The Impact of the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis on Families - Oscar Card. MARADIAGA, CI President

8/10/2019 The Impact of the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis on Families - Oscar Card. MARADIAGA, CI President

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International Seminar on: The family: a resource for overcoming the crisis

(Palazzo San Calisto, 18 Setem!er "#1$%

The impact of the nancial, economic and social crisis onfamilies:

a world perspective

Car&' scar )n&r*s +o&rguez -ara&iaga

.ear frien&s,

/elcome to +ome, in the heart of Trastevere 0here Saint rancis staye& in 1"#2, over

8## years ago3

It is a goo& sign that the Saint of the 4a&y Poverty, an& our !elove& Poe 0ho !ears his

name, have given us the oortunity to meet here to&ay'

It is only a fe0 &ays !efore the Thir& 56traor&inary 7eneral )ssem!ly of the Syno& of

ishos, 0hich has as its theme The Pastoral Challenges for the family in the conte6t of

evangelisation'

This is a rohetic event 9 the first, or !etter, the secon& ste along a ath'

The first 0as taen !y Poe rancis 0hen he &esire& to hear the voice of families an&

communities !y means of e6tremely 0i&esrea& consultation 0ith local Churches' /ith our

astoral reflections 0e, too, 0ish to articiate in this e6change of i&eas an& ro;ects 0hich

maes us all feel art of the Church, a community on the ;ourney' )n& since 0e are all gathere&

here together in the name of


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The family can !e &iscusse& from many &ifferent ersectives angles an& oints of vie0'

To&ay 0e have ma&e a clear choice: 0e &o not 0ant to tal a!out the family in the a!stract, or of

the erfect family, !ut of all those real families to&ay 0hich, each in its o0n 0ay, is struggling in

truly &ifficult situations an& 0hich, nonetheless, still manages to hoe an& to lan for the future'

These are the families that, together 0ith our 4or&, reresent our true hoe an& can hel us

overcome the crises of this thir& millennium'

amilies to&ay fin& themselves at the centre of enormous ara&o6es' 7lo!alisation has

entere& their homes, their &aily lives' )s +enato +uggiero sai& in 122=, 0hen he 0as .irector

7eneral of the /orl& Tra&e >rganisation, 0e 0ae u in the morning to the soun& of a n a 0orl& scale, the inha!itants of 0ealthier nations reserve 8B of e6en&itures for rivate

consumtion, as comare& to !arely 1'DB in oor nations'

1 +' +E77I5+>, Seech at conference 5conomics: 0hat futureF, +ome, .ecem!er 122=, ' D'

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The great &efect of the maret economy is that it is e6clusive' )n& it is for this reason

that the great challenge facing us is calle& inclusion' The maret economy is efficient insofar as

it is a!le to create 0ealth, an& e6clusive insofar as it is incaa!le of &istri!uting this eAua!ly'

The financial maret, 0hich has gro0n out of all roortion over the last fe0 &eca&es,

has create& a self9centre& o0er 0hich reson&s neither to ro&uction nor to the authority of any

international control, !ut only to itself'

>n /all Street, 0hen ne0s of goo& emloyment figures arrives, the stoc maret crashes,

the e6act oosite of 0hat haene& in the ast' Those investing in the stoc maret are no

longer intereste& in no0ing that a !usiness is in goo& health, since the imortant things are

rai& rofits an& seculation, laying on the &ifferences !et0een international currencies' The

financial asects of &ecisions tae riority over economic an& human consi&erations' In this 0ay,

many eole, families, !usinesses an& even nations fin& that they are no longer the masters oftheir o0n &estinies'

>ur Caritas organizations fin& themselves face& 0ith an aarent contra&iction' >fficial

estimates !y governments an& international economic organizations have, over the last fe0

&eca&es, registere& mare& rates of economic gro0th in various countries of the 0orl&,

esecially the so9calle& emerging economies'

