What is Advocacy?
“Social Justice” can mean many things to many people. So can "advocacy," which is the primary way most people work for justice. For the Christians, the desire for social justice and impulse to be advocates most often flows out of exposure to to "least of our brothers and sisters." Think of someone you have cared about, either because they were sick, or unemployed, or couldn't make ends meet, or were significantly challenged in some way. Of course you will first try to tend to their immediate needs, and if that's all it takes, then you can feel good But what if something else is getting in their way and making their problem so large, or chronic, that your efforts to help come to little. Often we find that people's suffering or oppression is due to an unfair institutional structure, or a heartless bureaucracy, or an unresponsive civil system or government agency, or even an unjust law. Then we will want to challenge and change that situation, will we not?
That's really all social justice advocacy is, looking at an unjust situation and trying to do something about it, or at least to speak up. It is distinct from, yet complementary to, "direct service." Service leads us to see our Lord in the face of “the least,” and stirs our hearts with love and solidarity. Accompaniment often follows, when we walk with them in their situation, even if we're powerless to fix it. When we ask what is causing their suffering, and learn about its root causes and the roles of economics, politics, racism, and other “systems of sin,” that leads us to engage with whoever has the power to change things, be that government, business, or other institutions or powerful people.
Advocacy can take many forms (see also our "Ways to Be an Advocate page), but whatever shape it takes, advocacy is speaking out for those whose voices are unheard or ignored. (Empowerment, another form of social action, can be either focused on "helping people help themselves" - perhaps without questioning the justice of their situation - OR can be aimed at supporting the suffering or oppressed in their own self-advocacy, such as we are seeing "white allies" do with Black Lives movements.)
Advocacy has as many forms as direct service does, but most Catholics can’t articulate what they are as easily as they could name off ministries of service like food pantries, meal programs, shelters, etc. Advocacy can be as simple and personal as merely correcting false or hateful ideas when you hear them. It can take the form of writing your legislators to pass a bill that could do anything from providing direct services to development programs to radical structural change. Or it could involve "lobbying" not government, but corporations, in order to call them to social responsibility. Or it can include protesting in the streets when all else fails.
It doesn’t have to be “legislative” advocacy, although that may be the kind most Catholics immediately think of. Nor is advocacy mere "political" activity. It is that, of course, but it is also spiritual activity, because it comes from our faith convictions and our reflection on the Scripture and Church teaching, and it challenges us at the deepest part of ourselves, our culture and religious traditions. Just as our life -- individually and as a community -- should be "one unending Mass," as Father Dehon put it, so our commitment to be advocates for justice should permeate our prayer, our worship, and our lifestyle.
Moreover, because it is often misunderstood or rejected, even by other Christians, and may take decades or longer to achieve its goals, advocacy requires spiritual grounding and sustenance to avoid "burnout." In the end, even if it seems to make no difference, we must speak up for justice because it is right even if not popular.
What are the objections to advocacy?
The issues are just too complex!
Response: They are, but that's no excuse! The Church has developed many resources to help us understand social issues. And even if we can't all become experts in social policy, we can still speak from our hearts and share our values. That often has far more impact than intellectual arguments.
It's "political," and Christians must avoid politics.
Response: Actually, there is no way to avoid politics. Whether or not we think of ourselves as "political" or "apolitical," we take political stances every day, whether it's deciding whether to vote and who to vote for, or the company we keep not just personally but on social media, where we choose to get our news, and how we react to the stories we hear about suffering people and social problems. But Catholic social teaching is clear that Christians must play a role in the political arena, while at the same time avoiding being "co-opted" by any earthly political philosophy or party. Whether we choose to operate within or outside of conventional parties or social movements, as Christians we must challenge them all, especially the ones we identify with, to become ever more aligned with the values of Christ.
For many great quotes from Catholic social teaching on "Politics and Citizenship," see this from Catholic Charities of Minneapolis/St. Paul
It doesn't work/makes no difference.
