Free trade accords need moral framework, say bishops of Americas

Published: 2005-10-21

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Free trade agreements need a "moral and juridical framework" that provides assurances that increased global commerce improve living conditions for the world's poor, said 25 bishops from the U.S., Canada and Latin America. "The market has its own logic, but it does not have its own ethic," they said. "The moral measure of trade agreements should not be just the growth achieved and the products shipped, but the lives protected and the dignity enhanced, especially among the most vulnerable sectors," said the bishops. The 700-word statement was drafted after a Sept. 7-8 meeting in Washington of the bishops, officials of the Inter-American Development Bank, U.S. senators and representatives, and experts in international trade and economics. It was released in Washington Oct. 19 by the Department of Communications of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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