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Access to needs, not dollars, is standard for defining poverty, cardinal suggests

CWN - November 28, 2012

Poverty must be understood not only in terms of a shortage of money, but also in terms of a lack of access to education, health care, and other assets, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace told a Vatican Radio audience.

Cardinal Peter Turkson observed that in the past, someone living on $1 a day was defined as poor. But someone can have a considerably larger income, and still lack access to necessities, he said. Looking forward to a Vatican-sponsored seminar on the causes of poverty, the African prelate said that the problem might be better defined in terms of access.

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  • Posted by: Savonarola - Nov. 28, 2012 5:29 PM ET USA

    Let's pray that the good Cardinal works the mystery word "SUBSIDIARITY" into his next conversation with the bishops of the USCCB.

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