(Excerpts from Fr. Ed Ciuba’s
“Creation at the Crossroads”)
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Poverty takes on new dimensions as unsustainably high use of natural resources leads to plunder and degradation of the natural environment. While all nations and all people are impacted, the poor suffer more than others, especially when their farms, forests, and subsistence-level livelihood stand in the way of what is called modern economic “progress.” The gravest environmental effects are suffered by the poorest people. For example, the depletion of fishing resources due to over-fishing especially hurts small fishing communities that can’t compete with large-scale corporate fishing operations. Water pollution, especially in Africa affects the poor who cannot obtain fresh water easily or afford to buy bottled water. Rises in sea level mainly affect impoverished populations who do not have the resources to re-locate when their homes are threatened. The premature deaths of many poor people result from conflicts that arise when resources are not available. Agencies such as Catholic Relief Services that provide emergency relief and long-term development are working to ensure that the poorest and the most vulnerable are able to share in the basic needs of life. However, such assistance is limited and falls far short of the many needs throughout the world.
Pope Francis stresses the plight of the poor in his encyclical because Jesus teaches us to care for the poor and because poverty is a major issue throughout the world. The poor are often removed from centers of power and affluence. They need the Church to speak on their behalf, and they need empowerment so they can meet their needs and protect their families. In the developed world there is a lack of awareness of the problems that especially affect the poor and marginalized. Recent statistics indicate that almost three billion people of the world’s population live on less than $2.50 per day. Even in the United States, one third of the population lives in households with perilously low incomes, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. Jesus spoke often of the needs of the poor, but in economic discussions in our times the problems of poor people are brought up almost as an afterthought, or some kind of “collateral damage.” This geographical and intellectual distancing from the real-life experience of poverty leads in more prosperous people to a numbing of conscience and can invite a one-sided analysis that neglects major parts of society.
What is your experience of the environment in which people who are poor live? How do you think their plight is relevant in your life and faith?
Putting Faith Into Practice
Around the country, groups in many poor communities are coming together to fight pollution in their neighborhoods. Research whether there are such groups in your area, and arrange a meeting with them. Identify ways that your parish can work to support their efforts.
