Pope calls on G8 leaders to ‘eradicate poverty, promote authentic development’ in Africa

As a conservative I never prefer a hand out to a solution. However as a Catholic conservative I see the call to G8 leaders to eradicate poverty in Africa as something other than a hand out, but rather the right thing to do as brothers and sisters of good will. We are our brother's keeper and my compassion as a Christian says, "help!" But helping monetarily, or forgiving debt should not be the end of it. We must help these countries be self-efficient so we don't end up doing the same thing some years from now. In addition to forgiving debt, we must put in place economic development strategies and educational opportunities designed to elevate their standard of living and economic standards as a nation. Read >Catholic News Agency