JUSTICE and Poverty

"Justice In The World" Part 2

The European Union’s working definition of poverty is: “Persons, families and groups of persons
whose resources (material, cultural and social) are so limited as to exclude them from the
minimum acceptable way of life in the Member State to which they belong”.

Definitions change with time, but this is now the most commonly used definition of poverty in the
industrialised world.

It recognises that poverty is not just about income but about the effective exclusion of people
living in poverty from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities.

How is poverty measured?

Absolute poverty is measured by comparing a person’s total income against the total cost of a
specific ‘basket’ of essential goods and services. People with inadequate income to purchase
this basket of items are considered to be living in absolute poverty.

Relative poverty compares a person’s total income and spending patterns with those of the
general population. People with lower income who spend a larger portion of their income on a
basket of goods and services, compared with a threshold typical of the general population, are
considered to be living in relative poverty.

(Source: http://canadianeconomy.gc.ca)

The World Bank defines absolute (or extreme) poverty as living on below US$1 a day, and
moderate poverty as living on US$1 - US$2 a day. Based on these figures, half the world’s
population – about three billion people - are considered poor, with one in six living in extreme
Poverty.

Types of Poverty

Poverty of the soul- Lack of purpose in life, a sense of hopelessness about any lasting meaning

Poverty of the spirit- Totally dependent on God

Material poverty- Lack of sufficient material means to meet basic human needs
Evidence of material poverty:
-20% of the population in developed nations consume 86% of the world’s goods
-Nearly 1.3 billion people live on less that $1 a day
-Nearly 1.3 billion people have no access to clean water; 3 billion have no access to sanitation;
2 billion have no access to electricity
-In developing countries, 91 children out of 1000 die before their fifth birthday

The Bible and Poverty

Did you know...

-Sacred scripture reveals that God is compassionately concerned for the welfare of the poor

-Jesus was a prophetic voice telling of God’s love for the poor and God’s command for the well-
off to respond to the needy

In the Old Testament:

Sabbatical year – land was not to be farmed, debts were to be forgiven and slaves were to be
let go every seventh year

Jubilee year – people were to return to their proper place in the community and original owners
were to lay legal claims to their property every fifty years.

These were established to help reduce poverty and to help the poor assume respectable
positions in society

In the New Testament:

-Jesus lived a life of poverty and associated with the poor and outcast throughout his ministry

-Jesus’ parables revealed his attitude toward the poor

The Scandal of Hunger

Causes of hunger:
-Corruption
-Exploiting limited resources
-Unfair and high interest on foreign loans
-Politics

A moral response to world hunger

-Manage earthly goods more efficiently
-Subsidiarity
-Solidarity
Did you know...…that another way to respond to the problem of world hunger is by
participating in the Eucharist?
-We are to become the bread of life for others
-We are to be Christ’s hands and feet to those in need

A Christian Response to Poverty:

Preferential Option for the Poor

What does it mean to have special love for the poor?

-We cannot love immoderately or selfishly use riches or wealth
-We must put into practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy
-Evaluate social and economic activity from the viewpoint of the poor and powerless

A Place at the Table:

Everyone is invited to gather to eat, to make decisions, and to worship, including:
-families & individuals
-government
-Institutions that help society stand with the poor
-Community organizations and faith-based institutions
-Marketplace and institutions of business, commerce and labor

Eliminating Poverty
How can we fight poverty?
-Change attitudes to the poor
-Support full and equal employment and just wage
-Empower the poor to help themselves
-Make education of the poor a top priority
-Continually evaluate how tax system affects the poor
-Reform nation’s welfare programs to help recipients become self-sufficient
-Governmental efforts to preserve and protect family operated farm
-People have created the economy; they can change it
-Simple question should be asked, “Does it support or threaten human dignity?”

Sollicitudo Rei Socialis:

“The Social Concern of the Church”
Author: Pope John Paul II Date:
December 30, 1987

CONTEXT:
World economy is in flux—debt, unemployment, and recession hitting affluent and poor nations
alike.
Innovation: The "structures of sin" insight.
Trivia: 1987 is the International Year of The Homeless in the U.S.
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis :
“The Social Concern of the Church”

MAIN POINTS:

“Option for the poor” as a central tenet of Church teaching

Develops notions of ‘solidarity’, ‘structures of sin’ and ‘social mortgage on property’

Suggests resources for arms race be used to alleviate human misery

Nature must be considered in development

While praising the optimism and innovation of Populorum progressio, the document being
commemorated, it also notes serious backsliding on issues of development.

Sollicitudo Rei Socialis :

“The Social Concern of the Church”

MAIN POINTS:

Twenty years' worth of unfulfilled hopes include:

--obvious gap between northern and southern hemispheres, global debt

--Romania's Communist dictator executed.

--U.S. invasion of Panama.

1990: South Africa's Nelson Mandela freed from prison after 26 years.

Lithuania declares independence from U.S.S.R.

Free elections in Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. Iraq invades Kuwait; U.S. and allies
send troops to Persian Gulf region. Unification of East and West Germany.

1991: Persian Gulf War; Kuwait liberated, civil war in Iraq.

Should be a unity of the world—not a "First World,"

"Second World," "Third World," or "Fourth World."

Outright underdevelopment abounds, a result of the ideological opposition existing between

East-West blocs
and their strong penchants to militarism ("wars by proxy"), imperialism, neo-colonialism, and
exaggerated concerns for security.
Their competition blocks cooperation and solidarity.

