(ANS - Turin) - There are 4,102,000 people in extreme poverty in Italy, according to a survey carried out by Caritas. The number can be multiplied by ten if we look at the whole of Europe - 40 million people who have nothing, not even access to essential goods such as housing, education, food and clothing.

On Saturday 7 November, Caritas of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta took to the streets to make people aware of the problem of extreme poverty. Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin was also present in Piazza Castello, Turin.

"I would like to know the names of these poor people one by one," said Archbishop Nosiglia as he unfurled a banner with the number 4,102,000 printed on it. The Archbishop continued, citing the words of Pope Francis to the Council of Europe: “the poor are asking not only for bread to live on, but also to be able to rediscover the value ​​of their lives."

In the city of Turin alone, there are an estimated 1,500 homeless people - people who “sometimes refuse to sleep in shelters made available by the various organizations working in the area" according to the Archbishop.

If the number of poor people is very high, so also is the number of those who have received assistance. In 2015, Caritas centres alone have provided more than one million euro in aid “just to stop bad situations from getting worse".

The Salesians of Italy, through the Salesian National Centre for Civil and Social Services, have joined the Alliance against Poverty and the proposal to establish a Social Inclusion Income (REIS), as a way of accompanying those who are in conditions of absolute poverty with economic aid, but also with help to enable them to get out of their marginalized situation. The REIS would allow each family to receive an amount equal to the difference between the poverty line and their income, and also give them access to social services and education.

"You cannot fight poverty with interventions only on essential goods and food. [...] You can begin with food to set them on the road to recovery but you must go beyond that. There is need for structural measures to combat poverty that can give both resources and support, "said Fr Francis Soddu, Director of Caritas in Italy.

Published 09/11/2015