First, the good news. The past 50 years has seen millions of people brought out of poverty, thanks largely to health and nutrition improvements. Yet few are predicting anything but unsettled times ahead. Nearly a billion people still live in absolute poverty and will be most affected by climate change and conflict. More than half the world’s population now live in cities seeking decent work. Humanitarian crises will become more protracted. Migration will become the defining issue of our time.
As we have done for the past 50 years, Catholic charities will rise to these challenges. We will do this in a political environment that pitches globalisation against nationalism. Successive popes have addressed the shortcomings of globalisation by returning to the basics of Catholic teaching: putting people at the centre of economy and society, and urging us to rediscover the fundamental relationships we all need.
