A forum focusing on alleviating poverty among Native American populations took place at the University of Notre Dame in October, Catholic News Service reported. The summit, attended by American Indian tribal leaders and hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ subcommittee on Native American Affairs, will release recommendations to help alleviate poverty. From the article, “The U.S. Census Bureau reports approximately 3 million people whose primary race is Native American or Alaska Native. Of those, about 40 percent live on reservations or trust lands, and a high percentage fall well below the poverty level.
About 20 percent of Native Americans are Catholic, but proposals coming out of the gathering are expected to be applicable to all Native Americans, according to meeting organizer Father Michael Carson, assistant director of Native American affairs for the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church.”
