BRAZIL – World Day of the Poor:
Bishops call for concrete gestures
On Sunday, November 14th, the World Day of the Poor, established by Pope Francis, will be celebrated for the fifth time and the Church in Brazil invites the parishes to make a “concrete gesture” this week from November 7th to 14th.
The organizing committee therefore proposes concrete actions to fight against poverty and for more solidarity with the poor in Brazil. In the note sent to Fides, the Auxiliary Bishop of Rio de Janeiro and Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference of Brazil (CNBB), Monsignor Joel Portella Amado, points out the need to see solidarity as the answer of faith at a time of great challenges.
“Faith urges us to dream of a world and to work together for a world in which poverty has been overcome. We must not get used to poverty and become indifferent to the poor”, he said. As part of the day of the poor, the Catholic Church in Brazil therefore launched an “Emergency Solidarity Action”, the “Pact for Life and for Brazil” and the “Sixth Social Week”, which are intended to stimulate concrete local actions.
More than 51.9 million Brazilians currently live in precarious situations and growing socio-economic poverty. The consequences of the pandemic have exacerbated this dramatic situation, which particularly affects women, indigenous and rural populations.
More than 19 million Brazilians are starving, compared to 10.3 million in 2018. In addition, 16 million people are affected by food insecurity. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 10/11/2021)
