The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore in the Italian city of Naples is hosting the States General of Voluntary Work meeting entitled “Church for all and particularly the poor”, promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
During one of the breaks, the Archbishop of Naples spoke to Vatican Insider about the long nightmare of the recession.
The cardinal lit a cigarette and talked about the direct experiences of the crisis, going through each one as one would go through the beads of a rosary: “The number of daily meals at the Caritas refectory have tripled; each day we witness new signs of social distress as a result of the collapse of the world of work.”
Cardinal Sepe, what are the most worrying signs of the recession?
“More and more one-income families can no longer afford to put a hot plate of food on the table and come to their parishes in shame and embarrassment to ask for help. When even the employed are reduced to poverty, there is something structurally wrong in the system. All this hardship is reducing social classes that once lived in dignified conditions to a state of neediness. Not to mention the critical cases.”
Which critical cases are you referring to?
“Prisons for example. We have organised a Jubilee of prisoners to create awareness within the institution about the poor state of our detention centres. A country’s civility is measured by the state of its prisons and yet those behind bars are forced to live in unacceptable conditions. I have been inside the diocese’s prisons and I witnessed a collective complaint and a general feeling of desperation which should concern all of us. I was moved by the reaction to a very simple gesture I made: television cards so they could watch the European football championships. So many of the inmates wrote to me to thank me for paying them a tiny bit of attention which was perceived as a burst of humanity in the midst of the intolerable indifference that is shown towards them. Benedict XVI spoke out against this indifference during his recent visit to Rome’s Rebibbia prison. When a young person follows the path of crime, it is a defeat for everyone. Here we are trying to help tackle this as the Pope requested. We have built houses for those who come out of prison, so that they can learn a trade and reintegrate into society. We also help them find a job. Finding a job today is hard for everyone but it is even more so for those who are faced with a wall of mistrust and prejudice. The Church guarantees training courses for those who come out of prison.”
Is the economic crisis an underestimated social bomb?
“Yes. Central government and local administration need to do all that they can to prevent dangerous consequences that can emerge as the situation worsens. The Church is doing its bit to help and will continue to do so more and more but a collective effort is needed; otherwise the widespread state of emergency will explode sooner or later. All problems derive from a dramatic shortage in work, which affects all areas. Unemployment is now a mass phenomenon and has become a flooded river. The world of work has experienced an unprecedented collapse and the inexistent spending power of individuals and families has devastated the already fragile commercial system. This is evident from the cuts and reductions that are now cutting assistance services to the bone. Many are walking a very thin tightrope, like acrobats. And underneath them there is no protection net. The recession has brought about a tragic feeling of distress and unease. It is no longer just a case of figures not adding up.
The Holy See is riddled with scandal and controversy, what is the Church doing to combat the economic crisis?
“Above all it is reforming itself. Its service should be greater and it should have fewer structures, as Benedict XVI preaches. Caritas, the Community of Sant’Egidio and John XXIII have brought social workers to Naples to work in defence of the poor. We call them “friends of the poor”. The Church is for everyone but there is a preferential option for the poor. A poor Church in service of the poor, not a bloated institution. Wes should not keep goods for ourselves but must give to the poor. This is the continuous conversion of a Church that knows how to be both in the world and outside it. Benedict XVI reaches us to make union with God a life dimension. We need to be increasingly attentive to the poor and oppressed without reducing ecclesiastical issues to a sacristy issue.”
What is the message that these “States General” of poverty wish to get across?
“There needs to be an attentive response by the Church to the needs of the destitute. Some poor people come and ask for help but there are also poor people in prisons, hospitals, shantytowns and in mothers’ bellies who cannot wait. One of the speakers at the meeting rightly pointed out that the wealthy never created God’s history. They created it by becoming poor. Sharing combats poverty and removes the main causes of marginalisation. We only need think back to the “Church’s winter” which theologian Karl Rahmer saw before the Second Vatican Council. In the Basilica of San Lorenzo one of the messages reiterated was that the Church is itself when it stands by the poor, those who bear its daily cross. The poor must be protagonists in humanity’s history. Parishes and pastoral councils should speak out for those who do not have a voice. A Church that is open to the family and where there is room for everyone. A Church that is able to raise its voice in defence of the weak, without seeking rewards.”
Fr. Oreste Benzi’s motto was: “No more arguing, it’s time to act.” Do you agree?
“Yes, the Church community stands by the poor. It is the suffering human the Church is interested in. At our meeting we looked into a new technological and financial humanism which created a new Babel without God. The community response is that the Church is based on love for the oppressed; it builds bridges and heals wounds. The institutions need to do more for the civility of love. The poor expect the gift of peace. NGOs, volunteers and international cooperation are signs of a universal call to holiness. The Church cannot limit itself to saving the oppressed but must act to stop this oppression. Its wounded members are the most vital. We are going back in time in an unnatural race back to poverty. The social tragedy is linked to the dignity of the human person. Giving work is part of the Constitution and is a basic right of all humans because individuals fulfil themselves through work as well.”
Who is most to blame?
“No one can pull back from responsibilities which affect everyone. So many young people emigrate abroad and are often the most qualified. The door to the world of work is locked. Mafia violence is like a black sail that blows in a wind of downfall and defeat. Organised crime is a cancer that is keeping people’s future hostage. Caritas refectories once offered hot meals and clothes to 50 families. Now this figure has risen to 150. There is a literature professor who is well known within the parish community. He comes and parish workers try to ease his feeling of shame by finding discreet ways of helping people like him who are the only bread earners in their family and can no longer cope on their own.”