This year\u2019s World Day of the Poor, instituted by Pope Francis in 2017 and reaffirmed by Pope Leo XIV in his first Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te<\/b><\/a>, provides the alliance with an opportunity to renew its appeal to European policymakers to put the dignity of the human person at the centre of economic decisions.<\/p>\n The worst debt crisis in history <\/p>\n At the heart of ELSiA\u2019s call is the global debt crisis, which, according to Fondello, has reached \u201cthe worst in history,\u201d affecting over a hundred low- and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, 2.4 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments on public debt than on healthcare or education,\u201d she says. \u201cThat means poverty reduction efforts are being seriously undermined.\u201d<\/p>\n Fondello stresses that poverty is not limited to monetary deprivation. It also encompasses access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure, basic elements necessary for human dignity.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we consider poverty in this broader sense,\u201d she adds, \u201cthen it becomes clear that the debt crisis must be at the forefront of the European Union\u2019s agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n ELSiA\u2019s statement<\/a> for the World Day of the Poor calls on the EU to support the creation of a democratic and transparent global debt resolution mechanism, ideally under the auspices of the United Nations. Such a framework, the alliance argues, would ensure that debt negotiations are conducted fairly and with the participation of civil society, prioritising the needs of people rather than financial markets.<\/p>\n \n Caritas Europa staff promote the Turn Debt into Hope campaign (photo credit Caritas Europa)\n <\/p>\n \u201cOld recipes won\u2019t do\u201d <\/p>\n Fondello points out that the current international debt governance is fragmented and often biased in favour of creditors. \u201cThere\u2019s no binding mechanism, no common principles, no transparency,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n \u201cCountries in the Global South that cannot pay back their public debt have no democratic space to negotiate fair solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n That is why ELSiA is calling for what it terms a \u201ctransformative approach\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOld recipes or the status quo really won\u2019t do,\u201d Fondello insists. \u201cWe need a new global framework where both borrowers and creditors are accountable, where debt relief is linked to human development and environmental sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Listen to an excerpt of the interview with Luisa Fondello\n <\/p>\n A Jubilee call for justice <\/p>\n Fondello places the alliance\u2019s appeal within the context of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, a time traditionally associated with reconciliation and renewal. She notes that Pope Francis himself had called for \u201cdebt forgiveness\u201d for poor nations as part of the Jubilee spirit – a message now echoed by Pope Leo XIV.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would like the European Union to take this Jubilee year seriously,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not only a symbolic moment but a concrete opportunity to act. Helping the poor and finding a solution to the debt crisis is a matter of justice before it is even a question of charity.\u201d<\/p>\n A moral test for society <\/p>\n For Fondello and for ELSiA members, the World Day of the Poor is not just an annual commemoration: it is a moral benchmark.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way our societies and our policies treat those experiencing poverty, discrimination, and oppression tells us a lot about who we are,\u201d Fondello reflects. \u201cIt\u2019s a basic moral test for any society.\u201d<\/p>\n The alliance\u2019s statement echoes this conviction, quoting Pope Leo XIV\u2019s call in Dilexi te to \u201cmake a decisive and radical choice in favour of the weakest.\u201d It urges EU leaders to recognise the human cost of inaction and to lead in building a multilateral system based on cooperation, inclusion, and shared responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cTeachers and nurses are being sacrificed,\u201d the statement reads, \u201cas vital public services are gutted to repay high-interest loans to rich creditors.\u201d It warns that without reform, debt will continue to fuel inequality, weaken climate action, and stall development, creating a cycle of impoverishment that affects all nations.<\/p>\n A call to moral leadership <\/p>\n Fondello is adamant that the European Union has both the means and the moral responsibility to act.<\/p>\n \u201cThe EU can show true leadership by supporting the establishment of a debt resolution framework at the UN level,\u201d she says. \u201cThis would be a significant step toward a future where everyone has a home, food, healthcare, and education.\u201d<\/p>\n On this World Day of the Poor, ELSiA\u2019s appeal resonates with the Gospel imperative to care for the least among us in a world that \u201cstruggles against hunger, poverty, weeping, and suffering by choosing the path of justice and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Turn Debt into Hope <\/p>\n Despite seemingly insurmountable current political and economic challenges, Fondello says she remains hopeful. That\u2019s why, she explains, Caritas Europa and its partners have launched a campaign called Turn Debt into Hope to raise public awareness and build momentum for change.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are guided by hope,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen progress this year – more politicians are talking about the debt issue, and there\u2019s growing support from institutions like the African Union for a UN debt resolution mechanism.\u201d<\/p>\n The campaign, open to individuals and organisations worldwide, invites citizens to sign a petition in support of a fairer debt system. \u201cEveryone who believes in justice and solidarity can join,\u201d Fondello adds. \u201cThe website is easy to find: turndebtintohope.caritas.org<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the ninth World Day of the Poor, the European Laudato Si\u2019 Alliance calls on the EU to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":574852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[43825,2000,299,5187,1699,7898,21947,18266,182285],"class_list":{"0":"post-574851","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-appeal","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-european","12":"tag-european-union","13":"tag-justice","14":"tag-laudato-si","15":"tag-poverty","16":"tag-world-day"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115561421045507892","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Caritas](\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2025\/novembre\/13\/Debt-campaign1aem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg\" "\\"Caritas")
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