MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pope Francis tells Judges that there is “no democracy with empty stomachs”

“Remember that the commitment of any State is with the wellbeing and happiness of its people beginning with basic needs”, underlined the message to 400 Judges (Pic PanAm Post)

Pope Francis last week sent a video to a meeting of the Committee of Pan American Judges for Social Justice and Franciscan doctrine, recalling particularly to Argentine magistrates that “there is no democracy with hungry people”.

This occurred the same day that Argentina's official stats office, Indec reported that the country has 40% of its population, 19 million, defined as poor and the percentage jumps to 64% for minors.

Pope Francis also analyzed the role of the State, world inequality, coronavirus and the future of democracy, expressing that “the high levels of poverty are the clearest indicator that distributive injustice rules in the world, and our failure in implementing the most basic rights”

“The periphery grows and the centre of power, of wealth, is ever so slim. Most of resources and possibilities are in the hands of a few and the majority suffer poverty conditions”.

Francis recalled that back in 2019 when the opening of the Sciences Pontific Academy of the Vatican his message was, “in your mission, judges must never lose sight that there is no democracy with hunger, no development with poverty and much less justice in inequality”.

“Remember that the commitment of any State is with the wellbeing and happiness of its people beginning with basic needs”, underlined the Pope in his message to the four hundred Judges and delegates.

Likewise, Francis underlined the three Ts claim sponsored by the Popular Movements around the world, which means “roof, soil and work” (all of them in Spanish begin with T), Besides “any theory lacks legitimacy if its consequences are greater suffering and discard of peoples”.

Further on looking into the future, “I wish that all theoretical debates in which you participate, are useful to transform reality for those who are in most need of justice”.

Finally, “thank you for what you are doing. Always the best for the motherland, for the Nation, for the good for the countries from where each of you comes, and underlining to the Argentine chapter, search for the good of the peoples. God bless you and keep praying for me”.

Last week the Argentine stats office Indec published that 40,6% of the population lived in poverty conditions while indigence included three million more. This means four out of ten Argentines are poor and one in ten indigent. The latest index is 1,4% lower than the previous six month period, 42%.

The numbers only refer to 32% of households in 31 urban areas, so if the percentages are projected to the whole territory, Argentina has a total of 19 million living in poverty.

Indec also shows that the northeast and northwest regions of Argentina are the worst poverty areas, while Patagonia and the capital Buenos Aires have the lowest percentages, 34,4% and 39,2% respectively.

We must not forget that inflation in Argentina averages 50% annually, unemployment 10% and occasional employment another 10%, which means minors are the group most exposed to poverty and insufficient food and schooling.