Response: This is a common and understandable feeling that all of us experience from time to time, or even most of the time. No battle for justice is ever won permanently, and some wars will never be won in this life, but we have a duty to engage in the fight. It could as well be argued that direct service and generous charity make little difference, since the problems they ameliorate remain, but we do it because Christ gave us that mission, and because it's the right thing to do, even if we know we have no chance of victory. That's another reason it is spiritual work. But we also know that our moral witness has value in and of itself, and there is no way of knowing the ripple effects our actions may have... with the help of God, the power of Christ and the mysterious workings of the Spirit.
The immediate needs are so great we can't take time for it.
Response: Archbishop Dom Helder Camara of Brazil once wrote that,“In the war against injustice, 80% of our time must be devoted to changing structures and promoting human advancement; but 20% must be set aside for tending the wounded and the victims.” The plain truth is, the more time we put into social justice and systemic change, the less time we'll need to put into direct service. And if we never put any time into social change, our charity will never be enough. At the same time, we recognize that not every Christian is called to be a full-time activist. Fr. Richard Rohr points out that not everyone is suited or called to social justice work, and that's okay. The important thing is that we all do something, and that the Church as a community ensures that both dimensions are being addressed.
It's too "detached," ministry needs to be "up close and personal."
Response: For some this is true, and social justice work can be academic, or done apart from the poor themselves, which can be a problem if activists or academics find no way to connect with the poor and oppressed. But social activism can and should come from the "heart" as well, and a heart that is broken by one person's suffering can expand to care for all who likewise suffer, even if they have no direct connection to us.
Jesus didn't do it!
Response: It is true that Christ did not come as a social justice warrior, and never exhorted his followers to write letters to their public officials, or staged a protest, or was a community organizer. He was a spiritual teacher, not a social activist. But he did challenge the systems and structures of his day - including even the Sabbath! - as unjust, and ended up being executed as a political agitator (cf Lk 23). It's also important to realize that he lived in another time, place and culture, and those methods were neither around yet nor even possible in many ways in 1st Century Judea, under Roman occupation. But for Christians blessed enough to live in a modern democratic republic, the words of Pope Paul VI in Octogesima Adveniens are apropos:
"To take politics seriously at its different levels — local, regional, national and worldwide — is to affirm the duty of all people to recognize the concrete reality and the value of the freedom of choice that is offered to them to seek to bring about both the good of the city and of the nation and of humanity."
See also our "Why Advocacy" page for quotes from significant Church social teaching on social justice and political advocacy.
That's really all social justice advocacy is, looking at an unjust situation and trying to do something about it, or at least to speak up. It is distinct from, yet complementary to, "direct service." Service leads us to see our Lord in the face of “the least,” and stirs our hearts with love and solidarity. Accompaniment often follows, when we walk with them in their situation, even if we're powerless to fix it. When we ask what is causing their suffering, and learn about its root causes and the roles of economics, politics, racism, and other “systems of sin,” that leads us to engage with whoever has the power to change things, be that government, business, or other institutions or powerful people.
Advocacy can take many forms (see also our "Ways to Be an Advocate page), but whatever shape it takes, advocacy is speaking out for those whose voices are unheard or ignored. (Empowerment, another form of social action, can be either focused on "helping people help themselves" - perhaps without questioning the justice of their situation - OR can be aimed at supporting the suffering or oppressed in their own self-advocacy, such as we are seeing "white allies" do with Black Lives movements.)
Advocacy has as many forms as direct service does, but most Catholics can’t articulate what they are as easily as they could name off ministries of service like food pantries, meal programs, shelters, etc. Advocacy can be as simple and personal as merely correcting false or hateful ideas when you hear them. It can take the form of writing your legislators to pass a bill that could do anything from providing direct services to development programs to radical structural change. Or it could involve "lobbying" not government, but corporations, in order to call them to social responsibility. Or it can include protesting in the streets when all else fails.
It doesn’t have to be “legislative” advocacy, although that may be the kind most Catholics immediately think of. Nor is advocacy mere "political" activity. It is that, of course, but it is also spiritual activity, because it comes from our faith convictions and our reflection on the Scripture and Church teaching, and it challenges us at the deepest part of ourselves, our culture and religious traditions. Just as our life -- individually and as a community -- should be "one unending Mass," as Father Dehon put it, so our commitment to be advocates for justice should permeate our prayer, our worship, and our lifestyle.
