Caritas president says global financial crisis calls for evangelization

(April 27, 2012) A leading Church official who heads the federation of national Catholic Charities worldwide is calling for renewed efforts to evangelize those who are active in the economic and political spheres. “Lack of ethics in finance or politics leads to corruption at all levels,” he said in a recent talk, which demonstrates that “we did not worry enough [about] the evangelization of politics and politicians, economics and economists,” said Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, the president of Caritas Internationalis. The prelate who is Archbishop of Tegucigalpa spoke at the 41st Social Week of the Church, in Santander, Spain, from April 19 to 21 that focused on the new evangelization. He lamented that many governments worldwide have eliminated aid to the poor in this time of economic crisis, when it should be "the only thing not to be touched". He said that "lack of ethics in finance or politics leads to corruption at all levels", which means that "right there the Gospel has not arrived yet." If we feel the crisis acutely in the economic and political spheres, it is because we "we did not worry enough for the evangelization of politics and politicians, economics and economists." Cardinal Maradiaga particularly commended Caritas Spain for increasing its contribution this year despite the economic crunch.