In 4atin )merican an& the Cari!!ean, Caritas often have hear& tal of a anorama of

roserity, an increase in 7.P er erson, high e6ort rates (roughly =9B%, &esite the glo!al

economic crisis' )t the same time, ho0ever, our hel centers an& emergency facilities have seen

the long cues of the oor !ecome even longer, an& esecially cues of entire families' amilies

seeing initial, emergency assistance, !ut also 0or, accommo&ation, legal rights, the chance to

enter once again the active community an& to fully en;oy their rights as citizens'

The first Auestion that 0e, as Caritas, must as ourselves regar&ing the otimistic tren&s

of economic in&icators is the follo0ing: &o these statistics reflect the real situation in 0hich the

families of 4atin )merica an& the Cari!!ean are livingF Is the eAual &istri!ution of these

economic in&icators realF If it is true that certain factors are e6eriencing gro0th (e6orts, for

e6amle% to the oint that 0e can tal of emerging economies an& of a certain &ecrease in

overty, then it is also true, on the contrary, that overty continues to afflict roughly 1G millions

eole, that is, a!out "8'8B of the inha!itants'"

" Cfr' Contri!ution !y the regional Caritas of 4atin )merica an& the Cari!!ean'

D


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)lso in )frica, !efore the crisis, all of the reorts of the international financial institutions (/orl&

an, International -onetary un&, )frican .eveloment an% in&icate& a mare& gro0th in

some of the continentHs economies' Then the crisis struc, 0ith unfavora!le short9term rosects,

lea&ing to collase in the rice of ra0 materials an& of rofits from e6orts (0hilst increasing the

costs of !asic necessities for the local oulations%' )n& so )frican families, alrea&y on the very

margins of &eveloment, sli& further an& further into overty an& recariousness'

)n anec&ote reorte& !y a ne0saer in inshasa, in the .emocratic +eu!lic of the Congo,

hels us un&erstan& the &egree of &isillusion an& &issatisfaction of )frican families, 0hose

overty has not lessene& at all, Auite the oosite3DThe ;ournalist comments that, &esite sta!ility

on the macro9economic level, the Congolese eole confuse& an& &isenchante&, is increasingly

losing any hoe of imroving their &aily lives' The in&ications are ositive: gro0th stan&s at

G'"B, international reserves are increasing, the rate of e6change if sta!le, !ut there is stillimmense recariousness' @ou canHt eat economic sta!ility3 e6claime& a state official

commenting on a recent strie !y mem!ers of the civil service an& in reaction to the cynicism of

the u&get -inister, accor&ing to 0hom, economic sta!ility ha& !enefitte& all of the Congolese

eo le3

In reality, the ma;ority of )frican families 9 !ut the situation is the same in many )sian

countries an& else0here in the 0orl& 9 are force& to fight to survive an& concentrate all of their

energies on this struggle'

/e have not move& to0ar&s a more ;ust system, even though this is 0hat 0as suggeste&

!y the mareting of the single thought' 7lo!alization is highly selective' Suffice it to note the

increasing num!er of &eserate ;ourneys un&ertaen !y refugees an& migrants that all too often

finish in the graveyar&s of the seas an& the lan&s that they attemt to cross'

In a system that has lace& the in&ivi&ual a!ove all other values, an& a financial system

an& maret 0ithout rules, the real an& rofoun& nee&s of families are ignore& an& the net0or of

relations an& values that families al0ays have create& an& en;oye& riss collasing lie a house

of car&s' Jo0ever, as note& in the reflections of Caritas Italiana, amiglie Sosese (Susen&e&

amilies%: if in Italy the rate of overty has remaine& sta!le for some time no0, not0ithstan&ing

the 0orst economic crisis since 12"2, this is thans to the social arachute 0hich the Italian

D Cfr' K L Aui rofite la sta!ilit* &u ca&re macro*conomiAue F M in Le Potentiel (#N#2N"#1"%'

$


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family has al0ays reresente&, saving those 0ho have !een afflicte& !y the long 0ave of

recession' $

ut 0hat is haening to&ayF or the first time ever, even in the comforta!le /est, not

only are the young utterly una!le to fin& a ermanent ;o!, !ut their arents are losing theirs an&

family life, sli&ing into crisis' This !ecomes recarious for t0o generations, those at "# as 0ell as

those at =# years of age' 4ife is increasingly a !alancing act !et0een o&&9;o!s an&

unemloyments, 0ith no fi6e& income an& 0ith the young incaa!le of lanning their futures'

