Some 573 people have joined the billionaire ranks since 2020 bringing the worldwide total to 2,668, according to an analysis released by Oxfam on Sunday.

That means a new billionaire was minted about every 30 hours, on average, so far during the pandemic.

The report, which draws on data compiled by Forbes, looks at the rise of inequality over the past two years. It is timed to coincide with the kickoff of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, a gathering of some of the wealthiest people and world leaders.

Billionaires have seen their total net worth soar by $3.8 trillion, or 42%, to $12.7 trillion during the pandemic.

A large part of the increase has been fuelled by strong gains in the stock markets which was aided by governments injecting money into the global economy to soften the financial blow of the coronavirus.

Much of the jump in wealth came in the first year of the pandemic. It then plateaued and has since dropped a bit, said Max Lawson, head of inequality policy at Oxfam.

At the same time, Covid-19, growing inequality and rising food prices could push as many as 263 million people into extreme poverty this year, reversing decades of progress, Oxfam said in a report released last month.

"I've never seen such a dramatic growth in poverty and growth in wealth at the same moment in history," Lawson said. "It's going to hurt a lot of people." Continue reading

Fifty years ago, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference/He Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa, established national bodies for Catholic overseas aid, justice and peace, and provision of lay volunteers overseas.

Caritas is holding a series of diocesan Masses to acknowledge and honour all those, past and present, supporting the Church's mission for justice, peace and development.

Anniversary masses were held in Dunedin and Christchurch in March.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is responsible to the Bishops in providing an avenue for Catholics to be actively involved in overcoming poverty and injustice.

The organisation grew out of Catholic concern in the 1950s and 1960s for justice and a fairer distribution of the world's resources, as well as the Second Vatican Council's promotion of the Church's concern for social issues and the role of the laity.

In his most recent Newsletter, Cardinal John said the Jubilee is a chance to reflect on the challenge which belongs to all Catholics to reach out to the poor and underprivileged.

"It could be easy to think that Caritas is doing all the work and the rest of us don't need to do anything," he said.

John noted that Pope Francis reminded those gathered in Rome for the Caritas Internationalis meeting a few weeks ago that anyone one who wants to follow the path of charity, humility and listening needs to turn an ear to the small ones.

Francis said "In the world, those who have more speak more, but among us it cannot be that way because God loves to reveal himself through those who are small and last.

"He is inviting all of us to listen to and care for 'the small ones', those who struggle in life."

Source

• Supplied: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Cardinal John's Newsletter
• Image: facebook.com

Speaking to a two-day summit of Catholic and labour movement leaders at the Vatican last Friday, O'Grady said the world needs a new figure like Cardinal Manning.

(Manning was influential in setting the modern-day Catholic Church direction, advocated for social justice and helped settle the London dock strike of 1889.)

"He [Manning] didn't just make moral pronouncements but rolled up his sleeves and tried to bring about a fair settlement to the dockers' dispute," O'Grady continued.

She called on Catholics to challenge the titans of technology.

She named some of them as including tech giants Apple, Facebook and Google.

O'Grady went on to say these three tech giants negatively impact workers by not paying their fair share of taxes.

They are joined by Uber and Amazon, who exploit workers, O'Grady claimed.

She says they are "washing their hands" of the employer-employee relationship.

"When I speak to those young workers of Sports Direct, McDonalds or Amazon, they feel pretty alone in the world.

"They are facing employers that are far, far more powerful than the dockers' ones and need somebody to stand by their side and speak up for their rights.

"I would hope the Church can play a role."

The Vatican meeting O'Grady was addressing was organised by Cardinal Peter Turkston, who leads the Vatican's newly formed social action department.

The meeting's aim was to hear testimony of injustices suffered by working people and to consider how trade unions and the church can work together to achieve greater social justice.

In an advance press release, O'Grady said she would speak of young people she has met.

"This year I met the ‘McStrikers' - young fast-food workers at McDonald's, stuck on low pay and zero-hours contracts.

"Their demands are the same as the dockers nearly 130 years ago. They want a fair wage, guaranteed hours and recognition of their trade union...".

The press release continues:

"The church and the unions "share values of community, dignity and social solidarity … Together we can improve working lives and put dignity for working people ahead of market forces and freedom of capital.

"We can build a popular alliance for economic justice, in Britain and around the world."

Pope Francis has spoken against social injustice throughout his papacy.

In 2015 he denounced "the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature."

At that time, he called the unfettered pursuit of money "the dung of the devil".

Source

• The Tablet
• Catholic Herald
• The Irish Post
• The Guardian
• Image: Tarek Shelaby