WASHINGTON—A worldwide effort sponsored by the Vatican to energize
and empower grassroots leaders will convene in Modesto, Calif., February 16-19.
Twenty U.S. bishops will join nearly 700 participants representing 12 countries
to examine and discuss collective responses to the issues of land, labor,
lodging, racism and migration.

Celebrated as the first U.S. Regional World Meeting of Popular
Movements (WMPM), the gathering is organized by
the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (IHD), PICO
National Network and the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the U.S. bishops’ national program working to
break the cycle of poverty in the United States and educate on poverty and its
causes.

“Participants in
the World Meeting of Popular Movements represent a multitude of political perspectives
both here in the United States and around the world,” said Bishop David Talley of Alexandria,
Louisiana, chairman
of the USCCB subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. “We are here because, regardless of our
political beliefs, we share a vision of a world in which the ‘economies of
exclusion’ have been ended, and a commitment to working together to achieve
that goal.”

Long in the planning, the Modesto meeting was organized as a
follow-up to three larger international meetings held in Rome in Oct. 2014 and
Nov. 2016 and in Bolivia in July 2015.

“I join the Holy Father in inviting all ‘to be protagonists
of change of their own situation’ and share his hope that we are able to deepen
the well-springs of empathy in our society,” said Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of IHD, who will deliver the keynote
address. “We are fortunate to have this opportunity to build
relationships, develop our understanding of societal structures which
contribute to the ‘economy of exclusion,’ and to deepen solidarity between
social justice movements in the United States and the Church.”

Media
credentials required for on-site coverage of the event. Non-credentialed media will not be
given access to the World Meeting of Popular Movements.

Persons not in Modesto can follow the convening online via live
stream by visiting https://popularmovements.org/.

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Keywords: U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, U.S. Regional World Meeting of Popular
Movements, WMPM, Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development,
IHD, PICO, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, CCHD, social justice, land,
labor, lodging, racism, migration

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MEDIA CONTACT
Judy Keane
O: 202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops