‘Turn Debt into Hope’: Church Urges EU to Address Global Crisis on World Day of the Poor

Rome, November 16, 2025: As the Church marks the ninth World Day of the Poor, the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA) is calling on the European Union to confront the global debt crisis, which is undermining poverty eradication and threatening sustainable development across the Global South.

Formed in 2018, ELSiA is a coalition of seven Catholic organisations, including Caritas Europa, committed to bringing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ to life in Europe. According to Luisa Fondello, Senior International Cooperation Officer at Caritas Europa, the alliance seeks to “promote ecological justice based on the social teaching of the Church”, through advocacy and practical initiatives for sustainable living.

“We created the alliance to ensure that the vision of Laudato si’—care for creation and for the poor—becomes concrete in European policies and everyday life,” Fondello explains.

This year’s World Day of the Poor, first instituted by Pope Francis in 2017 and reaffirmed by Pope Leo XIV in Dilexi Te, offers an opportunity for the alliance to renew its appeal to EU policymakers to place human dignity at the centre of economic decision-making.

Worst debt crisis in history

ELSiA highlights what Fondello describes as “the worst debt crisis in history”, affecting more than 100 low- and middle-income countries. She notes that 2.4 billion people currently live in nations where interest payments on public debt exceed spending on healthcare or education. “Poverty reduction efforts are being seriously undermined,” she says.

Fondello stresses that poverty must be understood broadly, encompassing not only income but access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure—elements essential to human dignity. “If we consider poverty in this wider sense,” she adds, “it becomes clear that the debt crisis must be at the forefront of the European Union’s agenda.”

ELSiA’s statement for the World Day of the Poor urges the EU to support the creation of a democratic and transparent global debt resolution mechanism under United Nations leadership. Such a framework, the alliance argues, would ensure fair negotiations with the meaningful participation of civil society, prioritising people’s needs over financial markets.

“Old recipes won’t do”

Fondello criticises current international debt governance as fragmented and biased in favour of creditors, lacking binding mechanisms, common principles, and transparency. Countries in the Global South, she notes, often have “no democratic space to negotiate fair solutions”. ELSiA, therefore, calls for a transformative approach: a new global framework that ensures accountability for both borrowers and lenders and links debt relief to human development and environmental sustainability.

A Jubilee call for Justice

Fondello situates the alliance’s appeal within the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, a time traditionally linked to reconciliation. She recalls that Pope Francis advocated for “debt forgiveness” for poorer nations—an appeal now echoed by Pope Leo XIV. “This Jubilee year is not just symbolic but a concrete opportunity to act,” she says, insisting that solving the debt crisis is “a matter of justice before it is even a question of charity”.

A moral benchmark

For ELSiA, the World Day of the Poor is a moral test for societies and governments. “The way our policies treat those experiencing poverty, discrimination, or oppression reveals who we are,” Fondello reflects.

The alliance quotes Pope Leo XIV’s call in Dilexi Te to “make a decisive and radical choice in favour of the weakest”. It urges EU leaders to recognise the cost of inaction and lead efforts to build a multilateral system based on cooperation, inclusion, and shared responsibility. The statement warns that without reform, debt will continue to fuel inequality, hinder climate action, and stall development—creating a cycle of impoverishment.

Turning Debt into Hope

Despite the challenges, Fondello remains optimistic. Caritas Europa and its partners have launched the Turn Debt into Hope campaign to raise awareness and build momentum for reform. “We are guided by hope,” she says, noting growing support from institutions such as the African Union for a UN-led debt resolution mechanism.

The campaign encourages citizens and organisations to advocate for a fairer debt system. “Everyone who believes in justice and solidarity can join,” Fondello adds, directing the public to turndebtintohope.caritas.org.

‘Turn Debt into Hope’: Church Urges EU to Address Global Crisis on World Day of the Poor

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