Councillor Eder Borges of former President Jair Bolsonaro's Liberal Party introduced the motion, arguing it would address issues related to homelessness and substance abuse.

However critics have labelled the proposal as "eugenicist" and "Nazi".

Borges's motion, released on 1 October, calls for the implementation of contraceptive methods including tubal ligation and vasectomy for homeless individuals who refuse detoxification treatment.

The council approved the motion on 8 October, forwarding it to the city government, though the administration is not obligated to act on the recommendation.

Proposal sparks outrage and condemnation

The motion has sparked a widespread backlash.

Father Julio Lancellotti, a prominent human rights advocate and vicar for the homeless in the Archdiocese of São Paulo, denounced the proposal on social media, criticising it as dehumanising.

Lancellotti, known for his advocacy for the poor, has called the suggestion a violation of basic human rights.

"We have heard of sporadic cases over the years of women who were sterilised against their will. But that's the first time a suggestion of such a nature has become public" said Ivone Perassa, coordinator of the Bishops Conference's Homeless Pastoral Ministry.

She noted that the motion reinforces harmful stereotypes, referencing 19th-century ideologies that portrayed the poor as "dirty" and a source of disease.

Borges defends motion amid criticism

In a video statement, Borges defended his proposal claiming it aims to prevent the birth of children into difficult conditions.

He also attacked Lancellotti, accusing him of being a "communist" and insinuating inappropriate conduct.

"That kind of idea is populist. He's trying to draw support from part of society, as if that suggestion could solve the serious challenges the city is facing" said Perassa, criticising Borges's proposal as a simplistic solution to complex problems.

Concerns over human rights and ethical implications

Human rights advocates have raised serious concerns over the motion's implications.

Kelly Melatti, president of the Federal Council of Social Service, expressed alarm at the precedent it could set.

She noted that cases of forced sterilisation have occurred, both legally and illegally, but said Borges's motion represents a disturbing shift.

"The State doesn't offer any real alternative for the serious problems regarding inequality and extreme poverty. And some people think the solution is to dehumanise homeless people, especially women" Melatti said.

She added that such initiatives are rooted in racism and misogyny, attempting to provide "easy, moralistic answers to grave problems".

• Crux

This is a critical time to act and deliver on a significant opportunity for our city.

We now have purpose-built facilities and services that we hope can collectively meet the needs of those who require support. People should not have to sleep on our streets or put their hand out for money.

We know that visitors do not expect to see so many people sleeping/begging on our streets when they come here. And we know that people care about the welfare of those in need.

If everyone who needs it gets the support they require, this will be a great example for our city to set and something to be proud of.

After significant public and private investment that we have both supported, we are hopeful that there is sufficient capacity currently to achieve this aspiration.

Not sometime in the distant future but now, before the situation gets worse and it is harder to turn around.

A number of purpose-built facilities have opened in the city centre in recent years, which offer housing and specialised wrap-around services.

The James Liston hostel for emergency housing was refurbished and reopened in 2019. Auckland City Mission's HomeGround opened in 2022, a shining example of housing and holistic healing facilities.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the Te Matawai facility opened at Grey's Avenue, which includes housing for rough sleepers and 24/7 on-site support.

These facilities offer a tremendous opportunity for thoughtful placement and care that has not previously been available.

Additionally, Heart of the City's Street Guardians programme, which started five years ago in partnership with Auckland City Mission, offers a positive alternative to begging that currently operates two days per week.

Now there are quality facilities like these up and running, we want to see an urgent and co-ordinated drive to ensure that everyone on our streets who needs help gets it quickly.

With social needs met by professionals, there also needs to be focused attention on addressing the bad behaviour that people do not expect to see on our streets either.

This has noticeably risen through Covid, and it needs to be addressed before it becomes entrenched.

It is another basic thing we must get right as a city, and it is particularly important to act quickly to attract more people to live, work and study here after the ravaging impact of Covid on the city centre.

We are calling on the Auckland Council to make urgent changes to its public nuisance by-laws and compliance mechanisms, so there are clearer standards of what is and what is not acceptable on city streets and how this can be effectively enforced.

While there is a growing community safety response, there also needs to be a much stronger police presence in the city centre to better reflect the number of people here.

A police station has been sorely missed, and we want it returned. This will send a clear signal that crime and violence will not be tolerated.

People want streets they feel comfortable and safe in, and by acting quickly, we can and must achieve this for everyone.

• Viv Beck is Chief Executive, Heart of the City - the business association for the city centre.
• Adam Parkinson is a spokesman for the City Centre Residents Group, which represents residents living in the city centre.
• First published in the NZ Herald. Republished with the authors' permission.

