Vatican diplomat says people, not wealth accumulation, should be at center of development
October 07, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Addressing a UN session on social development, a Vatican diplomat said yesterday that the “core of sustainable development” is found in Pope Leo’s statement in Magnifica Humanitas that “development is truly human when it places people at the center instead of the accumulation of wealth.”
“Every person should be provided with the conditions that respect their intrinsic God-given dignity and foster human flourishing,” said Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. “Poverty remains one of the greatest obstacles to achieving this goal. Therefore, eradicating poverty and ensuring effective social protection must remain central to advancing social development.”
Archbishop El-Kassis also discussed the importance of work, the family, and the involvement of the poor in development programs, so that they are not “regarded merely as passive recipients of assistance.”
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