13.7 catholic teachings about poverty

• what is poverty?


  being without money, food or other basic needs of life
• what do Catholics believe about poverty?


  degrades people and threatens their dignity
• what is ' preferential treatment for the poor'?

  needs of poor people should be put first
• why does the catholic church teach that the poor deserve preferential treatment?


  as they have suffered from not having had the basic requirements of life
• what odes Philippians 2:4-5 say?

  ' Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus '
• what does Evangellii Gaudium 198 say ?


  ' God shows the poor ' his first mercy '. This divine prefernce has consequences for the faith life of all Christians ... Inspired by this,,, the Church has made an option for the poor ... This option - as Benedict XVI taught - ' is implicity in our Christian faith in a God who became poor for us, so as to enrich us with his poverty . '
• what else does Evangelii Gaudium 198 say 


  ' This is why i want a church which is poor and for the poor. They have so much to teach us ... in their difficulties they know the suffering Christ. We need to let ourselves be evangelised by them ... we are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes but also to be their friends , to listen to them , to speak for them '
• what does Evangelii Gaudium 198 teach us?


  • poor people are first to receive the mercy of God, caring for the poor is a demand on Christians
  • Jesus offered his life for all people , be more like Jesus
  • focus on the needs of the poor
  • poor can teach rich as they are closer to the spirit of Jesus as they share in his rejection and suffering
  • those who are rich need to see Jesus in the poor to speak up for them, to befriend them and to listen to them
• what do Catholics have regarding poverty?


  a duty to protest and work against those who create poverty
• what does Pope Francis 7 and 20 June 2013 say ?


  'Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so may resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable, that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons '

  ' A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth... satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being'