Rome, Italy, Sep 25, 2010 / 03:33 am
The Vatican spokesman urged that the same attitude taken to confront the economic crisis must be applied to boost development and combat hunger and poverty in the world. Making reference to the Pope's words from his landmark speech to the British parliament last week, Fr. Federico Lombardi said these objectives are "too big too fail."
In his weekly "Octava dies" editorial, Fr. Federico Lombardi recalled Pope Benedict's words at London's Westminster Hall on Sept. 17, when he employed an expression that was coined as world governments allocated large sums to save major financial institutions from failing.
The Holy Father then applauded the U.K.'s commitment to aiding development in the world and said he was encouraged by signs of increased solidarity in the international commitment to the poor.
Pope Benedict noted that "fresh thinking" is needed "to turn this solidarity into effective action" to improve people's lives in areas of basic need. He added: "Where human lives are concerned, time is always short: yet the world has witnessed the vast resources that governments can draw upon to rescue financial institutions deemed 'too big to fail.'