Poverty
“Church and charity leaders call for urgent action on rising poverty
“In a joint statement … senior Christian leaders … have said ‘the human cost of failing to take action now is too big and too damaging to ignore’…. poverty is ‘a consequence of political choices and priorities’, and with a General Election on the horizon, ‘this year must mark the beginning of the end for poverty’….”
Independent Catholic News, 5 Jan 2024. Full article: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/48857
“Pope calls all Christians to personally join struggle against poverty
“Pope Francis has released his message for the annual World Day of the Poor [Sunday 19 November], stressing that a ‘great river of poverty is traversing our cities’, and that every Christian is called to become ’personally involved’ in the struggle against it….
"’We are living in times that are not particularly sensitive to the needs of the poor. The pressure to adopt an affluent lifestyle increases, while the voices of those dwelling in poverty tend to go unheard.’
“In particular, he stresses ‘new forms of poverty’, such as ‘peoples caught up in situations of war’, the ‘inhumane treatment’ of many workers, and ‘speculation in various sectors’, which he said had led to ‘dramatic price increases that further impoverish many families’….’whenever we encounter a poor person, we cannot look away, for that would prevent us from encountering the face of the Lord Jesus.’…”
Independent Catholic News, Source: Vatican News, 13 June 2023. See full article at https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/47365
“Scottish archbishop calls for boost to benefits
“Archbishop William Nolan of Glasgow has called on UK Government to increase benefits in line with inflation. ‘The poor must not be sacrificed in an attempt to shore up the Government's credibility with the markets,’ he said last week. ‘Making the poor poorer is not an act of fiscal prudence, it is an act of injustice.’ He felt it is a ‘fundamental injustice’ that ‘working people aren't getting a living wage,’ and said, ‘we then need to really look at how we reward people in our society.’ He drew attention to the applause for key [workers] during Covid lockdowns, ‘but they need more than a clap, they need decent pay,’ adding that ‘we've got a low-wage economy and people are struggling; poverty won't go away until we pay people a fair wage.’…"
Independent Catholic News, 17 Oct 2022, Ellen Teague, https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/45712
“Christian Aid: Rishi Sunak must re-set government's approach
“Responding to the news that Rishi Sunak has become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Chief Executive of Christian Aid Patrick Watt said: ‘In the face of the worst global cost of living crisis in a generation, the new Prime Minister must re-set the government's approach. We need a commitment that he will not balance the books on the back of the poorest people, either at home or abroad.’
"’With COP27 on the horizon, Rishi Sunak must show leadership on the climate crisis by supporting a swift just transition to net zero while also urgently helping the millions of people on the brink of famine in East Africa by restoring the aid budget.’
"’We would urge the prime minister to protect the diminishing aid budget from any further cuts.’”
Independent Catholic News, 27 Oct 2022, Source: Christian Aid, https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/45779
“Bishops demand action on energy cost crisis
“[Salford Bishop John Arnold from the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said,] ‘This is no longer just a cost-of-living crisis but a threat to the human dignity of millions... as Christians, we cannot ignore the situation’
“As people face an ‘unprecedented crisis’ of sky-high energy bills and an impending recession, Catholic bishops and justice groups are calling on the Government to ‘examine their conscience’ and take urgent action….
“[The Bishop’s Conference and] The Big Issue magazine [have] joined former PM Gordon Brown and his Anti-Poverty Coalition in calling on the Government to take urgent action to prevent a ‘poverty time-bomb’ going off in October.
“Gordon Brown warned in the magazine that millions of people were standing on the edge of a financial precipice.
“Mr Brown said: ‘I estimate that one in every two children will lose out as October fuel and food bills eat up the lion’s share of a family budget. The grim facts right now are that 27.7 million people in 14.5m households are staring at fuel poverty in October. And, if nothing is done before another fuel price rise in January, the fuel poor could rise to 39.4m – 56 per cent of the country, with stark regional variations.’
“The Anti-Poverty Coalition is calling for an emergency budget ‘to plot a path to help the population’
“Bishop of Middlesborough Terry Drainey, chair of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN)… [said to the Universe] ‘We know that rising prices disproportionately affect low-income families and individuals. It looks likely that many more people will be dragged into poverty this autumn. The cost-of-living crisis is deeply worrying.’…
“Catholic justice group the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) says the price increases have led to ‘unprecedented demand’ for its services. ‘The agonising decision to heat or eat is a very real one for many families,’ the SVP told the Universe….
“Bishop Terry Drainey called on lay Catholics to play their part in alleviating the crisis….”
