As an Episcopalian, I deeply admired Pope Francis’s give attention to poverty and am eager for Pope Leo’s continuation of this emphasis. But, as somebody who is just not a Roman Catholic, I additionally hope that this World Day of the Poor would possibly spur the broader Christian household towards an ecumenical observance of the day. Such a day may carry Christians collectively round a shared dedication to the poor by each charity and structural change, at the same time as completely different traditions carry their respective insights to the desk.
The primary observance of the World Day of the Poor was comparatively contained: a Eucharist at St. Peter’s Basilica, adopted by a meal for homeless individuals and the opening of a free medical clinic close by. In later years, nationwide observances happened in nations corresponding to Poland and others, the place companies had been paired with charitable outreach and advocacy. In lots of areas, the celebration prolonged past a single day to incorporate a full week of prayer, service, and coverage engagement.
Pope Leo is constant this custom. In his current letter saying that the World Day of the Poor would proceed, he calls consideration to the structural causes of poverty, urging Christians to enact coverage modifications that tackle meals insecurity, the shortage of healthcare, and insufficient training: “It’s my hope, then, that this Jubilee 12 months will encourage the event of insurance policies geared toward combatting types of poverty each previous and new, in addition to implementing new initiatives to help and help the poorest of the poor.”4 Whereas much less inclined towards larger-than-life symbolic actions than his predecessor, Pope Leo appears dedicated to getting into the difficult terrain of systemic reform.
This focus remembers the phrases typically attributed to Brazilian Archbishop Hélder Câmara, who noticed, “Once I feed the poor, they name me a saint. Once I ask why the poor haven’t any meals, they name me a communist.” In highlighting structural injustice and expressing hope for coverage change, Pope Leo dangers comparable criticism, but that is exactly the type of ethical braveness our time calls for. Will we, too, transcend charity to advocate for insurance policies that rework lives?
