OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Catholic Church at the forefront of the anti-poverty week

Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - The Australian Catholic Church is actively involved in the "Anti-poverty Week", until 20 October 2018. The initiative, which aims to raise awareness on issues related to poverty, was conceived as an extension of the International Day against Poverty, organized by the UN and celebrated on October 17th each year.
During this week, various cities in Australia are organizing activities aimed at highlighting or resolving problems of poverty present in the country or abroad: religious groups, cultural associations, schools, universities, government departments and companies carry out events and initiatives ranging from canteen service to fundraising and recreational activities dedicated to children.
Among the most involved: Catholic bodies, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Caritas, Catholic Healthcare and Catholic Social Services Australia, which appear as sponsor of the Week. The Week is seen as an opportunity to offer the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, and its message of love to every person, through charitable and social works.
Among the activities carried out, also a moment of ecumenical prayer by "Catholic Social Services Victoria" and a fundraising for "CatholicCare Multicultural Services Stitches", a project aimed at refugee women, to combat isolation through the learning of sewing techniques.
In 2017, the initiative saw the creation of 450 events in 139 locations in the Australian territory. Although Australia is one of the richest countries in the world, poverty is a deeply felt issue: according to a recent study by the Australian Council of Social Service, in fact, about 3 million people, and among them 739 thousand children, live below the poverty line in the country. In this context, a significant contribution is given by Catholic charities. (LF) (Agenzia Fides, 16/10/2018)

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