Pope Francis' main purpose in visiting Mongolia was to visit its tiny Catholic community. He completed his trip with a stop to tour and inaugurate the House of Mercy.

The House of Mercy provides health care to the most needy in the Mongolian capital and the homeless, victims of domestic abuse and migrants.

During his visit to the House, Francis blessed the sign of the charitable institution, which was established to assist women and girls in escaping domestic violence.

The House also has temporary lodging for migrants and others in need and a basic medical clinic for the homeless.

In visiting the House, Francis said he wanted to dispel "the myth" that the aim of Catholic institutions was to convert people to the religion "as if caring for others were a way of enticing people to 'join up'."

Inaugurating the church-run facility, Francis stressed that such initiatives aren't aimed at winning converts.

They are simply exercises in Christian charity, he said.

He went on to urge Mongolians rich and poor to volunteer to help their fellow citizens.

"The true progress of a nation is not gauged by economic wealth, much less by investment in the illusory power of armaments, but by its ability to provide for the health, education and integral development of its people," Francis said at the House.

The local church opened the House as an expression of the three-decade-deep roots the Catholic Church put down during its official presence in Mongolia.

However, his visit took on international connotations because of his overtures to neighbouring China about freedom of religion.

At the end of a Mass on Sunday, Francis sent greetings to China. He called its citizens a "noble" people and asked Catholics in China to be "good Christians and good citizens."

Several foreign-staffed Catholic religious orders in Mongolia run shelters, orphanages and nursing homes.

In these, they care for a population of 3.3 million where one in three people lives in poverty.

Source

• Reuters
• AP News

The following day they received a personal thanks from Pope Francis.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner confirmed that the Pope was aware of the men's hard work.

"I asked them whether they'll come again today and so they came all dressed in their work clothes. Instead of work, we surprised them with the Holy Father personally thanking them," the Cardinal told OSV News.

Many of the men are temporary residents at Palazzo Migliori next to the Bernini Colonnade in Rome,

These homeless men, hailing from countries such as Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Italy, the Dominican Republic, and Congo, have been given temporary shelter and employment opportunities in Rome.

After unloading the truck, the men were invited to lunch that was prepared by the sisters in Santa Sofia.

Krajewski also confirmed they were paid for unloading the truck.

The Cardinal, a Polish native who has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine, plans to deliver more supplies to the war-stricken country in September personally.

He also aims to open a shelter for mothers in Ukraine, run by the Albertine sisters.

Acting on behalf of Pope Francis, this will be Krajewski seventh humanitarian visit to Ukraine;

In 2022 alone the Dicastery for the Service of Charity spent US$2.2 million in 2022 on aid for the country.

When asked about the Pope's recent comments praising Russia's historical empire, a subject that could be considered sensitive given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Cardinal Krajewski described the situation as a "minefield."

"During the war, such speeches are difficult," he said, underscoring the complexities of offering public remarks while navigating Ukraine's geopolitical tensions.

The intervention of these homeless men in aid distribution efforts and the Pope's personal acknowledgement of their contributions highlight the broader commitment of the Vatican to not only international humanitarian aid but also social inclusion and dignity for all.

Source

• OSV via UCANews.com

The Lazarus Association is one expression of its continuing inventiveness. The organization is pioneering a new approach to homelessness that has transformed the lives of hundreds of people, won papal approval, and spread across Europe.

It began in 2006, when two young Frenchmen — Étienne Villemain and Martin Choutet — felt called to help the homeless in Paris.

"They both had the desire to establish a genuine bond with others ‘on an equal footing,' to live poverty with simplicity and to live out this ‘mission' prayerfully," Sibylle de Malet, the association's international manager, told The Pillar.

A Catholic parish lent the two men an apartment, and they moved in with four men with precarious housing situations: Yves, Karim, Rabah, and Valery.

The arrangement was unsurprisingly challenging at times. One day, Étienne Villemain — who would later inspire Pope Francis to establish the World Day of the Poor — returned from work to find Karim brandishing a gun. He knew that Karim came from a violent background: as a youngster, he witnessed his father strangling his two-year-old sister and then taking his own life. He had grown up in shelters and struggled to express his feelings.

Karim soon reassured Villemain that the gun was plastic. "But I have a question for you," he said, "who pays you to live with me?"

"Karim didn't know friendship, this free and loving relation with others, which was the source of his human reconstruction," commented Malet. "That's how our adventure started."

The transformation of Fred

Out of that experiment was born the idea of an organization that would bring together homeless people and young professionals to live under one roof.

