The head of the Catholic Church in Scotland has called for people to return to a “more simple way of life”.
Cardinal
Keith O’Brien concentrated on poverty in his Christmas address in a
week when it was announced unemployment in Britain has risen past the
2.5 million mark, and many organisations face having to make drastic
cutbacks.
He said: “The celebration of
the Feast of Christmas, if possible in our own family circles, should
indeed bring us much joy but it should also remind us of the reality of
the world in which we live, a world in which so very many others live in
indescribable poverty on a scale we simply cannot imagine.”
He
added: “There was no pomp and ceremony in connection with the birth of
Jesus – rather the opposite, it took place in simplicity and in poverty. Perhaps
it is at a time of increasing austerity in our country that we might
realise that we are being called to a more simple form of lifestyle and
that a more simple way of life could even help us should more difficult
economic times face us in the years which lie ahead.
Perhaps it is at a time of
increasing austerity in our country that we might realise that we are
being called to a more simple form of lifestyle."
“Our greatest example in
all of this is the birth of Jesus Christ – that is the event which
should continue to inspire us now and in the years which lie ahead.
“May
that nativity scene of Jesus, Mary and Joseph remind us of those bonds
of love which brought those three people together – that love which
should continue to inspire us in our own lives, now and in the future.
“I wish you a peaceful and holy Christmas and every blessing in the year to come.”
He also referred to the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the country in September, describing it as “momentous”.
Cardinal
O’Brien’s comments come as it was estimated that 3.7 million children
live in poverty in Britain, with a record 2.1 million working families
now below the breadline.
The situation
is predicted to get worse in coming months as food prices rise, VAT
increases to 20%, and job losses due to public-sector cuts mount.
Cardinal O’Brien has a history of concern over poverty.
Earlier
this year, he joined other Scottish clergy in signing a joint open
letter demanding that the billions of pounds planned to be spent on
renewing Trident missiles and nuclear submarines be used instead to
help the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
Cardinal
O’Brien was also among a group of campaigners and activists gathered in
the Gleneagles Hotel three years ago that accused the Government and
the other members of the G8 of falling short in bold pledges including
eradicating poverty, dropping debt and fairer trade.
He
attacked Trident to applause from the audience, including Kofi Annan,
the former UN secretary general, who was there to call for more aid for
the developing world.
The cardinal
complained about Government spending on the Iraq war being more than the
Department for International Development spent in 2004/05, and said:
“The world can’t wait. With all the knowledge, technology and wealth at
our disposal, another generation must not be consigned to a life of
misery and unnecessary struggle for the want of political will.”
He
also read a message from U2 singer Bono, which said: “Enough is enough.
If we truly believe that the value of a child’s life in Africa is equal
to that of our own children, we cannot break our word to them.’’
Cardinal
O’Brien also led the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh five years
ago and said world leaders had ignored the pleas of those who took part
in the event to tackle the problem of world hunger.
SIC: HS/UK