P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That International attention towards the poorer countries may give rise to more concrete help, in particular to relieve them of the crushing burden of foreign debt.
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In many poor countries the sums spent on repaying the foreign debt and the interest on it is four times what is devoted to public health. The result is that every year about 20 million children die of hunger and unavoidable illnesses. For this reason alone the activities that have lasting consequences for the lives of entire populations in poorer sectors deserve particular attention and careful moral examination.
Debt relief is only one aspect of the larger task of fighting poverty and of ensuring that the citizens of the poorest countries can have a fuller share at the banquet of life. Debt relief programs must be accompanied by the introduction of sound economic policies and good governance. But more importantly, the benefits which spring from debt relief must reach the poorest, through a sustained and comprehensive framework of investment in the capacities of human persons.
As the human person is the most precious resource of any nation and its economy, debt relief becomes urgent. In fact it becomes a precondition if poor countries are to make progress in their fight against poverty. This is something that is widely recognized. However, we have to ask why progress in resolving the debt problems is still so slow. We pray that the most powerful nations will take decisive steps toward definitively resolving the debt crisis.
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