The Lazarus Association was formally established in France in 2011. Some 250 people are currently living in its shared apartments in 16 cities in France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, and Mexico.

Each home is single-sex and accommodates between six and 10 people, known in French as "colocs" (housemates).

"Half of our residents have been homeless or experienced socio-economic insecurity, and the other half are young working adults who volunteer with the organization," Malet explained.

"Everyone has their own bedroom and a stable standard of shared living where privacy and freedom of choice are respected. The living room, kitchen, and bathroom are shared. We treat all our housemates equally - housework is divided fairly, and everyone pays the same affordable rent."

In purely statistical terms, shared homes are remarkably successful:

• 85% of homeless people go on to find a permanent place to live;
• 46% find employment or training; and 9
• 5% say they are either happy or very happy living with young professionals.

Malet cites the example of a man named Fred who was homeless for five years. Continue reading

During the 2020 lockdown, the Soup Kitchen distributed an average of 153 takeaway meals per day.

This year the number of takeaway meals began at 190 and by Monday it had risen to 235.

Soup Kitchen manager Gary Sutton says that in 2020 he estimated that about 200 was the maximum number of meals they could manage.

He has added additional staff to meet the 2021 increased need.

Sutton said he is very grateful for the support of the Wellington City Council.

"So far they have restocked our PPE and remain ready to provide all our needs in this regard. This includes protective coveralls, disposable gloves and face masks; anything we need.

"The council arranged for the awning to be put up to protect the whanau from the weather when they pick up their takeaway meal.

"They did this on Day 3 of lockdown not even waiting for the government to announce the extension!"

The council have also tried, not so successfully, to source takeaway food containers, spoons, forks and paper bags.

"They sourced some items, burger boxes for example, but had trouble sourcing other containers so we have ordered from our usual suppliers and should get additional stock in a few days," said Sutton.

He said their relationship with other partner organisations has also been strengthened during this time, particularly with Wellington City Mission, Wellington Homeless Women's Trust, another women's refuge as well as a marae in Lower Hutt.

"I receive calls regularly from senior Wellington City Mission management thanking us for providing them with 45 hot meals we provide daily for the whanau staying at Te Paapori.

"They also offer to assist us in any way they can during this time."

"Your support especially at this time, is much appreciated," said Sutton

"There is no need for anyone to go hungry."

Source

• Supplied

The image is the creation of Canadian artist and sculptor Tim Schmalz, who specialises in art addressing religious themes.

He presents the sleeping figure as wrapped tight in a blanket, as if shivering in the cold. The face and hands are not visible but two bare feet stretch out from one end of the blanket.

Both feet are marked with distinctive wounds which are familiar in Christian art.

They show the marks left by the nails during crucifixion.

It is this small detail that shows the figure is a depiction of a suffering Jesus.

Schmalz, a committed Catholic who believes all human life is sacred, was inspired to create the work in 2012 after seeing a homeless man sleeping on a bench in Toronto during the Christmas holidays.

He wanted to invite people to reflect on the parable of judgement in Matthew 25.

In this parable, Jesus tells his disciples, "as you did it to one of the least of my brothers or sisters, you did it to me" (Mattew 25:40).

Schmalz first moulded a clay figure and used this to make a cast to create bronze statues at his studio in Ontario.

He describes it as "essentially a visual translation of one of the core ideas of the Bible".

We encounter Christ when we encounter others in need.

When we respond to those in need, either offering help or showing indifference, we are responding at the same time to Christ.

Schmalz initially planned to give the statue a face, but decided it would make the figure a more universal representation if he let the blanket act as a hood.

There is a poignant irony in the fact that the statue initially found it hard to find a home.

Two famous Catholic Cathedrals, St Michael's in Toronto and St Patrick's in New York, both declined opportunities to purchase it.

This changed in 2013.

Regis College, the Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto, installed the statue in its front plaza.

It serves to invite all who come to the college to reflect on those in need.

In the same year, St Alban's Episcopal church (Anglican) in Davidson, North Carolina, purchased the first statue to be installed in the United States.

In November 2013, the Pope invited Schmalz to Rome and Schmalz took the model he used to plan the first cast.

The Pope blessed it and described it as a "beautiful and excellent representation" of Jesus.

More and more places then started to request statues in Canada, the US and further afield.

The first statue outside North America was installed in Dublin in April 2015.

In March 2016, a full version was installed outside of the Papal Office of Charities, on the street leading to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

By this time, about a hundred copies had been installed worldwide, including in Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. One church described having the statue as like offering a "24-hour sermon".

