FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 26, 2015
Joe Ward | jward@networklobby.org | 202.601.7871

More than a dozen Catholic Sisters will experience, absorb, and respond to the lived reality of families and communities living at the margins in response to Pope Francis’s call to transform our politics and economy

WASHINGTON -Today, NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, which educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation, announced its fourth national “Nuns on the Bus” tour themed, “Bridge the Divides: Transform Politics.” The tour is a response to Pope Francis’s message in his recent encyclical (Laudato Si’) to transform our politics and economy by caring for those on the margins and prioritizing the common good. The 13-day, seven-state tour will kick off in St. Louis, Missouri on Sept. 10 and end in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 22, where Pope Francis will be received by President Obama and Congress.

“Pope Francis calls for an economy of inclusion and knows that our politics controls our economy,” said Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, NETWORK Executive Director. “In order to have an economy that works, we need to have a politics of inclusion, which can be achieved by prioritizing the common good and listening to the needs of hardworking individuals, families, and communities. We are traveling to cities and states dealing with some of the worst challenges and divisions facing our nation. When we return to Washington, we will lobby congressional leaders to pass a faithful federal budget that restores economic opportunity, invests in America, and cares for vulnerable members of society.”

The more than 2,000-mile bus trip will include 33 events such as town hall meetings, visits to shelters, transitional housing facilities, schools, food pantries, parishes, congregations, and ministries working with returning citizens, in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.

While in Arkansas, Sister Simone and the other nuns on the bus will lead town hall meetings on Sunday, Sept. 13, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, and at First United Methodist Church in Little Rock. The Catholic sisters will also visit the 12th Street Empowerment Center in Little Rock and meet with members of the community on Monday, Sept. 14.

By listening, encountering, and walking with people across the U.S., NETWORK will amplify their concerns and will call on Congress to do the same. “We look forward to meeting and learning alongside people in these communities and returning to Washington to advocate for a faithful budget that responds to their needs,” said Sister Simone.

Sister Simone will also attend Pope Francis’s address to the joint session of Congress on Sept. 24, as Sen. Barbara Boxer’s guest. For a full schedule of the tour, visit: www.nunsonthebus.org. The Catholic sisters will also be available throughout the trip to meet with press.

NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, which educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation, has a nearly 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good.

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