Universe Catholic Weekly, page 1-2, Andy Drozdiak, 12 August 2022
“Pope: We need a new approach to counter global poverty
“In his message for the fifth World Day of the Poor, celebrated in the Catholic Church globally on 14 November 2021, Pope Francis has challenged the faithful to seek out and help the poor wherever they are:
"’We cannot wait for the poor to knock on our door; we need urgently to reach them in their homes, in hospitals and nursing homes, on the streets and in the dark corners where they sometimes hide, in shelters and reception centres. It is important to understand how they feel, what they are experiencing and what their hearts desire.’
“He also stresses that the poor have much to teach us and actually help us to look into the ‘true face’ of God. They retain the dignity of God's children that can't be taken away:
"’For this reason, a different approach to poverty is required. This is a challenge that governments and world institutions need to take up with a farsighted social model capable of countering the new forms of poverty that are now sweeping the world and will decisively affect coming decades.’
"’If the poor are marginalised, as if they were to blame for their condition, then the very concept of democracy is jeopardised and every social policy will prove bankrupt. With great humility, we should confess that we are often incompetent when it comes to the poor. …’
"’Poverty, on the contrary, should motivate us to creative planning, aimed at increasing the freedom needed to live a life of fulfilment according to the abilities of each person….’”
With permission, Independent Catholic News, Source: CBCEW, 26th Oct. 2021
“In-work poverty 'blights the lives of children and young people'…
“Stealing futures - In-work poverty and its impact on children and young people [a report by St Vincent de Paul Society(SVP)] shines a light on ‘one of the most daunting silent issues facing the UK today’, with the impact on children and young people often going undetected and ignored….
“In Spring 2021, the SVP ran a listening exercise across the country to speak with children and young people, aged between seven and 17, and their teachers to understand their personal experiences of living in, or supporting, households affected by in-work poverty.
"’Growing up in a household experiencing in-work poverty has a deep and lasting impact on children,’ comments SVP National President Helen O'Shea. ‘The experiences of the children and young people we heard from were striking. Many spoke about the extreme hardship of having to be almost entirely isolated due to Covid restrictions, and how that led to mental health issues, anxiety and a deterioration in their physical health. Many children were also aware of the pressure on families living on low incomes who are struggling to afford food and digital equipment for school.’ “Helen O'Shea continues: ‘Of major concern is the fact that many of the young people we spoke with expressed a real fear of not being able to find a 'good job' which would allow them to be financially stable and 'not homeless'.’
“The SVP has set out three policy approaches to tackle the blight of in-work poverty for adults and children alike, including provisions which ensure employees have access to suitable working arrangements such as flexible working from day one, and secure work arrangements which prohibit zero-hour contracts.”
With permission, Independent Catholic News, James Robert Welton, 6th Dec. 2021
“SVP report exposes scandal of in-work poverty
“Elizabeth Palmer, CEO St Vincent de Paul Society of England and Wales writes:
“[It] seems incongruous that people who work and earn money for their family are at risk of falling into poverty. It also seems unjust that low wages, work contracts which are not flexible enough, and high childcare costs can have a disproportionally adverse effect on those who do not have the reserves to weather the storm.
“And yet, this is the reality for many. Reading our latest report, Stealing futures: In-work poverty and its impact on children and young people, I was both reminded of the daily struggle facing many and of the need for our work, and why the SVP continues to serve and support people in need.
“The report points out that people experiencing in-work poverty often have other challenges in their lives, and it's the cumulative effect of this which drags them down. …
“We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation hit 3.8% in October driven by rising fuel bills and spiralling food and clothing costs, … Add inflated childcare costs, stagnant wages and the proliferation of zero-hour contracts and it's easy to see how life is not getting any easier for those who are already struggling.
“Our Stealing futures report says that ‘charity is not the solution to in-work poverty’ and that ‘we need a strong commitment from the Government to tackle this hidden crisis, including policies to tackle insecure work, the high cost of childcare and low wages.’ In the meantime, the SVP will always be on hand to support people in poverty of any kind with kindness and dignity, and without judgement.
“We don't stand alone on poverty. We need to raise as many voices as possible in support of people for whom affording the basic essentials of life - food, fuel, and shelter - is becoming increasingly difficult in the current financial climate.
“Our report highlights the growing challenges the cycle of poverty means for people who want to work, provide for their family and live with dignity.”
[Download the full report at … https://www.svp.org.uk/sites/default/files/content/In-work%20poverty%20and%20its%20impact%20on%20children%20and%20young%20people%20-%20report%20Dec%202021.pdf ]
With Permission, ICN, Elizabeth Palmer, Dec 15th 2021