The statue is so realistic that when it is installed in a new place it often gives passers-by a surprise.

In more than one city, people driving past have mistaken the statue for a real person. Some have called paramedics to give assistance to the sleeping figure.

In some cases, the statue is met with a more hostile response.

In Davidson, a woman who saw the sleeping figure called the police rather than paramedics. It seems that she was worried about the danger to the reputation of the neighbourhood posed by a vagrant.

When she learnt of her mistake she was unmoved.

She said the statue sent the wrong message, and she objected to the idea of Jesus as a vagrant, or in need of help.

Schmalz expected the statue to be provocative and stimulate conversation.

Some have criticised the expense of the statue (about $30,000) and suggested that the money would be better used for people who are actually homeless.

Supporters respond that the statue raises public awareness.

In some places, it serves as a helpful collection focus for donations of food or blankets to support homeless people.

In New Zealand, the Government announced a four-year plan on homelessness in 2019, which it hopes will support those who are living on the streets.

Dunedin's night shelter is open every day from 6 pm-9 am.

Nonetheless, with the loss of some casual jobs due to Covid, some people can still fall through the gaps in service provision.

As temperatures drop for the winter months sleeping out becomes particularly difficult.

There is no Homeless Jesus statue in Dunedin, but the statues in other cities are a helpful reminder of the message in Matthew 25 to respond to those who are homeless and to treat them and their needs as if they are Christ.

• David Tombs is the Howard Paterson Professor of Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago.
• First published in the ODT. Republished with permission.
• Image: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Three years later, she is securely housed in a flat managed by VisionWest Community Trust, in West Auckland, and says her biggest goal is finding a regular job and, one day, moving into a place she owns.

In many ways, her experience is played out in statistics.

As a Maori woman, she is part of an ethnic group that experiences homelessness or severe housing deprivation at a rate four to five times that of European New Zealanders, according to research from the University of Otago.

Maori are also more likely to live in damp, mouldy, and overcrowded home than almost any other ethnicity, according to Stats NZ.

For Joseph, her homelessness story began after Child, Youth and Family, now Oranga Tamariki, dropped her off on her sister's doorstep as a 17-year-old.

Her sister was aged 25 and a single mum with a young baby, and the living situation was untenable.

She left the house and started telling family she was staying with friends. The reality was she spent her nights jumping between bus stops.

Things improved, Joseph says, when she got her hands on a tent and sleeping bag.

"To me the scary part was knowing there were other kids my age and younger going through this s.... They don't have any support, so they've been left with nothing.

"I met a few youngsters like that, and they were far worse off than I was. It kind of made me feel a bit bad, but I was just stoked to have my little tent and what I had - a little gas cooker."

There were occasions when Joseph came close to having to use the knife she carried for protection, including once when a man grabbed her from behind late at night.

Joseph eventually went into a Work and Income office towards the end of 2018 and asked for help to pay for a flight, so she could go to live with her mother in Gore.

She spent about a year there, working at a Z station and living in her own caravan, before returning to Auckland and couch-surfing between family and friends.

In May 2020, VisionWest found her a home through the Housing First programme. Since then, she has been looking for a job.

"I feel like having a house puts you in place more, it makes you want to go out and be more motivated."

Homelessness disproportionally hits Maori and Pasifika​​

Kate Amore is a research fellow with He Kainga Oranga at University of Otago and has studied homelessness in New Zealand for a decade.

"From 2001 to 2018, the Pasifika rate of homelessness was 6-10 times the European rate; for Maori, it was 4-5 times the European rate," Amore said.

"Homelessness has been a big problem in Aotearoa for some time but our awareness of its true size and nature is more recent."

Amore said positive steps had been made, but homelessness could only be solved by large-scale action on affordable housing supply and increasing incomes.

Children and young people under the age of 25 make up nearly half the homeless population, and 15-24-year-olds had the highest rate of homelessness of all age groups, she said.

Things likely to get worse

"As rents become more unaffordable for people on low incomes, we should expect more people to become homeless, particularly the most vulnerable, who are least able to compete in the rental market," Amore said.

"Most will find some form of temporary accommodation, most commonly staying with family or friends, but as long as they cannot access permanent housing of their own [i.e. a social or private rental], they are homeless and likely under extraordinary stress.

"Most low-income households are in private rentals, which is inherently more insecure than ownership or social housing.

"The new tenancy law changes are a welcome step towards improved security of housing for renters."

Amore said the most recent published estimates suggest 41,644 people, or 9 in every 100 Kiwis, were experiencing severe housing deprivation. Contiue reading

He says he was cheered by a recent reading at Mass where a group is bewailing the fact that their "good deeds" go unnoticed when they fast.

