The rural life conference, which sponsored the summit, was one of the dozen sponsors of the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, held Feb. 25-28 in Washington. 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which formed the basis for Catholic social teaching. The encyclical said people are sustained in part by what the fields bring forth. Bishop Burke wondered if people today think they are instead sustained by the supermarket, having lost their connection with the sources of food. Man is the steward of creation.
Stewardship takes place through the family and for the family.
There is a need for conversion of heart. The vertical integration of farming and food production and marketing, Bishop Burke said, is a tyranny against nature where nature will rebel, and is rebelling. One example of this, he said, was the confinement of large animals in small pens. That would take energy which we need to save to make more milk. Zabrae Valentine, an aide to Sen. Thomas Daschle, D-S.D., said it was important to get started on writing the 2002 farm bill soon.