Summary
In his treatise “Miseria e povertà: una prospettiva di Dottrina Sociale della Chiesa #300denari,” Pope Francis highlights the distinction between poverty and misery in Catholic doctrine. Traditional wisdom often conflates the two, but this article emphasizes their distinct nature and moral implications. Poverty traditionally refers to a lack of material resources necessary for an honorable lifestyle. It is characterized by scarcity, insecurity, and limitation. While acknowledging that poverty does not extinguish human dignity, historical examples show individuals and families have preserved ethical standards, social bonds, and meaningful internal lives despite living in poverty. In contrast, misery arises when material deprivation becomes severe or threatening enough to dominate existence. In such situations, fear controls decision-making, leading to a loss of personal agency. The moral responsibility is then constrained by the availability rather than ignorance of good, resulting from resource scarcity. Pope Thomas Aquinas explains that in cases of extreme necessity, standard moral rules concerning property can be suspended because survival takes precedence. In “Rerum Novarum” (1891), Pope Leo XIII condemned social structures that place workers in conditions incompatible with human dignity and reduce them to mere tools for production instead of recognizing their personhood. Historically, prolonged extreme poverty tends to deteriorate into misery. Hunger breeds fear; fear erodes control; lack of control leads to degradation. The article suggests this sequence: from poverty to misery, indicating that overcoming material deprivation does not necessarily prevent moral decay. Despite modern progress in technology and productivity, persistent inequality creates the illusion of abundance while insecurity remains a significant issue. The proliferation of artificial or “false” needs further complicates the identification of authentic deprivation. Pope Francis argues for societal shifts towards more equitable structures to mitigate misery.
Key Topics
Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, Summa Theologiae
