UNEMPLOYED people in three church organised work shops in Dublin, Portlaoise and Strabane, Co Tyrone, have urged the Catholic Church to make unemployment a priority "faith and morals issue" for its parishes.
The report of their discussions, published today as a booklet by the bishops' Council for Social Welfare, lists the specific things participants bad asked the church to do.
It should "listen to unemployed people and their leaders and be led by what they say".
It should "support financially and with other resources (especially use of buildings), community organisations, especially unemployed and low paid groups, in their efforts to something about their situation".
It should "stand beside unemployed people when they challenge politicians and vested interest groups on issues such as unemployment and low pay" and "speak out strongly against big businesses when they are seen to be abusing the system".
In its conclusion, the report quotes one participant's words: "The primary role of the church is not to engage in economics or job creation or to start organising unemployed people. Its primary role is spiritual. It must ally itself with unemployed people and influence politicians, the business community and others with a say to use their power in a Christian way,
Participants also suggested the church should show its commitment to addressing the unemployment crisis by appointing a priest or other church member to co ordinate initiatives to address the crisis both at national and diocesan level.
They said "at local level, it was seen as vital that priests should know the people in their parishes who are unemployed and stay in contact with them. "Church people, especially bishops, priests and religious, should give example by their lives to the values, they are promoting. How you appear is what you are seen to be."
The booklet was published at the same time as a shortened version of the Catholic bishops' 1992 pastoral letter on unemployment: Work is the Key Towards an Economy that Needs Everyone.