Bishops release subsistence letter

ANCHORAGE -- At a Friday press conference in Anchorage, the Catholic bishops of Alaska released a pastoral letter concerning the hot political issue of subsistence.

The pastoral letter "A Catholic Perspective on Subsistence: Our Responsibility Toward Alaska's Bounty and our Human Family" addressed subsistence in light of five Catholic social principles -- solidarity, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, subsidiarity, stewardship and the dignity of work.

The pastoral letter took eight months to prepare, during which the bishops and Father Richard Case consulted several experts in various fields. The bishops invited eight Catholics from the state to a "listening session" on subsistence last December.

The letter is signed by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, Alaska's ranking Catholic prelate; his predecessor, Archbishop Francis Hurley; Bishop Michael Warfel, head of the Juneau Diocese and interim apostolic administrator of the Fairbanks Diocese; and Jesuit Father Richard Case, Warfel's deputy in Fairbanks.

Every Catholic family in the state will receive the letter, which was printed and sent last week. The purpose of the 4,800-word letter is to "provide a Catholic analysis of subsistence and to help Catholics form their consciences, to engage in the public debate and to take appropriate action," the letter said.

In the letter, the bishops cited several concerns with the equal access requirement of the Alaska Constitution. The authors of the state constitution, the bishops write, "may have created an injustice for the Alaska Native peoples," by including the equal-access provision. The bishops said that justice sometimes requires preferential treatment.

The bishops also urged Catholic solidarity with Alaska Natives, because subsistence is critical to sustaining their physical and spiritual cultures.

The letter also reiterated the Catholic principle of giving preferential treatment to the poor.

Subsistence, the bishops wrote, gives a lot of opportunities for the urban and suburban poor who rely on the resources, and therefore should be maintained.

The bishops also recognized the connection subsistence users have with nature, and emphasize the importance of "being good stewards of God's creation." They called for regulations that promote a sustainable bounty while continuing access to nature.

Finally, the bishops wrote that a subsistence lifestyle is a form of work, which expresses the workers' human dignity, which in turn allows the workers to contribute to the common good of the community, as well as be the foundation for strong family values.

Full copies of the pastoral letter are available on the Archdiocese of Anchorage Web page at www.archdioceseofanchorage.org, which also has links to the Church documents and other texts that are cited within the letter.