17 October: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
'Pity stops at emergency aid, whereas love inspires justice'
Date Posted:
17-Oct-2017
iStock. Used under licence
Mindful that we are called by the world and the church
at this particular time in history
to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,
we will continue to respond mercifully to both.
(Chapter Statement)
Sisters of Mercy Parramatta Congregation welcome the remarks of Pope Francis on Monday, 16 October at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome to mark World Food Day, where he urged action on climate change and conflicts in order to address migration.
In his address Pope Francis challenged the international community to introduce into the language of international cooperation the category of love, not pity ‘because pity stops at emergency aid, whereas love inspires justice and is essential for realizing a just social order’. It means ‘not continuing to divide the human family into those who have more than they need, and those who lack the essential.’