Mark Choonara, CEO of Daughters of Charity Services writes for the Catholic Union:
The Gospel reading we will hear this Sunday includes perhaps one of the most widely quoted of all passages in the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” However, it is the verse that follows this upon which I wish to reflect: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
With the daily headlines reminding us of the extraordinary challenges we face, both domestically and globally, it is worth reminding ourselves of the hope for the world in which we live today that is central to our faith. With this in mind, we engage in social action out of a sense of urgency, but with a constant sense of hope that our efforts will prevail in building the Kingdom that we are all called to work towards.
Of the key issues requiring urgent attention, that of people seeking asylum has, over the course of the summer, become one of the most pressing. Our recent report, Designed into the System, highlights the experiences of people seeking asylum in the UK, and the poverty and indignity which has for so many people been a central part of this experience. We call for a safer, more dignified and sustainable solution to accommodation than that which the current system of temporary hotels provides, and for a rethinking of the ban preventing people who are seeking asylum from contributing to the society and economy of Great Britain through working.
The issue of child poverty is another which demands action. Our most recent Emerging Poverties Briefing highlights the delays to the government’s Child Poverty Strategy as cause for concern (you can sign up for such briefings and newsletters at our website). As we approach the Autumn Budget, we will be calling for a clear plan to tackle child and family poverty to be central to the proposals set forth. We welcomed the announcement earlier this year of the expansion of Free School Meals to include an additional 500,000 children from next September, and will continue to support the work of the Free School Meals for All campaign led by No Child Left Behind.
In our Searching for Consensus report published last year, we highlighted the scale of the challenge facing the adult social care sector in England, and of the necessity for significant and long-term investment to deliver the quality and scale of care that is required. At Daughters of Charity Services, we are fully committed to engaging with the work of Baroness Casey and the independent commission into adult social care that she is leading, and we hope to use this opportunity to call for a system built on the same core concepts of dignity and love which inspired the work of St Vincent de Paul 400 years ago.
Progress in these areas would represent a significant improvement in the lives of so many people, and we hope, and expect, to work towards this. Throughout these challenging times, we can take strength from the message of a hymn sung by children up and down the country as schools have returned over recent weeks:
“Give me courage when the world is rough, keep me loving though the world is tough, leap and sing in all I do, keep me traveling along with you.”