The Caritas of the Enite& States has tol& us that, &esite the myth of )merica as the lan&

of oortunity, many )merican families ris overty, esecially those 0ith single mothers an&

young chil&ren, 0hose num!er has increase& !y over =#B in recent &eca&es' )ccor&ing to the

Population Reference Bureau, "$B of the G= million chil&ren un&er 18 in the Enite&

States live in single9arents families, 0ith their mothers an&, in "#1#, the rate of overtyamongst these families stoo& at $"'"B' The severe recession has ma&e 1 out of G )mericans oor

an& the rate of unemloyment has risen to over 2B' 5ven amongst those fortunate enough to

have a ;o!, D million fin& it har& to reach the en& of the month' Immigrant families are amongst

the har&est hit'

The imact of overty is intensifie& an& maes itself felt 0here crisis enters into the lives

of the 0oun&e& families, 0ith straine& relationshis an& !rea9us an&, often, a re9shaing of

the nuclear family along &ifferent lines' In this case economic overty, social vulnera!ility, an&emotional frailty create a siral that riss &estroying the family an& isolating eole, esecially

the youngest, from the rest of the community' If a coule is in &ifficulty, their entire system of

relationshis can enter into a crisis as 0ell' The recarious nature of life an& values has ren&ere&

eoleHs sentiments an& emotions of eole more fragile an& maes in&ivi&uals more lonely,

esecially the el&erly an& chil&ren' )s sho0n !y the contri!utions !y the Portuguese an& rench

Caritas, chil&ren are the first to suffer the effects of overty an& lac of affection'

Caritas rance (Secours CatholiAue% remin&s us of ho0 much loneliness an& feelings of

hellessness are en&ure& !y families living on the fringe, for one reason or another'

amilies living in overty 9 0rites Caritas rance 9 feel isolate& ''' -any arents tell us that they

have no9one to tal to aart from their chil&ren''' To&ay, a recarious situation forces an

$ Cr' Presentation !y .on rancesco So&&u, .irector of Caritas Italiana, in Famiglie sospese : quaderno diriessione teologico-pastorale sulla famiglia in dicolt nelltalia delle false parten!e ,ologna, Centro e&itoriale &ehoniano, "#1$, ' ='

=


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in&ivi&ual into a system of &een&ency an& negative recognition'''0hich !rings 0ith it a sense of

uselessness an& of their 0orth not !eing recognize& in the eyes of others an& of society' =

?o0a&ays there is much tal of the Auality of life, !ut I &o not !elieve that the resent

economic system or 0ay of thining is heling this' 4iving is not merely e6isting, !ut e6isting in

a certain "a#' Oitor ranl sai&: 4ife is not something, !ut the chance to &o something'

>nly an i&ea of the meaning of life, a life live& fully an& 0ith &ignity !y every one of us, no!o&y

e6clu&e&, can give rise to hoe for the 0orl&'

Therefore, 0e cannot intervene only in relation to the negative effects of the current

economic system 0ithout seeing to alter their causes' The great challenge that 0e face to&ay

lies in our 0illingness to change the &ominant 0ay of thining an& the institutions 0hich

eretuate it' It lies in our a!ility, together 0ith families an& on the !asis of evangelical values,

to recreate an economy an& society truly orientate& to0ar&s the common goo&')n& thus, 0e come to ourselves' /e Christians, families, ecclesial communities,

ourselves as the Church'

ecause it is to us that the 4or& sea3

7ustavo 7uti*rrez as himself an& the Church this crucial Auestion:

In the 0orl& of technological revolution an& comuters, of the glo!alization of the economy,

of neo9li!eralism an& the so9calle& ost9mo&ern, is there sace for those 0ho are oor an&

marginalize& an& 0ho see to free themselves from an inhuman con&ition that stams out their&ignity as human !eings an& chil&ren of 7o&F /hat role &o the 7osels lay an& the faith of the

oor in a time that seems allergic to certainties an& to human soli&arityF'