Chastises the West for abandoning itself to a growing, selfish isolation.

Chastises the East for ignoring its duty to alleviate human misery. In fueling the arms trade, both
blocs contribute to refugee populations and increased terrorism.

Emergence of "superdevelopment," an excessive availability of goods leading to consumerism

and waste; existence of "structures of sin";

International trade discriminates against developing countries.

POINTS FOR CLARIFICATIONS:

What are Social Concerns
What are “Structures of Sin”
Human Rights Violations

1. Poverty
Persons, families and groups of persons whose resources (material, cultural and social) are so
limited as to exclude them from the minimum acceptable way of life in the Member State to
which they belong.

2. Preferential Option for the Poor

Catholic tradition reminds us that God stands firmly on the side of the most marginalised
members of society. While every person’s needs are important, we must consider first and
foremost the lives of the most vulnerable people in our society.

3. Solidarity
Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that ‘loving our neighbour’ is not, in
the words of Pope John Paul II, “a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the
misfortunes of so many people. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to
commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual,
because we are all really responsible for all.”

4. Subsidiarity

The principle of subsidiarity means clearly determining the right amount of help or support that
is needed to accomplish a task or to meet an obligation: “not too much” (taking over and doing it
for the other: thereby creating learned helplessness or overdependence) and “not too little”
(standing back and watching people thrash about, thereby increasing frustration and perhaps
hopelessness). The principle might be better summarised as ‘no bigger than
necessary, no smaller than appropriate’.
5. Absolute poverty

This is measured by comparing a person’s total income against the total cost of a specific
‘basket’ of essential goods and services. People with inadequate income to purchase this
basket of items are considered to be living in absolute poverty.

6. Relative poverty

Relative poverty compares a person’s total income and spending patterns with those of the
general population. People with lower income who spend a larger portion of their income on a
basket of goods and services, compared with a threshold typical of the general population, are
considered to be living in relative poverty.

7. Sabbatical year

The sabbath year also called the sabbatical year,a year of rest for the land observed every
seventh year in ancient Judea.

– land was not to be farmed, debts were to be forgiven and slaves were to be let go every
seventh year

8. Jubilee year

In the Catholic Church, a jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon.

- to occur every 50th year, during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be
forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest.

9.Refugee
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution,
war or violence.

10. Global refugee crisis

There are 71 million forcibly displaced people in the world as a result of persecution, conflict,
violence, or human rights violations—on average, 37,000 new people are forced to flee their
homes every day.

Social Equality
People in a certain society have the same rights and freedoms as well as access to certain
social goods and services.

-Civil rights - Labour rights

-Property rights -Economic equality
-Freedom of speech
Discrimination
Prejudiced treatment of different categories of people on the grounds of:
-age
-physical characteristics
-race
-colour
-sex and gender
-caste
-religion
-origin
-sexual orientation
-social classes

Discrimination/dicrimate against
-Discrimination against women is still present in some societies
-We need to eliminate discrimination against diabled people
-The new law definitely discriminates against foreigners
-Any attempts to discriminate against people of colour must be put to an end to.

Poverty
-people lack financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living.
-low income
-no proper housing
-no clean water
-no healthy food
-no proper medical services
-no poper education
-no electricity
-no opportunities

Hunger
-a condition in which a person, for a sustained period, is unable to eat sufficient food to meet
basic nutritional needs.
-low income
-food shortages
-extreme weather wars
-lack of nutrition
-poor economy and influence
-forced migration
Hunger and Proverty
-People die of hunger in a lot of countries even now, in 21th century
-Milions of people suffer from hunger all over the world
-I have never seen such extreme poverty in my life before
-More than 80% of people in the country live in poverty

Human migration
-is the movement of people from one place to another with the intention of setting, permanently,
or temporarily at a new location (geographic region).

-immigration
-emigration
-immigrant
-refugee
-political
-economic
-seasonal
-voluntary
-internal

Environmental concerns
-global warming
-acid rain
-urban sprawl
-waste disposal
-ozone layer depletion
-water pollution
-air pollution
-climate change

Health care
-prevention
-diagnosis
-treatment
-primary care
-secondary care
-tertiary care

Drugs
-take drugs -overdose
-drug addict
-get addicted to drugs
-drug dealers
-hard/soft drugs
Violence
-street violence
-youth violence
-domestic violence
-rape and sexual assault
-child abuse
-harassment

Dealing with problems

-take action
-tackle/ address a problem
-leaving things as they are
-protect against smth
-sign a petition
-go on a protest march
-In order to save our planet, we need to take action now!
-Thousands of people signed a petition against Brexit
-If we do not tackle the problem of drugs now, millions of lives will be lost
-People went on a protest march against the war

Social sin
-social dimension of personal sin

- a cycle of sin violence or force and injustice caused by individual sins

EXAMPLE:
Prejudice
1868 sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others
when we cooperate in them:

-by participating directly and voluntarily in them;

-by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
-by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
-by protecting evil-doers

CCC 1869
-1869- thus sin makes accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence and
injustice to reign among us. Sins give rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to
the divine goodness. “Structures of sin” are the expression and effect of personal sins. They
lead their victims to do evil in their turn. In an analogous sense, they constitute a “social sin”.