Presidents Pledge to End Poverty

Global poverty is a big issue that, while possible to solve, still remains one of the biggest challenges today. Mindful of the impact personal giving can have on those living below the global poverty line, presidents, past presidents, and presidents emeriti have taken The Presidents’ Pledge Against Global Poverty to donate a portion of their paycheck to overcome global poverty.

Knowing the obligation posed by Catholic Social Teaching to show compassion, consideration and respect for the poor and vulnerable, presidents from ACCU member colleges have been active in participating in the pledge. Leading by example, these presidents are promoting Catholic mission and identity on their campuses by engaging with Catholic Social Teaching. Read the full story and learn more about the pledge here.

Summit on Overcoming Poverty Brings Religious Leaders Together

The Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty, hosted at Georgetown University, addressed key questions related to the moral, human and economic costs of poverty in the United States.

The May 11-13 summit is organized by Georgetown’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and the National Association of Evangelicals. More than 120 leaders from evangelical, Catholic and broader religious communities, as well as key policy makers, researchers and community organizers, were invited to the summit in order to create a new sense of urgency surrounding overcoming global poverty.

One highlighted event from the summit included President Barack Obama, Harvard public policy professor Robert Putnam, and Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, discussing poverty in the U.S. in a panel moderated by E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post columnist and adjunct professor in Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy.  A discussion with Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) followed the summit panel discussion.

Video of the panel is available via Georgetown University’s website.