Pope Francis calls tax cuts for the wealthy a 'structure of sin'

Authored by dailymail.co.uk and submitted by saurabh24_

Pope Francis has called tax cuts for the wealthy a 'structure of sin' before telling a conference at the Vatican the 'rich world can and must end poverty'.

At a seminar on economic inclusion hosted by the Church on Wednesday, Francis insisted that poverty could be beaten if the world's rich play a full part in ending inequality.

'Today’s structures of sin include repeated tax cuts for the richest people, often justified in the name of investment and development,' Francis told the meeting organized by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences.

'We are neither condemned to inequality nor to paralysis in the face of injustice,' he later added.

'The rich world and a prosperous economy can and must end poverty.'

The Pope told attendants, including IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, that hundreds of billions of dollars of taxes are not being paid, causing health care and education to suffer.

Pictured from left to right: IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Argentina's Economy Minister Martin Guzman, Pope Francis and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Alicia Barcena Ibarra pose for a photo at a conference hosted by the Vatican on economic solidarity, at the Vatican yesterday

Pope Francis speaks at a conference hosted by the Vatican on economic solidarity, at the Vatican yesterday

'We must be conscious of all being responsible,' said Francis, who has made inequality a central theme of his papacy.

'If extreme poverty exists amid riches which are also extreme it is because we have allowed a gap to grow to become the largest in history.'

'People who are poor in indebted countries suffer from strong fiscal pressure and the cutting of social services,' Francis added.

Calling for the 'globalisation of hope,' Georgieva responded that 'the first task is to put the economy at the service of the people,' highlighting the need to address the issue of 'inequality of opportunity.'

Francis can be seen arriving at the conference hosted by the Vatican at the Vatican yesterday

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Argentina's Economy Minister Martin Guzman clap Pope Francis, as he leaves after a photo during a conference hosted by the Vatican on economic solidarity, at the Vatican yesterday

The International Monetary Fund head also urged investment in people and education.

But she also stressed the need to prioritise the environment as 'none of the economic challenges we face today will be important in 20 years if we do not today confront the challenge of climate change.'

thepolan on February 7th, 2020 at 19:49 UTC »

Don't really have a point to my post but..

I grew up Catholic but stopped attending church after my mom stopped forcing me and consider myself agnostic. I know most people hate the church for many reasons but I can say that from all of my interactions with my local church, and my family's history, they've done so many things to help others and have a noble cause. If anything I appreciate their presence for supporting the community.

I always wondered why my mom was such a strong Catholic, but after talking to her over the years I know why. She grew up in the outskirts of Hong Kong, the 2nd youngest of 11 freaking kids, just after her family fled from the Japanese. They had nothing but the skin on their backs. Who provided them food and shelter? Catholic missionaries from the West (not sure which country). They supported her family and even got donations to send her older brother to college in the 40s.

Eventually my mom married my dad, an American ,and moved to the US. They relocated to my current state and had no friends except those in the Catholic community. When I was 1 year old, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. He died a few months later. The church supported my mom and our family so much during this time, the community came together and our 400 person church was packed for his funeral. There was no divisiveness, no racism despite us being Asian in a mostly Caucasian church, only support and care.

So I get it. While the religion is debatable, I have no doubt that the Catholic community is a blessing for those in need.

ClintonWeathershed on February 7th, 2020 at 19:23 UTC »

Pretty sure the Bible is clear about greed/envy.

Darayavaush on February 7th, 2020 at 18:39 UTC »

Reading the comments here reminded me of a certain quote:

When I was poor and complained about inequality they said I was bitter; now that I'm rich and I complain about inequality they say I'm a hypocrite. I'm beginning to think they just don't want to talk about inequality.

― Russell Brand