Dozens of Religious and Social Justice Organizations to Gather in Philadelphia for Historic Meeting

Washington, DC- In this election year, when political candidates are courting Catholics and other Americans of faith as key swing voters, representatives from more than 20 religious and social justice organizations will gather in Philadelphia this July for an unprecedented Convention for the Common Good. For the first time, Catholic and interfaith organizations will meet and ratify a Platform for the Common Good that will be sent to presidential candidates and both national political parties as a way to influence the debate over the defining moral and political issues of our time.

More than 600 delegates from faith communities and social justice organizations will attend the convention, July 11- 13, at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel. Religious leaders, social justice advocates, elected officials and the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates have been invited to attend. Leading up to the national gathering, participating organizations as well as individuals will be asked to convene local groups around the country to develop the platform on such diverse issues as health care, immigration, a consistent culture of life, economic inequality and foreign policy. The platform will be ratified at the convention and submitted to the Republican and Democratic National Committees.

The convention is being convened by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby that represents 100,000 members. (Below is a complete list of the convention's sponsoring organizations.)

"Our goal is to reclaim the best of our country's idealism and demand that elected leaders resolve the most pressing needs of our times in the light of Catholic Social Tradition. At the Convention we will adopt a Platform for the Common Good that we can use to ensure that politicians address our most pressing issues," said Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, executive director, NETWORK.

"This convention will help forge a new vision for America that refocuses our values and policies on the common good and away from the politics of division," said Alexia Kelley, executive director, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good promotes awareness of Catholic social teaching and its core values of justice, dignity and the common good to Catholics, the media and Americans of all faiths. Through communications, grassroots outreach and strategic coordination, Catholics in Alliance supports other Catholic organizations that work to advance the call to faithful citizenship and the common good. For more information please visit www.catholicsinalliance.org.

NETWORK-a Catholic leader in the global movement for justice and peace-educates, organizes and lobbies for economic and social transformation. Founded in 1971 by 47 Catholic sisters, NETWORK is supported by thousands of groups and individuals committed to working for social and economic justice. For more information, visit www.networklobby.org.

Sponsoring Organizations:

Pax Christi USA; Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; Center of Concern; Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good; NETWORK, A National Social Justice Lobby; Sisters of Mercy; National Catholic Rural Life Conference; Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; Ignatian Solidarity Network; US Catholic Mission Association; Conference of Major Superiors of Men; Oblates of St. Francis De Sales; AFL-CIO; Franciscan Mission Service; Franciscan Action Network; Catholics United; Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice; University of San Francisco, Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought