debt and the Need for Debt Relief?
Religious teaching on debt reaches back to the Old Testament and the ancient tradition of the jubilee. This is a rich tradition that has much to teach us today, particularly in light of the Holy Father’s call to celebrate the year 2000 as a Jubilee Year. In ancient times, the jubilee was an ideal, held up periodically to remind the Israelites of the kind of society and social relationships God expected them to build. The tradition of jubilee is most fully explained in the Book of Leviticus (25:1-55). There we learn that jubilee was a time to let the land rest and allow whatever is naturally produced to be shared by all, landowner and slave alike. It was a time to set slaves free and return to its original owner any land that had been sold. The jubilee was also a time to cancel debts. “At the end of every seven-year period you shall have a relaxation of debts” (Deuteronomy 15:1-2). Pope John Paul II describes the jubilee year this way: “The jubilee year was meant to restore equality amo
Related Questions
- If the Catholic Church really honors the Bible as the holy Word of God--if she really wants her members to become familiar with its truth--why in times past did she confiscate and burn so many Bibles?
- Why is the Catholic Church opposed to birth control? Where in the Bible is birth control condemned as being contrary to the Will of God?
- How will giving to International Church Advance work?
