National Catholic Reporter quotes Eric LeCompte on Jubilee USA's meeting with Treasury Secretary Yellen along with major faith and labor leaders. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full story.

Papal priorities reflected in Yellen meeting, Catholic participants say

A typical day for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen includes nonstop meetings with presidents, finance ministers and heads of Fortune 500 companies. On March 16, she added faith leaders to her schedule in what is believed to be the first time the head of the Treasury Department sat down with a full delegation of high-ranking religious leaders. Catholic participants described the meeting as one that reflected many of the priorities of Pope Francis.

LeCompte said the timing of the meeting was essential, as it needed to take place ahead of next month's decisions by the G-20 and the International Monetary Fund, which will decide many of the issues that the Jubilee USA Network delegation presented."These are the civil leaders who are actually dealing with much of the domestic as well as global response to the crisis," said LeCompte, who praised Treasury officials for prioritizing the meeting and recognizing the contribution of faith leaders.

An official readout from the Treasury Department noted their commitment to tackling global inequality, which includes general support for suspending debt in order for low-income countries to address the effects of COVID-19 and to achieve economic stability.The statement also signaled support for the delegation's push for access to emergency funds, noting that they are part of the "broader package of assistance to low-income countries."

 

 

Read the full article here.