CCCB Releases Pastoral Letter on Debt Forgiveness in the Jubilee Year

A pastoral letter released July 28 by the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) calls for urgent action on international debt forgiveness as part of the Church’s response to the Jubilee Year 2025. Titled Forgive Us Our Debts, the letter highlights the moral and biblical imperative to address unjust and unpayable debt burdens faced by many countries in the Global South.

The letter recalls the widespread impact of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, which helped cancel more than $100 billion in debt worldwide. Despite that positive outcome, debt has once again reached critical levels. According to international data, over three billion people now live in countries that spend more on debt repayment than on essential services like health care and education.

Forgive Us Our Debts frames debt relief as a matter of justice rather than charity. It calls on Canada to lead by example by cancelling bilateral debts and advocating for structural reforms at global financial institutions.

The pastoral message further emphasizes the connection between economic and environmental challenges. It draws attention to the concept of ecological debt, noting how countries most affected by climate change often lack the financial means to adapt, in part due to unsustainable debt obligations.

To read the pastoral letter, please click here.