The Importance of Caring for the Poor
The Importance of Caring for the Poor
The Lord considered it as being offered to Him personally.
For He said: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).
And He gave us an example on the Day of Judgment: those who cared for the poor and the needy went to eternal blessedness, while those who did not care went to eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46).
The same fate befell the rich man of Lazarus.
Therefore, caring for the poor has been one of the most important pastoral duties of the Church.
It is the responsibility of the parish priest, the church council, and the social service committee, sometimes called the “Committee of Charity”.
It is also the responsibility of Coptic charitable associations.
It is likewise the responsibility of the Bishopric of Public and Social Services.
It is also the responsibility of the benevolent wealthy Copts, along with all those who pay tithes.
What kind of assistance do churches and associations provide to the poor?
It is not merely a small aid given as part of a long list of assistance, causing the poor family to seek other sources from which to obtain additional support to complete its living needs.
Rather, proper social work is to cover all the needs of the poor family.
In addition to fixed monthly assistance, efforts should be made to find employment for those capable of working, both men and women. There is also no objection to placing some individuals in vocational training programs to develop abilities or skills that help them obtain employment.
There are also important special cases:
Among them are marriage cases and the furnishings they require; cases involving treatment for ordinary illnesses or the need for surgical operations; and cases requiring housing, whether for a new family or for those living in shared accommodations that may involve risks.
Each of these cases costs thousands of pounds. Therefore, many churches and associations decline responsibility for them and refer them to the Patriarchate or to another body.
Unfortunately, many affluent churches are more concerned with construction than with the poor.
They continually enter into new projects that leave them in debt and seeking assistance, instead of being able to assist others.
Church projects may even be of the profit-generating type rather than the type on which funds are spent, and the profit is often used to repay debts or finance another project.
Therefore, the Pope saw fit to personally supervise the extent of the churches’ contribution to serving the poor. He will begin with the following:
- He will call for meetings at the neighborhood level, attended by representatives of the churches:a. The chairman of the council or one of the fathers.
b. The treasurer of the church council.
c. The person responsible for the service of the poor.
- They are to bring with them a record of what they spend on serving the poor.
- All these matters will be discussed, and the meeting will conclude with decisions that must be implemented.
- A study will be made of what should be done for poor neighborhoods and poor churches.
The meetings will begin this week. The Pope’s Secretariat will contact those concerned to organize them.
A specific percentage of each church’s finances will also be allocated to addressing cases of poverty and need, so that projects do not overshadow social service.
Likewise, cases will be recorded in a computer system, and coordination among churches in social service will be established.
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