Kathe Kollwitz |
Much has
been made of our new Holy Father Francis and his love of the poor of this
world. He chose the name “Francis,” in
honor of the saint who gave up his wealth to live among the poor. The Holy
Father has shown a concern for the poor and disenfranchised, spending time among
them, blessing and kissing the needy and
disabled. In June Pope Francis got a lot
more specific, calling on the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization
to end the global food crisis.
“It is a
well-known fact that current levels of production are sufficient, yet millions
of people are still suffering and dying of starvation...This is truly
scandalous. A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits
of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those
who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table.”
M. Olickov-Mirolli- Serbia |
Specifically,
Pope Francis laid out what he called “financial speculation” that treats food
like any other commodity and affects its global price, as well as the tendency
to “look the other way” when presented with troubling needs like hunger.
Everyone, he said, should have access to nutritious food.
When
world hunger is spoken of so often Africa or parts of Asia
come to our minds, but we forget the many thousands in our own country who do
not have proper diets. Anyone who has lived in a big USA city or visited in the inner
city has seen people searching for food in the dumpsters. New laws in our country
ban markets and restaurants from giving away excess food which used to be
donated to the needy, especially through food kitchens. Instead the food is
dumped or burned.
Earlier
the Holy Father attacked food waste in a speech in St. Peter’s Square on the
United Nations’ World Environmental Day. “Once our grandparents were very
careful not to throw away any leftover food. Consumerism has led us to become
used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which at times we are no longer
able to give a just value. Throwing away food is like stealing from the table
of the poor and the hungry".
Betty Laduke |
The
Pope’s statements on food will come as no surprise to most Catholics. The Church
has formed positions in recent years on
issues surrounding food, and the humanitarian group Catholic Relief Services
(CRS) believes that Catholics’ “commitment to the value of each human life
should be reflected in both individual choices and in the policies and
structures of society.” CRS’s principles emphasize the value of every human
life, focusing on community-based solutions and small-scale farms; a special
preference for the poor and vulnerable; workers’ rights; solidarity across
national borders; and environmental sustainability.
Catholic
Social Teaching and Food
The
dignity of every human life is the foundation for Catholic social teaching
(CST). The right to life for all persons, based on their identity as precious
children of God, means that all people
have basic rights to those things that are necessary for them to live and
thrive, including the right to food. Our commitment to the value of each human
life should be reflected in both individual choices and in the policies and
structures of society. The bishops of the United States have reflected on
CST, agriculture, and food in For I Was Hungry & You Gave Me Food and other
statements, summarized below: Here I
will list only the first three:
Protecting
Human Life and Dignity.
Every
person has a right to life and to the material and spiritual support required
to live a truly human existence.The right to life includes the right to food
and nutrition to sustain life and to enable
a person to develop in dignity. The poverty and hunger that diminish the lives
of millions in our own land and in many other countries are threats to human
life and dignity and demand a response from believers.
Betty Laduke |
The
Call to Family, Community and Participation.
The human
person is not only sacred but also social, living society impacts human dignity and the
ability of persons to live in vibrant and healthy communities. Policies that
favor larger scale farm operations can lead to a loss of economic viability for
smaller scale family farms and the depopulation of rural communities. Hunger
impacts families everywhere by interfering with children's
ability to learn and develop and often forcing parents to sacrifice essentials,
such as access to health care or children's education, in order to provide
sufficient food for their families.
Hunger and poverty in developing countries leads to increased immigration and
family separation.
Catholic social teaching urges that the voices of people suffering from hunger
and smaller scale rural farmers and ranchers should be present in
decision-making regarding policies that affect them.
Betty Laduke |
Option for and with the Poor and Vulnerable.
We
maintain a special concern for poor and vulnerable people, including those who
are hungry here and abroad. The primary goal for food and agricultural policies
should be access to food for all people and reducing poverty among the most
vulnerable everywhere. Trade practices with poorer
countries should be fair and should promote the dignity and welfare of farmers
in those countries. Important moral measures of the global food and agricultural
system are how their weakest participants are treated and whether the system
provides access to basic nutrition for all.
Everyone
can make a difference, no matter how small it may seem to us, it can be huge
for another. There are many organizations out there that feed the
poor. Find one and start your donating.
It can be only a matter of a few dollars a month. Some families we know have a small meal once
a week and the money they saved on a larger meal (usually with meat) goes to
help others. Our Community is especially fond of Heifer International which donates animals and educates peoples in Third World countries. Giving food is one issue, but education is key in ending crises in our world: not only education of the poor, but of politicians and the wealthy. Jeff Bridge's efforts in no kids hungry.org. had brought the plight of the children in our own country to the awareness of many.
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