Battle among the poor

Although the Vatican has officially distanced itself from the coverage of the issue, the Catholic-oriented weekly Famiglia Cristiana continues its disparaging assessment of the Italian government's domestic policies. "With soldiers on the streets and citizens acting like sheriffs there is the danger of war breaking out among the poor. The pavements are full of soldiers, confused youths, who are supposed to do the job of the police without knowing how and are chasing away beggars without being able to distinguish between those who are truly poor and those who belong to criminal gangs of beggars. ... It is right to take action against the begging scam, but the right of the poor to beg for alms must also be respected. The ban on begging and rummaging through rubbish for scraps is serving to deny poverty and conceal the government's inability to find effective answers to the plight of the poor. ... Is it too much to expect the government to refute the notion that the chasm widens when the right is in power and the rich get richer while families grow poorer and poorer?"

» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Minorities, » Italy
All available articles from » Beppe Del Colle

» To the complete press review of Friday, August 15, 2008