Rome Reports features Eric LeCompte on the Vatican's commitment to debt relief for developing nations. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full story.

Religious groups shift attention to economic crisis following the Covid-19 pandemic

By Justin McLellan

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund held a series of Spring meetings earlier this month to discuss the global economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ahead of the virtual conference, Pope Francis addressed a letter to the meetings' participants, urging them to seek an equitable and sustainable recovery plan that recognizes the needs of developing nations, in particular the estimated 52 countries currently experiencing a debt crisis.

"This is an issue that the Catholic Church has been a leader on since 1997 when Pope John Paul II aligned the jubilee year of the Church with a campaign for debt relief," said Eric Lecompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network.

For Pope Francis, debt relief is not only a financial question, but a matter of respecting human dignity. Relieving the burden of debt of so many countries and communities today, is a profoundly human gesture that can help people to develop, to have access to vaccines, health, education and jobs.

 

Read the full article here.

Read the full article in Spanish here.