This week, Pope Francis stated that no Christian is excluded from assisting the needy.
The worst thing that can happen to a Christian community, the pope stated in his message for the 2022 World Day of the Poor, published on June 14, is to be “dazzled by the idol of wealth, which ends up chaining us to an ephemeral and bankrupt vision of life.”
Pope Francis said that “Where the poor are concerned, it is not talk that matters; what matters is rolling up our sleeves and putting our faith into practice through a direct involvement, one that cannot be delegated”.
“No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because their own lifestyle demands more attention to other areas. This is an excuse commonly heard in academic, business or professional, and even ecclesial circles. None of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice,” the pope added.
The pope emphasized that it is not a matter of engaging the poor with a “welfare mentality,” but rather of ensuring that no one goes without what they need.
He advised Catholics against complacency and inconsistency in their care of the needy.
“At times… laxity can creep in and lead to inconsistent behavior, including indifference about the poor,” he stated. It also happens that some Christians, out of excessive attachment to money, remain mired in a poor use of their goods and wealth. These situations reveal a weak faith and feeble, myopic hope.”
In 2016, at the close of the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis inaugurated the World Day of the Poor. Every year on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, a week before Christ the King’s feast, the day is celebrated.
On November 13, the 6th World Day of the Poor will be celebrated with the theme “for your sakes Christ became poor,” based on 2 Corinthians 8:9.
The pope distinguished between humiliating poverty, in which people live in squalor, and Christian poverty, which sets people free and provides peace, in his message, which was signed on the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua on June 13.
“Jesus’ teachings are clear: if we want life to triumph over death, and dignity to be redeemed from injustice, we need to follow Christ’s path of poverty, sharing our lives out of love, breaking the bread of our daily existence with our brothers and sisters, beginning with the least of them, those who lack the very essentials of life,” he said.
“This is the way to create equality, to free the poor from their misery and the rich from their vanity, and both from despair.”
In conjunction with World Day of the Poor, Archbishop Rino Fisichella held a press conference on June 14 to highlight various Vatican measures to support the poor.
He noted that the Italian financial services organization UnipolSai helped 500 families with rent, insurance, gas, electricity, and water bills, and that tons of essential food supplies were delivered thanks to the wonderful collaboration of local stores in the Diocese of Rome.
Pope Francis also addressed the subject of what more can be done to assist the millions of people living in war-torn Ukraine and other conflict zones in his message for World Day of the Poor.
He explained, “What great poverty is produced by the senselessness of war.”
“Millions of women, children, and elderly people are being forced to brave the danger of bombs just to find safety by seeking refuge as displaced persons in neighboring countries. How many others remain in the war zones, living each day with fear and the lack of food, water, medical care, and above all human affections?”
“How can we respond adequately to this situation, and to bring relief and peace to all these people in the grip of uncertainty and instability?” he asked.