"Part of the problem, as Isaiah is at pains to point out, are the double standards of the obsequious with their practices of denial', says Fr Tim Duckworth, leader of the Society of Mary in New Zealand.

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily." (Is 58:1-9)

Duckworth points out to Marist priests and brothers that what might be labeled traditional "Lenten practices" like fasting, hanging your head, and lying down on sackcloth and ashes all get a sideswipe when compared to what is really necessary.

He is encouraging Marist priests and brothers to turn again to the needs of the disadvantaged, dispossessed, migrants, homeless and young people and to ask: "How is it that our ministry, prayer, our Lenten observance can make a difference?"

Duckworth says that he often hears young people criticise religion and religious people.

They say religion and religious people are "overly concerned with ourselves as related to God and not that much concerned with the gospel message that Jesus was at pains to point out."

As a tangible expression of the Gospel and a response to Isaiah 58:1-9, the New Zealand leader of the Society of Mary, proposes that Marist priests and brothers use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to focus the attention of their community life and mission.

As Duckworth points out the Sustainable Development Goals receive the endorsement of Pope Francis who labels them "a great step forward".

Economic and political objectives, Pope Francis stressed, "must be sustained by ethical objectives, which presuppose a change of attitude: what the Bible would call a change of heart."

What is needed, Francis writes, is a commitment to "promoting and implementing the development goals that are supported by our deepest religious and ethical values."

Noting the importance of the religious dimension, Francis says that "those of us who are religious need to open up the treasures of our best traditions in order to engage in a true and respectful dialogue on how to build the future of our planet."

In presenting this vision to New Zealand Marists, Duckworth is realistic and acknowledges, for example, no one Marist community is going to achieve world peace alone.

However, he observes, joining with others across the globe makes it more possible.

"We do well to focus our attention on these huge issues so that we do not lose sight of all that is required to make the world a better, more just, more compassionate, more empathetic, more merciful, more loving and peaceful place", he writes.

Acknowledging the Sustainable Development Goals are the product of the United Nations, Duckworth reinforces Pope Francis' message that they are not divorced from the Christian message.

"The Christian Gospel brings additional insights and impulses into each of these Sustainable Development Goals. For us, they are all underpinned by our Christian understanding that as Children of God we are required to care for each other, for our planet and for the conditions and lives of others in our world."

Duckworth notes the United Nations set these brave goals as a target for 2030 and is urging Marists to be bold.

"We could easily be overwhelmed by them and say — well that simply isn't possible, rather than how can I add what I have into this effort."

Sustainable Development Goals

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Sources

• Tim Duckworth SM is the New Zealand provincial leader of the Society of Mary
• United Nations
• Vatican News

In May, the number of applicants on the public housing waitlist hit 17,982 - an increase of 1271 on the previous month. That was triple the average monthly increase of 448 in the previous year. Continue reading

The opposition health spokesman made the claim during an interview on The AM Show on Thursday morning. Read more

As I entered the shop to see my old friend and barber, I noticed - further along the street - the blanket-covered body of someone sleeping rough.

I had thought that most of the homeless in Wellington were being housed at this time so wondered what was happening that someone was so evidently not housed. As the person was sleeping I did not disturb them at that moment.

I was reminded of that person when I was reading some of the comments from people about the nonopening of churches under the current Covid-19 alert level.

It sometimes seems that the measure of a Christian/Catholic life has become the opportunity to worship together.

I too love that opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist - the gathering of the faithful, the encounter with Christ in various ways during the Mass, the profundity of the ritual bringing me deeply into saving story of the Lord's death and resurrection.

However, wonderful, important and nourishing as that is, it's not the test of my Christianity.

The test is whether I recognize and welcome Jesus present in the poor, vulnerable and excluded.

At least that's according to Matthew 25, when Jesus says whenever we did it to the least of his brothers and sisters (hungry, thirsty, homeless, imprisoned, sick) we did it to him.

It is in such people that we encounter Christ also. Could people identify us as Catholics if we had no churches?

For some of our community, returning to our usual liturgical gatherings seemed to become the central issue for us as a Church.

However, our tradition also gives us guidance on considering whether the role of the state to protect the common good can outweigh the legitimate freedoms of citizens to exercise their normal rights.

Getting back to Mass is not the most important thing.

Catholic social teaching sees protecting and fostering the common good as a prime responsibility of the state (in New Zealand commonly called ‘the government' of whatever political party or coalition of parties), but upholding the common good is also our responsibility as a church and as citizens.