Moreover, because it is often misunderstood or rejected, even by other Christians, and may take decades or longer to achieve its goals, advocacy requires spiritual grounding and sustenance to avoid "burnout." In the end, even if it seems to make no difference, we must speak up for justice because it is right even if not popular.
What are the objections to advocacy?
The issues are just too complex!
Response: They are, but that's no excuse! The Church has developed many resources to help us understand social issues. And even if we can't all become experts in social policy, we can still speak from our hearts and share our values. That often has far more impact than intellectual arguments.
It's "political," and Christians must avoid politics.
Response: Actually, there is no way to avoid politics. Whether or not we think of ourselves as "political" or "apolitical," we take political stances every day, whether it's deciding whether to vote and who to vote for, or the company we keep not just personally but on social media, where we choose to get our news, and how we react to the stories we hear about suffering people and social problems. But Catholic social teaching is clear that Christians must play a role in the political arena, while at the same time avoiding being "co-opted" by any earthly political philosophy or party. Whether we choose to operate within or outside of conventional parties or social movements, as Christians we must challenge them all, especially the ones we identify with, to become ever more aligned with the values of Christ.
For many great quotes from Catholic social teaching on "Politics and Citizenship," see this from Catholic Charities of Minneapolis/St. Paul
It doesn't work/makes no difference.
Response: This is a common and understandable feeling that all of us experience from time to time, or even most of the time. No battle for justice is ever won permanently, and some wars will never be won in this life, but we have a duty to engage in the fight. It could as well be argued that direct service and generous charity make little difference, since the problems they ameliorate remain, but we do it because Christ gave us that mission, and because it's the right thing to do, even if we know we have no chance of victory. That's another reason it is spiritual work. But we also know that our moral witness has value in and of itself, and there is no way of knowing the ripple effects our actions may have... with the help of God, the power of Christ and the mysterious workings of the Spirit.
The immediate needs are so great we can't take time for it.
Response: Archbishop Dom Helder Camara of Brazil once wrote that,“In the war against injustice, 80% of our time must be devoted to changing structures and promoting human advancement; but 20% must be set aside for tending the wounded and the victims.” The plain truth is, the more time we put into social justice and systemic change, the less time we'll need to put into direct service. And if we never put any time into social change, our charity will never be enough. At the same time, we recognize that not every Christian is called to be a full-time activist. Fr. Richard Rohr points out that not everyone is suited or called to social justice work, and that's okay. The important thing is that we all do something, and that the Church as a community ensures that both dimensions are being addressed.
It's too "detached," ministry needs to be "up close and personal."
Response: For some this is true, and social justice work can be academic, or done apart from the poor themselves, which can be a problem if activists or academics find no way to connect with the poor and oppressed. But social activism can and should come from the "heart" as well, and a heart that is broken by one person's suffering can expand to care for all who likewise suffer, even if they have no direct connection to us.
Jesus didn't do it!
Response: It is true that Christ did not come as a social justice warrior, and never exhorted his followers to write letters to their public officials, or staged a protest, or was a community organizer. He was a spiritual teacher, not a social activist. But he did challenge the systems and structures of his day - including even the Sabbath! - as unjust, and ended up being executed as a political agitator (cf Lk 23). It's also important to realize that he lived in another time, place and culture, and those methods were neither around yet nor even possible in many ways in 1st Century Judea, under Roman occupation. But for Christians blessed enough to live in a modern democratic republic, the words of Pope Paul VI in Octogesima Adveniens are apropos:
"To take politics seriously at its different levels — local, regional, national and worldwide — is to affirm the duty of all people to recognize the concrete reality and the value of the freedom of choice that is offered to them to seek to bring about both the good of the city and of the nation and of humanity."
See also our "Why Advocacy" page for quotes from significant Church social teaching on social justice and political advocacy.