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Pope Reminds G8 of Responsibility to the Poor |
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Prayer-Soldier writes "
A 4 Jul 09 Reuters report related that Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi concerning the G8 summit to be conducted in L'Aquila, Italy 8 – 10 Jul 09. In the letter, Pope Benedict reminded the G8 or their responsibility to the poorer states of the world.
According the the transcript of the letter posted on 5 Jul 09 by the National Catholic Reporter, Pope Benedict stated, “My venerated predecessor was in fact persuaded that the liberation of the world’s poorest countries from the burden of debt, and, more generally, the elimination of the causes of extreme poverty in the world, depended upon the most economically advanced governments and states fully taking up the responsibilities of solidarity with all humanity. These responsibilities have not diminished, but rather today have become still more pressing.”
The Pope commented that in recent years the states of Africa and other poor nations have experienced a period of growth such that there were hopes for the elimination of extreme poverty by 2015. Pope Benedict stated, “Unfortunately, the financial and economic crisis which struck the entire planet at the beginning of 2008 has altered the panorama. There’s a real risk of not only extinguishing the hope of exiting from extreme poverty, but that populations which up to now have had a minimal level of well-bring may fall into misery.”
The Pope expressed concern that, “...the current global economic crisis carries the threat of cancellation, or drastic reductions, of plans of international assistance...” As Pope Benedict continued, he asked that the G8 nations and all other nations to protect the aid to human resources. He related that the aid was not only required as a result of the current economic crisis but because it is part of the path to overall recovery.
The Pope's letter is a reminder that we currently exist in a global economy. He communication was a reminder to the most economically advanced states of their responsibility to the disadvantaged. He appealed to all nations to invest in humanity. Pope Benedict asked, “Is it not by investing in the human person – in all the men and woman of the Earth – that the worrying prospects of a global recession can most effectively be kept at bay?” In the conclusion to his letter, Pope Benedict said he would implore God's assistance to all present.
As the Pope implores the G8 to invest in humanity, the question that must be addressed is how. In a 27 Mar post on CNN.com, Dambisa Moyo, a Harvard/Oxford-educated economist, pointed out that aid by itself is not a solution to the economic conditions of impoverished nations. She points out that the aid provided to African nations often drives corruption. She relates that the most poor would not miss the aid because it never gets to them.
Instead of aid, Moyo promotes the solution is trade. The concept is that aid only treats the symptoms, but does not address the root causes of poverty. Assistance that provides resources to develop businesses which provide jobs becomes the path to self sufficiency.
The cure to the poverty issues to which the Pope implores the G8 to address is likely to be complex. The remedy is not as simple as aid or trade. The solution is likely to be multi-faceted. Aid organizations such as Compassion International, for example, have different elements to their aid programs. A portion of their program is devoted to survival of children while another portion of their program is devoted to the education of children so that they will be able to provide for themselves in adulthood.
As Pope Benedict advised in his letter, “It’s therefore essential to focus on concrete human and family exigencies: I refer, for example, to the efficient creation of jobs for everyone, which allow workers to meet the needs of the families in a dignified fashion, to uphold their primary responsibility in the education of their children, and to be protagonists in the communities to which they belong.” Pope Benedict continues, “For the political commitments of the G8 to be ethically legitimate, they obviously must take into account the thinking and the needs of the entire international community. To that end, it appears important to reinforce multilateralism, not only in economic questions, but for the entire spectrum of themes regarding peace, global security, disarmament, health, and protection of the environment and natural resources for present and future generations.”
As the Pope expresses, the issues for legitimate world leaders to address are many. The leaders may meet and they may practice their craft of politics, but many prayers and the works of many hands will be required to address the range of global issues before us.
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Posted on Tuesday, July 07 @ 22:32:09 MDT by drbonebrake
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