Pope Francis calls tax cuts for the wealthy a 'structure of sin' as he tells a Vatican conference the 'rich world can and must end poverty'
Pope Francis has called tax cuts for the wealthy a 'structure of sin' before telling a conference at the Vatican the 'rich world can and must end poverty'.
At a seminar on economic inclusion hosted by the Church on Wednesday, Francis insisted that poverty could be beaten if the world's rich play a full part in ending inequality.
'Today’s structures of sin include repeated tax cuts for the richest people, often justified in the name of investment and development,' Francis told the meeting organized by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences.
'We are neither condemned to inequality nor to paralysis in the face of injustice,' he later added.
'The rich world and a prosperous economy can and must end poverty.'
The Pope told attendants, including IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, that hundreds of billions of dollars of taxes are not being paid, causing health care and education to suffer.
Pictured from left to right: IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Argentina's Economy Minister Martin Guzman, Pope Francis and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Alicia Barcena Ibarra pose for a photo at a conference hosted by the Vatican on economic solidarity, at the Vatican yesterday
Pope Francis speaks at a conference hosted by the Vatican on economic solidarity, at the Vatican yesterday
'We must be conscious of all being responsible,' said Francis, who has made inequality a central theme of his papacy.
'If extreme poverty exists amid riches which are also extreme it is because we have allowed a gap to grow to become the largest in history.'
'People who are poor in indebted countries suffer from strong fiscal pressure and the cutting of social services,' Francis added.
Calling for the 'globalisation of hope,' Georgieva responded that 'the first task is to put the economy at the service of the people,' highlighting the need to address the issue of 'inequality of opportunity.'
Francis can be seen arriving at the conference hosted by the Vatican at the Vatican yesterday
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Argentina's Economy Minister Martin Guzman clap Pope Francis, as he leaves after a photo during a conference hosted by the Vatican on economic solidarity, at the Vatican yesterday
The International Monetary Fund head also urged investment in people and education.
But she also stressed the need to prioritise the environment as 'none of the economic challenges we face today will be important in 20 years if we do not today confront the challenge of climate change.'
