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Office of the President

3211 FOURTH STREET NE WASHINGTON DC 20017-1194 202-541-3100 FAX 202-541-3166


His Eminence Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
President

September 20, 2017

Most Reverend Gabriel Malzaire.


Bishop of Roseau
President of the Antilles Episcopal Conference
9a Gray St, Port of Spain
Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies

e-mail: FrJohnPersaud@aecrc.org

Your Excellency,

As so many Americans struggle to rebuild their lives after the recent devastating hurricanes, we
sincerely thank you for your warm expression of solidarity and support. Likewise, our hearts go out to your
people as well, many of whom have borne the brunt of the storms' devastating trajectories through the
Caribbean.

As it has been long-standing policy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to advocate
in favor of debt relief for developing nations, we would be honored to support the petition you made for a
moratorium on debt payments before the International Monetary Fund and the Caribbean Development Bank
in your letter dated September 14, 2017. The Most Reverend Oscar Cant, Bishop of Las Cruces and
Chairman of our Committee on International Justice and Peace, and I have sent a letter on behalf of our
Conference to the International Monetary Fund. A copy of his letter is enclosed. As the topmost priority
must be continuing the rescue, recovery, and rebuilding efforts, we hope these financial institutions are
amenable to this reasonable request.

At this hour of need, we pray that God may inspire generosity in people around the world, that those
affected may be aided in their efforts to rebuild their lives. We also pray that our bonds of solidarity as one
Church remain strong, and that together we may implore almighty God to bid the sea be quiet, and still
(Mark 4:39).

Yours in Christ,

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo


Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Enclosure
Office of the President
3211 FOURTH STREET NE WASHINGTON DC 20017-1194 202-541-3100 FAX 202-541-3166
His Eminence Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
President

September 20, 2017

Ms. Christine Lagarde


Managing Director
International Monetary Fund
700 19th Street, N.W.,
Washington D.C. 20431

Dear Ms. Lagarde:

In light of the damage inflicted by the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stands in solidarity with the bishops of the Antilles, especially now as they
accompany their people on the arduous path of rebuilding their lives after the devastation caused by Hurricane
Irma. We echo the concerns expressed by the Most Reverend Gabriel Malzaire, President of the Antilles
Episcopal Conference, in a letter sent to you on September 14, 2017, and urge you to implement an immediate
moratorium on debt payments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the next six months (including the
option of an extension, if necessary), as well as coming to an agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank to
act likewise. We also urge the IMF to call on bilateral creditors to join the moratorium.

USCCB, following the teachings of St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Pope Francis, has
consistently called on leading economic powers to take into account the human rights and development
implications that burdensome debt has on the most vulnerable persons and nations. Natural disasters in countries
with extremely at-risk economies, like Antigua and Barbuda and others in the Caribbean, can wreak catastrophic
and paralyzing impacts on their prospects for further developmentincluding their ability to service their debt
responsibly. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Churchwhich offers principles and perspectives to
help ground temporal realities and structures in the dignity of the human personstresses that the right to
development must be taken into account when considering questions related to the debt crisis of many poor
countries (# 450).

Loans are an important tool to propel development in small economies, and, ideally, they should be
structured in such ways as to allow for reasonable flexibility in the repayment plans, especially in the event of
devastating natural disasters. Such a repayment structure would allow resources to be allocated towards life-
saving short and medium term stabilization processes.

We applaud the IMFs willingness to provide the affected region with humanitarian aid and
reconstruction, and we thank you for graciously considering our petition. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely yours,

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo Bishop Oscar Cant


President Chairman
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on International Justice and Peace
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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