The common good is the good of all of us, as individuals and groups within a population, that leads to human flourishing.

It cannot mean any section of the population, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, are left behind or excluded.

Part of the protection of the common good is the recognition of the innate human dignity of persons and ensuring various freedoms including the right to marry, found a family, voice one's opinion, associate with others, etc.

In times of emergency or special need the state may suspend some individual and group rights to ensure the safety of a population.

During war it may be that the right to travel abroad might be suspended or the right to found a party supportive of a group looking to destroy the state. For example, in England during the war against Nazism my right to found a pro-Nazi party would have been suspended.

In questions of general public health which affect all of us (especially during pandemics), as we have previously seen in New Zealand, the normal rules of society can be suspended.

For example, during polio epidemics in New Zealand schools were closed to stop spread among children - to some extent curtailing the ordinary right to an education.

Likewise, during the current Covid-19 pandemic our rights to move about and to associate have been curtailed. How this has been managed has varied according to ‘alert levels' and the measured progress in this country of the virus.

Now that at least the first wave of the virus seems has been beaten, general freedoms are being gradually restored.

Some asked why freedoms were returned in some areas, such as shopping and some forms of social gathering, but not for church gatherings.

• Did this deny religious freedom?
• Is it to privilege the economic over the spiritual?
• Should not our bishops have "stood up to this (godless) government', as some asked, and not be pushed around by people who side-line religious gatherings as ‘irrelevant' or not ‘essential'?

Where does the truth and best practice lie?

In terms of public health and the common good it is a question of ‘prudential' judgments.

‘Prudence' in this sense means taking into account all the factors and finding what is best in the circumstances.

A government facing a health crisis like the pandemic has a right to prudentially decide which activities to open up at which rate.

However, we also have a role as a Church community to contribute to that decision-making.

Along with government officials, we also need to weigh up our right to religious practice alongside the right to life and health of the most vulnerable among us.

People of faith, including myself, may have wanted the chance to return to ‘normal', as with schools or businesses, and return to regular church attendance.

I, too, deeply missed being able to celebrate Mass on a face-to-face basis and gather with the worshipping community for the sacraments.

However, the other factors here are the dangers of spreading the virus through the kind of intimate gathering that a Mass or a funeral is.

There is good evidence from overseas and here that church services (Masses, weddings, funerals) have been opportunities where the virus has spread easily.

I work among Maori and know that at a time of prayer the urge to touch and hongi in the Mass is extremely high - an ideal chance to possibly spread a virus.

In an ordinary congregation, the sign of peace is a similar opportunity.

It is not that people at religious gatherings cannot learn other ways of behaving in the interim (we have changed previously during the SARS epidemic) but we are asked for a time to forego some standard activities.

The test is not whether we got into our churches to celebrate Mass but our care for one another and for Christ who is present in the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the excluded.

Religious gatherings can be special opportunities for the spread of some diseases in a way that going shopping or even participating in other social gatherings does not.

We spend much more time together at a Mass than we do in the short encounters with others when shopping.

We may be sitting among strangers, especially in our bigger churches, not with 9 people we know at a social gathering.

The rules were made for all religions, not just Catholics, and other religions have their own customs which can pose a danger.

Does this impinge on our religious freedom?

Somewhat, but not completely.

As Catholics, we do rightly view the celebration in community of Mass, the Eucharist as very important - the source and summit of worship and of our community expression.

But access to our churches is not the only expression of our faith activity - prayer (which can take place anywhere) and action in love for the reign of God are keys for our faith.

The test in Matthew 25 (whatever you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me) is not whether we got into our churches to celebrate Mass but our care for one another and for Christ who is present in the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the excluded.

It's a tough request and it is not to deny the importance of prayer or the Eucharist. But it is to recognize that there are ‘two tabernacles', as Pope Francis said on the feast of Corpus Christi, 2018.

At the Corpus Christi procession in Ostia, outside Rome, Francis took up the theme of Matthew 25.

He spoke of the Eucharist as the ‘beating heart of the community' and of making the Mass a priority for encountering Christ.

But he also spoke of finding Christ not in ‘exclusive, select places' but rather in ‘uncomfortable places, untouched by hope, untouched by love' and of people who are ‘lonely, troubled and in need' as ‘lonely tabernacles'.

So, difficult as it is to accept, getting back to Mass is not the most important thing.

The health of the community is a key part of the common good.

As Catholics, we should support that and remind ourselves of our priorities.

The Mass is indeed central, and I am privileged as a priest to be able to celebrate it and have access to Eucharistic communion.

Will that save me if I neglect those in need?

