Archbishop of Braga addresses increased cost of living and global policies

O archbishop of Braga today defended the dignification of work and housing conditions by addressing the increase in the cost of living in Portugal, which related to global politics and wars to “bad orientation” of the world.

“(...) The situation that we are living in our country, as a consequence of what happens at the global level, affects the families that we know, our own families, the families of our communities”, said José Cordeiro, in a press conference at the Shrine of Fatima, where today the international pilgrimage of 12 and 13 and October begins, which he will preside.

The Vice-President of the Episcopal Conference Portugal also pointed out that the Catholic Church follows “with concern” that is possible to him “and also with what is the Church’s own mission, to be a prophetic sign and what to depend, with those who have the authority of the Government, to make this permanent appeal for the construction of the common good, for the dignity of the human person, for the dignification of work, family life, conditions for housing, policies that are more friends of the family and for an integral and integrated development”.

The prelate acknowledged that “certainly much has been done over these years, but much more can be done and must be done in reciprocal cooperation” which the Church also wants to build.

The Archbishop of Braga recalled the contribution of the Catholic Church in the social area “in particular in agreements with the State in relation to the IPSS [private institutions of social solidarity], to the holy houses of mercy”, which target children, adolescents, young people, adults and, “in a special way”, the elderly and the most deprived.

José Cordeiro also mentioned the work of diocesan caritas and Vincentian conferences, as well as informal groups in parishes in different communities, having only “the centrality of the human person, the dignity of the human person as a reference always”.

The archbishop noted that the increase in the cost of living, as well as fuel “are the consequences of this global policy, of the ongoing wars, of the bad orientation that this world is following”.

On the other hand, the Bishop of the Diocese of Leiria-Fatima, José Ornelas, stated that “it is not difficult to identify the fundamental reasons why Portuguese and Portuguese people are concerned about the economic situation”.

“ I do not live in fear, but I would be unconscious if I did not worry to say that we need to find solutions to housing problems and solutions to the problem of prices that come galloping up and that do not simply depend on ourselves”, but on an “international conjuncture that is very complicated” and that leaves the country “with a more limited margin of manoeuvre”, said José Ornelas.

The bishop considered that the problems are due to the fact that there is no understanding as humanity.

“ Here in the country, we do not understand to find the solutions and also the limits of solutions that the situation necessarily entails,” he said, noting that “this is happening at both national and international level”.

In this last aspect, José Ornelas recalled that “just see the understandings that in themselves would be good at any time, but that, at this moment, they are simply a negotiation from a discussion that is more of sellers than sensible search for solutions”, referring to “negotiations on fuels, which is something that afflicts the whole world and some people want to privatize”.

For the bishop of Leiria-Fatima, the lack of understanding is due to the fact that each is fixed on “his own interests”.