Poverty Archives

African bishops call on continent’s political leaders to do more to end misery
- Global Church
- October 5, 2017
Over 200 bishops gathered in Senegal for a meeting organized by Caritas Africa to explore the issues facing the continent, including bad leadership, poverty, and migration. The bishops said they were committed to dealing with Africa’s problems, and said this starts with expanding on the work of charity.
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Pope wraps Colombia trip standing with poorest of the poor
- Pope in Colombia
- September 10, 2017
Pope Francis on Sunday wrapped up his Sept. 6-11 trip to Colombia, an outing in which he strove mightily to promote peace and reconciliation in a country scarred by a five-decade civil war, in the company of the people he loves the most: The poorest of the poor, including young women who are recovering victims of human trafficking. He told them God teaches through the example of the humble and discarded.
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Catholic schools make outreach to Hispanic community a priority
- Catholic News Service, Church in the US
- August 10, 2017
For Hispanic students enrolled in Catholic schools, there’s often a sense of gratitude mixed with heightened self-awareness and varying levels of discomfort. Some express concern that their own background is not reflected in their school’s curriculum, such as absence of a discussion of Latino history, and note the lack of diversity in faculty and staff especially at schools that serve Hispanics and other students of color.
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Bangladesh cardinal says Pope will see church ‘rich in our poverty’

Christians account for just 0.5 percent of Bangladesh’s population of 170 million, roughly 90 percent of which is Muslim. In part because of systemic discrimination in employment, poverty among Christians is widespread. Despite that, Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario says when Pope Francis comes calling in late November and early December, he’ll see a church “rich in our poverty.”

Orphanages are sometimes necessary to protect the most vulnerable

For many foster care is not an option. In many places this is due to issues of extreme poverty. There may be a lack of resources to properly screen and train foster carers with the risk that children placed into such care are vulnerable to abuse. The traditional orphanage is important as a place of last resort, for children with no other available living situation.

The orphan myth: Exposing the truth about orphanages

Why are so many children with parents living in an orphanage? The biggest single cause is poverty, followed by limited access to basic services, such as education and health care. Most children in orphanages today have at least one living parent, who gave them up in the belief an orphanage offers a better life. They’re wrong.