Fighting poverty to build peace
Pope Benedict XVI
As the Catholic World celebrates this year's (2009) World Day of Peace, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI in his resounding message entitled Fighting Poverty to Build Peace,draws attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty, enuciated by his Predecessor Pope John Paul II back in 1993.
Following the Catholic tradition set by Pope Paul VI, in 1967, the first of every January, the beginning of every New Year, the Catholic world celebrates the World Day of Peace, actually praying for profound peace in our ever troubled world. Reflecting on the ever widenning gap between the rich and the poor, the Holy Father charges that “fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization.” The Pope maintains that this perspective helps to understand poverty from a wide ranged and articulated view point, where we no longer talk of material poverty alone but also poverty that “exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as “moral underdevelopment” and on the other hand the negative consequences of “superdevelopment”.”
The Pope's identification of poverty as a cause of absence of peace in today's world is borne out of well reflected and analysed understanding of the world's mode of operation. The truth is that nations pay lip's service to peace. Talking of material poverty, the Pope had argued that from statistics, every nation has all it takes, resources to fight and conquer and indeed annihilate poverty. It is precisely because of non-use of the available resources in providing means of economic empowerment that people engage in violence and acts that jeopardises peace. On international level, the story is the same thing. Some nations consider themselves so powerful that they want to take control of other nations. The summary of this type of poverty is that at its root, there is a kind of percieved and real elements of selfishness, marginalization and deception. Those directly affected, see these loopholes and try to react. This reaction brings violence, conflicts and wars. The truth is that, if the world, nations, especially, the so called advanced or developed nations commit one tenth of the human and material resources in waging war or the so called Peace Keeping Forces in pursuing economic programmes based on real poverty alleviation, there would be more peace that we could expect.
It is this kind of situation that Pope Benedict, quoting his pre, John Paul II says “globalization “is notably ambivalent” and therefore needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. The imbalance lies both in the cultural and political order and in the spiritual and moral order. In fact we often consider only the superficial and instrumental causes of poverty without attending to those harboured within the human heart, like greed and narrow vision. The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions – limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally. What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.”
Pope Benedict XVI
As the Catholic World celebrates this year's (2009) World Day of Peace, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI in his resounding message entitled Fighting Poverty to Build Peace,draws attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty, enuciated by his Predecessor Pope John Paul II back in 1993.
Following the Catholic tradition set by Pope Paul VI, in 1967, the first of every January, the beginning of every New Year, the Catholic world celebrates the World Day of Peace, actually praying for profound peace in our ever troubled world. Reflecting on the ever widenning gap between the rich and the poor, the Holy Father charges that “fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization.” The Pope maintains that this perspective helps to understand poverty from a wide ranged and articulated view point, where we no longer talk of material poverty alone but also poverty that “exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as “moral underdevelopment” and on the other hand the negative consequences of “superdevelopment”.”
The Pope's identification of poverty as a cause of absence of peace in today's world is borne out of well reflected and analysed understanding of the world's mode of operation. The truth is that nations pay lip's service to peace. Talking of material poverty, the Pope had argued that from statistics, every nation has all it takes, resources to fight and conquer and indeed annihilate poverty. It is precisely because of non-use of the available resources in providing means of economic empowerment that people engage in violence and acts that jeopardises peace. On international level, the story is the same thing. Some nations consider themselves so powerful that they want to take control of other nations. The summary of this type of poverty is that at its root, there is a kind of percieved and real elements of selfishness, marginalization and deception. Those directly affected, see these loopholes and try to react. This reaction brings violence, conflicts and wars. The truth is that, if the world, nations, especially, the so called advanced or developed nations commit one tenth of the human and material resources in waging war or the so called Peace Keeping Forces in pursuing economic programmes based on real poverty alleviation, there would be more peace that we could expect.
It is this kind of situation that Pope Benedict, quoting his pre, John Paul II says “globalization “is notably ambivalent” and therefore needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. The imbalance lies both in the cultural and political order and in the spiritual and moral order. In fact we often consider only the superficial and instrumental causes of poverty without attending to those harboured within the human heart, like greed and narrow vision. The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions – limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally. What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.”
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