{"id":49822,"date":"2023-11-28T22:55:33","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T22:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5.capp-usa.org\/?p=49822"},"modified":"2026-07-28T16:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T16:49:20","slug":"the-poorest-country-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/5.capp-usa.org\/es\/2023\/11\/the-poorest-country-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Poorest Country in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is the Poorest Country in the World?<\/span><\/h1>\n

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by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/h5>\n

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\"What<\/p>\n

What is the poorest country in the world? What is the richest?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Poorest Countries<\/span><\/h2>\n


When you think about the poorest country in the world, what comes to mind? Likely, it is economic poverty, picturing a place in Africa.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And, by material and economic standards the ten poorest countries are in Africa. Conversely, the ten richest countries are mostly in Europe.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But the Church insists our understanding of \u201cpoorest\u201d and \u201crichest\u201d avoids a one-<\/span>dimensional focus.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Poverty is not just material<\/strong>. <\/span> \u201c[I]<\/span>t is well known that there are many other forms of poverty, especially in modern society \u2013 not only\u00a0<\/span>economic but cultural and spiritual poverty as well<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>(Pope St. John Paul II, 57)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Rich vs. Poor<\/span><\/h2>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/span>Pope St. John Paul II taught that <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201cIt is not possible to understand man o<\/span>n the basis of economics alone\u201d. (Centesimus Annus, 24)<\/em><\/a> And when we expand our understanding of poverty to include these other forms of poverty, the list of poorest and richest countries often\u00a0changes\u00a0\u2014 substantially.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pope Francis has called attention to three forms of destitution: material, moral, and spiritual.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Material poverty<\/strong> \"affects those\u00a0living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the opportunity t<\/span>o develop and grow culturally\". (Pope Francis, 2)<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Moral <\/span><\/strong>poverty<\/strong> is much worse because it entails a situation \u201c<\/span>without faith<\/span>, without support, without hope<\/span>:\u201d\u00a0(Message for Lent, 2014, 2)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And we experience spiritual poverty<\/strong> \"when we turn away from God\u00a0and reject his love. If we think we<\/span>\u00a0don\u2019t need God\u2026<\/span>we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and free us.\" <\/span>(Pope Francis, 2)<\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

So, Who Are the Poorest?<\/span><\/h2>\n


MATERIALLY<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Based on Pope Francis\u2019 2015 address to the U.N, (Pope Francis)<\/a><\/span> where the Holy Father identified seven categories<\/strong> to determine a nation\u2019s poverty or wealth, Fordham University tracks the \"(Pope Francis Global Poverty Index)<\/a>\": <\/span>water, food, housing, and employment, making up the material well-being of a society - and education, civil rights, and religious freedom comprising society's spiritual well-being. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Materially, the 2023 report identified 9% of the world\u2019s population lacks access to drinking water, 9% are without minimum nutrition, 15% live in substandard housing, 22% are without dignified employment, 13% are illiterate, 54% of women and girls are deprived of civil rights and 57% live with restricted religious freedom.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And, no surprise, the countries lowest in material well-being align with other secular scores of economic poverty - with African countries making up most of the bottom 10<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

SPIRITUALLY<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Today we too find ourselves in the midst of a dramatic conflict between the 'culture of death' and the 'culture of life'.\"<\/strong> (Pope St. John Paul II, 50)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, when spiritual well-being is considered China, India, Egypt, and Iran<\/strong> appear at the bottom. In fact, while China owning one of the highest material welfare indices, it is third from the bottom, just ahead of only Madagascar, Chad, and Niger, due to it owning one of the lowest spiritual freedom indices by far.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Also, many materially rich countries promote practices supporting what Saint Pope John Paul II called \u201ca culture of death\u201d (Evangelium Vitae)<\/a><\/span> (abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, transgenderism, religion as \u2018hate speech\u2019, etc.). -- \u201cIn this way a kind of \u2018conspiracy against life\u2019 is unleashed\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 12)<\/a><\/span> \"creating and consolidating actual 'structures of sin' which go against life.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 24)<\/a> with \u201cpowerful resources available to the forces promoting the \u2018culture of death\u2019\" (Pope St. John Paul II, 100)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So, Which is Really the Richest Country?<\/span><\/h2>\n


While Catholic social teaching calls for all forms of poverty to be confronted \u201cthere is only one real kind of poverty<\/strong>: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.\u201d (Pope Francis, 1)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Populations need food and water and while \"[m]an needs to be liberated from material oppressions\u2026more profoundly he must be saved from the evils that afflict the spirit.\"\u00a0(Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithout God man neither knows which way to go\u00a0<\/span>nor even understands who he is\u201d!<\/span>\u00a0(Pope Benedict XVI, 78)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Those who depend on God are the richest!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rags to Riches<\/span><\/h2>\n


Development economics and countless national and international relief efforts are devoted to alleviating material prosperity. And this takes the courage \u201cto face the risk<\/strong> and the change involved in every authentic attempt to come to the aid of another.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 58)<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But to go from poor to rich spiritually requires\u00a0an \"Openness to God\" which \"makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity.\u201d (Pope Benedict XVI, 78)<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And it takes structural changes:\u00a0\"Our duty is to continue to insist\u2026that the human person and human dignity are not simply catchwords, but pillars for creating shared rules and structures\". (Pope Francis,<\/span>\u00a02)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What Exactly is the Preferential Option for the Poor?<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is Poverty?<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Structural Poverty and Catholic Social Teaching<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Who are the Working Poor?<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Helping the Poor<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Poverty Quotes from the Church<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5 Surprising Ideas about Poverty from Dilexi Te<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is Radical Secularism?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Read the 2023 Fordham Francis Index<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Learn More About the Preferential Option for the Poor<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Back to Articles<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\"Three<\/div>

Three Key Principles<\/a><\/h2>

Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles -\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Human Dignity<\/a><\/h2>

This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Solidarity<\/a><\/h2>

Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Subsidiarity<\/a><\/h2>

Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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