Pope to talk about economic crisis

The pope will address Europe’s economic crisis during a visit to Portugal which began today.

He will also urge European Christians to seek solace in their faith.

The pontiff will speak about “the joy of faith and hope” as a remedy for the gloom of financial hardship, said Carlos Azevedo, the auxiliary bishop of Lisbon.

“The moral values guiding the economy and politics show that there is a spiritual crisis,” he said, adding: “Europe needs to be awoken.”

The pope, who flew from Rome to Lisbon this morning, has been alert to the social problems caused by the economic crisis, and the timing of his visit has proved especially apt in Portugal, western Europe’s poorest country and has become one of the main casualties of the continent’s economic troubles.

The pope’s 2009 encyclical “Charity in Truth” specifically addressed the global financial meltdown, and he has repeatedly pressed leaders to ensure the world’s poor don’t bear the brunt of the financial pain. Benedict says the downturn shows the need to rethink the purpose of the global financial system.

The pontiff will convey “a message of hope which says it is possible, if we are guided by ethical and spiritual values, to find paths to a new future,” Bishop Azevedo said.

Tomorrow the pope will go to the famous Catholic shrine at Fatima, in central Portugal – a centrepiece of his visit. He visits Porto, the country’s second city, on Friday before returning to the Vatican.

Portugal’s economic growth has been pedestrian for years, averaging less than 1% between 2001-2008, and the global downturn brought a steep contraction of 2.7% last year.

A three-year austerity plan to ease the country’s crippling debt load is expected to bring greater hardship to a people already feeling the pinch.

The Catholic church provides welfare programs and food handouts for the needy. Portuguese bishops last year called attention to what they called “scandalous levels of misery.”