It is a worrying reality that the erosion of social values in Western societies has accelerated in the last few decades as we become ever more materialistic. The major political parties on the left and the right of the political spectrum can no longer claim that they are the guardians of the moral compass that should drive society to be fairer and caring to those who for whatever reason find themselves in chronic distressed social situations.

This lack of focus on social issues is why when people like Charles Miceli die they make many of us feel orphaned. Charles was a gentle person with very strong views on how the oppressed in our society were being handed a tough deal when they try to make a fresh start in life after some nasty misfortunes blighted their future. I had known Charles for some years and always admired his internal calm that can only be enjoyed by those who are at peace with themselves and with what they believe in.

Although being a very private person, Charles did not shy away from voicing his concern on how many families were struggling with the plague of poverty. He had no grudges against business but nudged politicians to act to make housing affordable for those living on the fringes of society. He frequently intervened with employers to help ex-prisoners find a job and make a fresh start in life, even if he knew that some of them would fall back to old habits because that is a risk of rehabilitating former prisoners.

The lesson I will always treasure from my long friendship with Charles is never to be judgemental and that everyone deserves a second, a third and even a fourth chance. Some years ago, I visited him at the half-way-house in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq where prisoners nearing the end of their sentence are prepared to face the real world outside the walled confinement of Corradino.

We need people like Charles who work at the local level on the fringes of society to tell us graphically how the painful consequences of abject poverty are impoverishing our nation

I could see how Charles was respected by the residents, not because of his authority but because they saw in him a brother, a father and a friend who genuinely cared about them as persons.

Charles held not prejudice against those who failed to respect the laws at some time of their life. He just had empathy and a passion for helping them succeed in their second or third attempt to make a fresh start. At the same time, despite his strong views, he never resorted to anger when many in authority failed to share his concerns on the corrosive effect of poverty in our society.

Every society needs to have members who act as a voice of conscience. Usually, these are a tiny minority with no political or business power base but with impressive energy and conviction to shake most of us out of our complacency. Western societies face severe social risks because the gap between the haves and the have-nots is becoming broader. Few understand how this will affect even our economic performance in the future as the social fabric of our community begins to disintegrate as a result of our lack of solidarity with those who need to be supported.

Charles often followed the sayings of Pope Francis who is the first Pope I remember who is so passionately committed to bringing the plight of the poor on the agenda of the rich and powerful of this world. Some of the solutions offered by socially-committed leaders like Pope Francis may seem to make little economic sense to the high priests of commercial excellence but they create an awareness that real change is needed in the calibration of our moral compasses.

We need idealists who are prepared to practise what they preach. We need social activists who do not feel squeamish when they experience the misery of poverty in pockets or our society. We need genuine people whose loyalty is not to a particular political creed but to universal values built on the conviction that every human being, however flawed in his past behaviour, deserves respect and a chance to make a success of his life.

Western societies need people like Pope Francis with a universal public following who is not afraid to fight the global establishment in the way it ignores the plight of the poor. But we also need people like Charles who work at the local level on the fringes of society to tell us graphically how the painful consequences of abject poverty are impoverishing our nation.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com