As Chairman of the Bishops’ Domestic Policy Committee, I can assure you of the concern expressed by my brother bishops to provide leadership within the Church and in the community-at-large to assure that the most vulnerable members of our society will not be forgotten and will be treated with respect and dignity. Through this Brake-the-Cycle Tour, you have helped the bishops, the clergy, and all committed Catholics to preach, with both words and deeds, Jesus’ Gospel mandate to love our neighbors and to care for poor and low-income people as we would care for Jesus Himself. You have helped Catholics and other people of good will to understand the root causes of poverty as well as its tendency to develop into a cycle which often stretches over several generations. For all these efforts, I am sure that the bishops of the United States are deeply grateful.

I want to acknowledge the excellent work of Bishop George Murry, Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee for the Campaign for Human Development and of the other bishops who serve on this Committee. Their commitment to accompany and support poor and low-income people as they empower themselves is truly inspiring. In a similar way, I would like to thank the CCHD staff for their daily efforts to promote this vital work of the Church in the United States.

I will conclude by asking God’s blessing on all that we do, but especially on our attempts to brake the cycle of poverty in this country and throughout the world. Now let us go forth to spread the “good news” that poverty can and must be overcome through community-based efforts such as those supported by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and that the dignity of every human person must be respected and promoted at every moment of that person’s life, from conception through natural death. God bless all of you!