Vatican newspaper laments world housing crisis

October 24, 2026

In the most prominent article in its October 23 edition, the Vatican newspaper lamented the world housing crisis.

Citing a recent United Nations report, L’Osservatore Romano reported that “approximately 3.4 billion people worldwide lack adequate, safe, and affordable housing,” with 1 billion in shantytowns.

“The figure of 3.4 billion people grappling with a housing crisis reveals the global scale of a problem that is too often viewed as merely local,“ staff journalist Francesco Citterich wrote. “Guaranteeing adequate housing is not just an urban planning issue; it is a fundamental prerequisite for reducing poverty, combating inequality, and building more inclusive and sustainable cities.”

 

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Further information:

• La casa che non c’è (L'Osservatore Romano, 10/23/26)