“Turning Debt into Hope” – CND Collective Position Statement
Dear sisters, associates and employees:
May the grace of the Risen Lord continue to communicate to us life, hope and solidarity, both affective and effective, in this time of hope and Easter joy.
In our 2021-2026 Mission Orientation, we committed, as a Congregation, to:
- Honour, respect and protect our “Common Home,” committing ourselves to concrete actions motivated by an integral ecological conscience.
- Intensify our prophetic presence to the peripheries, especially with those who are impacted by the systems that create exclusion and marginalization.
God calls us to hear the cries of our wounded world. In the spirit of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, we respond with stubborn hope, prophetic action, mutuality and collaboration: “Together for the life of the world”.
As Daughters of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, we respond with stubborn hope and prophetic action, and, as Women of the Gospel committed to Jesus in his transforming and liberating action, we invite you to sign this Collective Position Statement and email it to the Social Justice Office by June 1, 2025, for presentation at the G7 Summit to be held June 15-17, 2025 in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada.
We therefore invite you to participate with concrete actions in the global movement for debt cancellation, an initiative promoted by the World Ecumenical Jubilee Committee, Caritas International and the United Nations Trade and Development Organization (UNCTAD). As a Congregation, we decisively want to join in this collective position.
The current Jubilee Year invites us to “pause and reflect” on justice and mercy in order to “give hope” to a world facing multiple crises.
As stated in Leviticus 25:10:
“And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.”
Thus was born the campaign “Turn Debt into Hope,” which aims to collect 10 million signatures worldwide before the end of 2025. Each signature amplifies this cry for transformative change, and, as a Congregation, we want to be an active part of this restorative justice movement.
This campaign calls for:
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- Cancelling the unjust, unsustainable and unpayable debts of the poorest countries, the countries of the Global South.
- Establishing of a debt resolution mechanism within the United
- Avoiding future cycles of excessive
- Reforming the international financial system to avoid future crises; creating a system that puts human beings at the centre and that is based on equity, justice and
More than half of the world’s population lives under the pressure of debt. Today, many countries pay more in interest than they do in health and education. This global reality and crisis disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations. In many cases, public debt generates such a strong impact that repaying it becomes impossible, thus creating an unsustainable burden for future generations. This economic injustice is compounded by ecological debt as Northern countries continue to exploit the resources of the South and Indigenous communities.
Let us remember that, historically, as the CND, we have actively participated in debt cancellation campaigns. In 1998, the Social Justice sector called for a collective position on this issue. The campaign whose objective was to collect signatures in favour of the cancellation of the foreign debt of the countries of the South had a participation of 94.95% of our sisters. This petition demanding the cancellation of debts that condemn many countries to live in exclusion, poverty and social inequality was sent to the G8. In 1999, we sent a letter to the Canadian Minister of Finance supporting this request. In 2000, we renewed our commitment to end the foreign debt of all countries in the Global South.
In order to live a process of awareness-raising in solidarity, we will share with you videos, documentaries and the following social justice newsletters dealing with the topic of foreign debt. We will also include a ritual that can be used when signing and supporting debt forgiveness.
Today, once again, we want our voice to be heard. Signing this Position Statement is a prophetic and supportive action, expressing our desire to live the charism of Marguerite Bourgeoys and our commitment to justice, mercy and hope. We remind you to send your signature by June 1, 2025 to the Office of Social Justice, so that we can present it at the next G7 meeting, which will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada from June 15 to 17, 2025.
Thank you for being part of this common path of transformation. With stubborn hope and Easter joy,
General Council of the Congregation of Notre Dame de Notre-Dame Social Justice