No.

• Monsignor Gerard Burns is Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Wellington.

Furthermore, the number of people without homes is predicted to increase if there is a pandemic-related economic downturn.

In Southern California, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles says the weight of addressing homelessness in the region is already at a breaking point.

"While our agency has helped house many homeless families and provided temporary shelter for them, there are just too many people in California for this to seem like it's making a dent," a spokesperson says.

"The concern for the State during this time is keeping homeless people stationed in one area so that they are not spreading any illnesses or catching something themselves.

"This is difficult because the numbers are large and the question arises:

"Where will we house these homeless people during this time?"

The mayor of Los Angeles has no answer yet: "My hope is, during these times, we can figure out a plan for the homeless community so that they too feel that they are a part of our society, because they are."

Poor access to health care and underlying health conditions make homeless people especially vulnerable, a spokeperson from Catholic Charities in Louisiana says.

"A lot are tri-morbid in terms of having health conditions, a substance abuse disorder and a mental health illnesses — three things that make the risk of infection more dangerous.

In Northern California, lockdown measures similar to those in Italy, Spain and China are in place - the first of its kind in the U.S.

Effective until 7 April, 6.7 million residents must stay home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out.

But Catholic Charities Santa Rosa, is concerned for its clients.

It is the largest homeless care provider between the Golden Gate bridge and the Oregon border, with 500 homeless people under its care on any given night at a dozen different sites.

"Homelessness was a crisis even before this crisis, so self-quarantining at home isn't applicable — we have to think creatively on how to help (the homeless)," a spokesperson says.

Preventative measures, cleanliness and providing information is Catholic Charities main focus - "so that the people we are serving can take care of themselves.

"We are doing a lot of extra cleaning at our shelters' sites every day and taking a lot of guidance from the state and local government ...

"But we can't quarantine people and will have to work outside if that becomes the situation."

The spokesperson comments that the problem for social workers right now is assimilating the flow of information and following directives about COVID-19.

This is important as compliance ensures homeless shelters can stay open to provide care and employees have workplaces to go to.

In the longer term, unintended consequences of the pandemic and economic crisis could include a new wave of homeless.

Source

• Catholic News Service
• Image: KPBS

Homeless advocacy group Gimme Shelter has estimated 40,000 or more New Zealanders are currently defined as homeless,

About 5000 sleeping rough and the rest live in inadequate, temporary, or overcrowded housing.

"We will have people who are extremely ill, whose place of shelter will be St Peter's, or the doorways that they sleep in," says the Archdeacon of St Peter's Anglican Church on Willis Street in Wellington: Stephen King.

"We have that discussion about people hunkering down and isolating themselves until the illness passes."

For some people there is nowhere to go and so what happens to them?"

And he adds that even if some accommodation was made available for self-isolation, continuing to care for people in that situation is a problem.

He said it will not come from hospitals, because they will be at capacity.

An Auckland City Mission spokeswoman said making sure the homeless were cared for during the pandemic was becoming a challenge.

Along with an increase in demand for food parcels, there was concern over the drop off in volunteer staffing recently.

She said if people did see rough sleepers with symptoms, it was important to get in touch with them or Healthline to make sure they could be looked after.

Peter Shimwell Lifewise in Auckland said they are giving their street whanau phones and sim cards to make sure they do not become disconnected.

He said Lifewise is a face-to-face service, so there is concern over how to maintain those connections with people so they are not "left behind and further disconnected".

Stephanie McIntyre of DCM - another Wellington faith-based group working with rough sleepers - said it is an indictment on New Zealand's society that people are even in this position.

"We've got a very vulnerable group in our population, who are community members and might literally be left out in the cold."

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Amid artwork and a library of donated books, people can sit at large tables and eat together, no matter whether they are working in the area, living on the margins or struggling with complex needs. Many who are "living rough" like to hang out in the courtyard. Continue reading

The menu included lasagna, chicken in a cream of mushroom sauce, potatoes, sweets, fruit and coffee.

Some 150 tables were set up in a Vatican hall where Francis normally holds his weekly indoor audiences with the public.

Another 1,500 were treated to a similar lunch elsewhere in Rome, and parishes throughout the diocese were similarly serving lunch for those who were unable to afford their own.

Lunch follows on from a week of free medical clinics set up in St Peter's Square where volunteer doctors give the homeless and disadvantaged free specialist health care.

General care is available year-round nearby, another of Francis' initiatives.

Also, on Friday, Francis opened a new place for the homeless on the doorstep of the Vatican.

Just a few metres away from the colonnade of St Peter's Square, the building occupies an entire four-storey building owned by the Vatican.

