The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community
has issued “Rescue the Weak and the Poor,” a statement on poverty and
social exclusion in Europe.“In a European Union founded on Christian values, almost a quarter of the population still lives at risk of poverty and social exclusion,” the bishops said in their December 12 statement.
“Only a close complementarity of policies in all relevant fields at all levels can eliminate the structural causes of poverty and promote the integral development of every member of society, including the most vulnerable.”
The bishops made six recommendations to foster an “integrated approach to combating poverty”:
- promote integral development
- ensure policy coherence
- rebalance economic interests with social rights
- uphold adequate working conditions
- recognize families as key actors in society
- foster dialogue and cooperation