)n& to&ay 0e may a&&:

/hat &o the 7osels have to say to the families of to&ay, to those 0ho live in uncertainty

an& to those 0ho live comforta!ly, to those 0hose lives are 0oun&e& an& those 0ho lives are

not, an& 0hat &oes our 4or& say in articular to 0e 0ho try to live !y the light of his /or&F

/hat sace is foun& in our Church for families 0oun&e& !y an economic system that e6clu&es

them, afflicte& !y 0ar an& violence, 0eaene& !y the glo!alization of in&ifference or in;ure&

!y the frailty of their sentiments an& valuesF

= Contri!ution !y Secours CatholiAue (Caritas rancia%, ' "' 7' 7ETI5++5, )nalisi critica &ella teologia &ella li!erazione in l Regno?' 1# (122G% : ag' D#$'


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The nstrumentum La$oris of the Syno& )ssem!ly notes that some o!servations (&ra0n

from consultations 0ith the local churches, n'&'r'% &eman& strong an& rohetic 0or&s from the

Church in relation to overty 0hich is utting family life so harshly to the test' ) Church that is

oor an& for the oor, it states, shoul& not fail to mae its voice hear& in this conte6t' G

)fter all, the 7o& >f life, in !ecoming one of us, e6erience& the life of a hum!le family, simle,

migrant, an& in real life family he learnt to 0or 0ith his han&s, to earn his &aily !rea& !y the

s0eat of his !ro0, to sho0 soli&arity an& to hel an& cure the 0oun&s of the eole of his time'


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faithful, an& 0hen necessary, of slo0ing &o0n to loo eole in the eyes an& listen an&

accomany those 0ho have !een left !y the roa&si&e' 8

/e must not resign ourselves to saying itHs al0ays !een lie this !ut must see out ne0s aths,

set off 0ith our affective creativity, heal the 0oun&s of so many faces an& so many stories an&

&enounce in;ustices'

)!ove all, 0e must learn to listen to the families 0ho are, first an& foremost, a great resource

an& source of hoe an& love for the Church' If families feel that they are !eing listene& to an&

accomanie& !y the community, if they feel that they are su!;ects an& not merely users, o!;ects

of our assistance, they 0ill no0 ho0 to e6erience love an& evangelical hoe 0ith courage an&

al0ays have faith in man an& in his a!ility to create frien&shi an& soli&arity, 2as .on 7ino

+igol&i 0rite in his !oo'

To&ay the most 0i&esrea& sentiment amongst families in &ifficulty is one of o0erlessness inthe face of an over!earing socio9economic reality 0hich often crushes them' or this reason, 0e

Christians cannot limit ourselves to treating their 0oun&s, !ut must have the evangelical courage

an& civil commitment to change this reality, to free these 0oun&e& families from the oression

!earing &o0n on them, an& to &o this together 0ith them'

The strong call launche& !y the Church surs us to commit ourselves in the name of the 7osels:

/ith the evangelical message, the Church offers a force for free&om an& &eveloment,

recisely !ecause it can !ring conversion to hearts an& min&s, recognise the &ignity of each

in&ivi&ual, rovi&e soli&arity an& &e&ication to the service of our fello0s, insert man into 7o&Hs

&esign, 0hich is the creation of the ing&om of eace an& ;ustice, starting in this life'1#

The greatest test for the family in our time is that of the solitu&e 0hich !oth isolates an&

&estroys' >nly love, learnt, live& an& share& &ay after &ay, !et0een families an& the community,

0ill result in no!o&y ever again feeling that she or he is alone'

'

8 Poe rancis, %&angelii 'audium, ?' $'2 Cfr' .on 7ino +I7>4.I, Ricostruire la speran!a, 0ith Pierfilio Pozzi, 5&izioni 4aterza, "#1$'1# 7iovanni Paolo II, 4ettera 5nciclica Redemptoris issio(G .ecem!er 122#%, ?' =2'

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Documents

The Impact of the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis on Families - Oscar Card. MARADIAGA, CI President