POVERTY “We all know that poverty has the power to humiliate and to engender intolerable sufferings; it is often a source of isolation, anger, even hatred and the desire for revenge. It can provoke hostile actions using any available means, even seeking to justify them on religious grounds, or seizing another man’s wealth, together with his peace and security, in the name of an alleged “divine justice.” This is why confronting the phenomena of extremism and violence necessarily implies tackling poverty through the promotion of integral human development that Pope Paul VI defined as the “new name for peace.” Pope Benedict XVI has distinguished two types of poverty: “A poverty to be combated and a poverty to be embraced.” “The poverty to be combated is before the eyes of everyone: hunger, lack of clean water, limited medical care and inadequate shelter, insufficient educational and cultural systems, illiteracy, and the existence of new forms of poverty; Where in the advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as effective, moral and spiritual poverty.” “The poverty to be embraced is that of a style of life which is simple and essential, avoiding waste and respecting the environment, that of frugality and fasting, and the goodness of creation. This poverty which we choose predisposes us to go beyond ourselves, expanding the Heart.” “The poor question us, they challenge us, but above all, they invite us to cooperate in a noble cause: Overcoming Poverty!” (Muslim Journal, October 16, 2009. Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. By Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, Council President, and Vatican
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 18:53:19 +0000
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