Up until a few months back, the building, Palazzo Migliori was used by a female religious congregation.

Transferred to the Papal Almoner - Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, it now has a second life.

"It is the name of the family that owned it before 1930 and sold it to the Vatican, but it also translates in Italian to ‘the Palace of the Best' - and indeed considering who will stay here, it is exactly the case", Krajewski told Crux.

With historic wooden ceilings, pieces of art on the walls and now equipped with an elevator, inside it is nothing like homeless shelter.

"I asked a construction company to let the homeless workers do the renovation.

"They agreed a bit hesitantly but then they were so happy with their work, they decided to hire those people - the owner of the company said they rarely see people who would work so hard", said Krajewski.

Marking the World Day of the Poor at Mass in St Peter's Basilica, Francis lamented the lack of concern about the growing gap between the have's and have nots.

Dismayed over society's indifference towards poor people, Francis said that the 'greed of a few' is compounding the plight of the poor.

"We go our way in haste, without worrying that gaps are increasing, that the greed of a few is adding to the poverty of many others," he said.

These moves, a mark of his papacy, are not without criticism.

Francis' emphasis on mercy and charity is raising the ire of a small but noisy faction, among them, more conservative bishops and cardinals who would rather the pope concentrate of dogma and matters of faith rather than social issues.

Sources

• Associated Press
• Crux

"The homelessness situation (in New Zealand) is a little different to what is happening overseas.

"It's people living in overcrowded houses, cars and garages - not so much people out on the streets (though) there's plenty of that, too", says event organiser Phil Sprey (pictured left) of DestinationHutt.

Sprey is hopeful for 20,000 to turn out joining the local fight against homelessness and raise money for what he describes as an increasing yet largely unseen section of New Zealand society.

Sprey says that by choosing to sleep under the stars, people will help those who have no other choice.

He says he hopes to give the event an international flavour.

An experienced event organiser, Sprey says he and the DestinationHutt charity team are talking with several national and international musical acts.

For juniors, the event begins at 6 pm with a family Christmas concert, "Santa at Sunset" and includes a variety show with multiple stages.

Then as the sun goes down the "sleep out" part of the event will take over.

Joining the official sleep out period is for those over 18 and the minimum donation is $30.

The New Zealand beneficiary of the event is Orange Sky.

Orange Sky is a charity providing mobile laundry and shower services to people living on the streets.

The goal of Big Sleep Out New Zealand is to put more equipment, vehicles and people onto the streets.

The Petone event is part of a global initiative in cities and towns including London, New York, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Chicago, Cardiff, Los Angeles, New Delhi, Madrid, Brisbane, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Philadelphia and Singapore.

Will Smith, Dame Helen Mirren and Cold Play's Chris Martin have joined the international cause.

Locally, story teller, Sir Richard Taylor, Orchestra Wellington, US Ambassador Scott Brown and One Bar Heater are confirmed to be supporting the cause.

Sources

• DomPost
• DestinationHutt
• World's Big Sleep Out NZ
• Image: World's Big Sleep Out

It is the brainchild of community worker Natasha Rerekura and one of the soup kitchen's regulars, Muigal Kimani, more commonly known as Kim Sawa Sawa.

"We inspired each other to set this up," Rerekura said.

"The reason it started was I noticed with some of the guys that they were avid readers but there was no place for them to read."

The closure of the central library had taken away a major indoor space where they could go and the replacement pop-up centres, such as Arapaki on Manners St, didn't have the same kind of space for them.

A call went out for books and people quickly responded: a few dozen different books came in, more than enough to help fill the space.

Rerekura said some of the most popular books were ones on culture, classic cars, travel and crosswords.

She'd noticed too that the guys would talk about what they were reading with each other.

Compassion Soup Kitchen manager Gary Sutton said the space the library was installed in was a place where people accessing their services could relax in during the day, in an environment where they were treated with dignity - a major value underpinning the work of the Soup Kitchen.

"We feel like collectively we're doing something together here. We provide the books and the space and we try to support our guests as best we can," he said, "They do see each other as a whanau."

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

The story caught the attention of Rev Caro Willis, the Chaplain at Chilton St James School in Lower Hutt. Her Year 6 students had gathered quality used clothing for their Palm Sunday service earlier this year, but the clothes now sat in storage whilst they waited for an opportunity to donate them to the right place. Read more

The van is fitted with a shower, two washing machines and a clothes dryer, and open to use for anyone living without these basic necessities.

Orange Sky'works in Australia with 27 vehicles servicing 22 cities each week. Read more