The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor. The "option for the poor," is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community.
The option for the poor is an essential part of society's effort to achieve the common good. A healthy community can be achieved only if its members give special attention to those with special needs, to those who are poor and on the margins of society.
The Option for the Poor in Christian Theology by 
Freedom from Poverty as a Human Right: Who Owes What to the Very Poor? by 
Poor People by 
Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality by Poor--United States
Poverty--Moral and Ethical Aspects
Poverty--Religious Aspects
Public Welfare--United States
Donald C. Carroll, Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, 6 Journal of Law & Religion 201 (1988).
George P. Graham, The Bishops and the Economy, 31 Catholic Lawyer 260 (1987).
