Archbishop issues challenge on bridging divide between rich and poor

ARCHBISHOP of Dublin Diarmuid Martin yesterday challenged political, trade union and business leaders to show how we can help bridge the rich-poor gap in our society.

Expressing “deep concern” about the widening gulf that exists between the haves and have-nots, Dr Martin said this was “an acute challenge” for Ireland.

“We have never been as wealthy as we are now. We have seen sustained prosperity over the past 10 years. We now have the resources to tackle entrenched poverty. However, social divisions have not gone away; indeed in many areas they have increased.”

Dr Martin was launching the annual appeal for Crosscare, the social care agency of the diocese. This annual collection for Dublin’s needy takes place next weekend, September 25-26.

Ireland occupied the first place in Europe in so many economic indicators, but we had to find ways of ensuring our increasingly wealthy country could also be in the first place with the quality of its health and social services, the archbishop said.

Crosscare, which began its work during World War 2 when there was extreme poverty in Dublin, was still needed today, he said. During the past year the agency provided over 100,000 meals for the needy, redistributed 570 tonnes of food through its food bank and provided 15,000 bed-nights for the homeless.

Dr Martin said Crosscare had changed and expanded to meet the new needs. Addiction education and training was provided to those who dealt with people at risk, such as parents, prison officers, teachers, gardaí and community workers.

He said the agency supported those providing full-time care for a loved one and also promoted access to education and accommodation for Travellers.