Poverty and the condition of the poor and excluded are inexorably connected to the ecological crisis and Pope Francis says must be included in the “dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.” (Laudato Si, No. 14) Pope Francis speaks of “the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction that everything in the world is connected.” (No. 16)

Because they tend to be on the periphery, they are easily and frequently ignored, as the Holy Father points out

It needs to be said that, generally speaking, there is little in the way of clear awareness of problems which especially affect the excluded. Yet they are the majority of the planet’s population, billions of people. These days, they are mentioned in international political and economic discussions, but one often has the impression that their problems are brought up as an afterthought, a question which gets added almost out of duty or in a tangential way, if not treated merely as collateral damage. Indeed, when all is said and done, they frequently remain at the bottom of the pile. (No. 49)

Part of the reason for this is the fact that those in power have little or no contact with the poor and the marginalized — a reality that the Pope points out. “… Many professionals, opinion makers, communications media and centers of power, being located in affluent urban areas, are far removed from the poor, with little direct contact with their problems. They live and reason from the comfortable position of a high level of development and a quality of life well beyond the reach of the majority of the world’s population.” (No. 49)

For many the solution to poverty is “a reduction in the birth rate.” To which the Pope responds, “To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues. It is an attempt to legitimize the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not even contain the waste products of such consumption.”(No. 50)

But the ecological burden of the poor has a direct effect upon the entire community. For example, the migration crisis in Europe and the Americas is partially the result of “migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation.” Another major problem faced by many poor is the lack of potable water. Pope Francis’ encyclical points out that “Every day, unsafe water results in many deaths and the spread of water-related diseases, including those caused by microorganisms and chemical substances. Dysentery and cholera, linked to inadequate hygiene and water supplies, are a significant cause of suffering and of infant mortality.” (No. 29)

Quoting the U.S. bishops, Pope Francis calls for greater attention to be given to “the needs of the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, in a debate often dominated by more powerful interests. ” He then adds, “We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is there room for the globalization of indifference.” (No. 52)