Poor are not always finding 'genuine support' - Gozo bishop

The poor in Malta are not always finding "genuine support" from the political class, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech has said.

Speaking to graduands at St John's Co-cathedral in Valletta on Friday, Mgr Grech said: "The poor are here among us, and since they do not always find genuine support from the political class, you, as citizens and experts in your own sectors, can be their source of hope."

The bishop highlighted the plight of families seeking help to overcome difficulties in their relationships or finances, employees seeking reassurance about their place of work, as well as children and adolescents facing new challenges in the education system.

He told students that throughout history there had been a close link between the involvement of intellectuals and the special attention given to poverty.

Mgr Grech also said the world would only begin to emerge from the economic and financial crisis when people started being valued as human beings.

The economic model of the market was slowly disintegrating because financial considerations had become more important than the real economy, Mgr Grech said.

"Work has become the only objective in life for many, profit an aim in itself, and we want to reap the fruit in the shortest time possible," he added.