People have to walk three hours each way to get a meal
Nikki Haley, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to the UN, has highlighted the “incredible work” the Catholic Church is doing in helping “millions of desperate people” around the world.
Addressing the annual Al Smith dinner in New York, Haley told how, as ambassador, she had been to some “truly dark places” where the suffering endured by many people would be hard for most Americans to imagine.
“I’ve been to the border between Colombia and Venezuela, where people walk three hours each way in the blazing sun to get the only meal that they will have that day. “Who’s giving that meal? The Catholic Church,” she said.
But she would “be remiss” if she did not mention the abuse scandals in the Church.
While sexual abuse and assault were not a problem limited to the Church but “deeply touch the American family,” she said that the Church had an obligation to victims.
“The Church’s place must be with the victims who carry the pain with them,” she said.
However, it would be “tragic” if the scandals made the world blind to “the amazing good works the Catholic Church does every single day.”
For her, the Church’s global works of charity, education, and healthcare were “everyday miracles” and “those miracles are the way of the Church.”
“I’ve been to refugee camps in Central Africa where young boys are kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers and young girls are raped as a matter of routine,” she said.
“Who was in the forefront of changing this culture of corruption and violence? The Catholic Church.”
Each year, the Smith dinner features a prominent politician and raises millions of dollars for the “neediest children of the Archdiocese of New York, regardless of race, creed, or colour.”
In 1928 Al Smith, a Democrat who was elected Governor of New York four times, became the first Catholic to be nominated as a presidential candidate by one of America’s two main political parties.
Haley also criticised a growing tendency in politics to label opponents as “evil”.
In the past two years, as ambassador, she said, “I’ve seen true evil. We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil. They’re just our opponents.”
She added: “We are blessed with a political system that allows us to resolve our differences peacefully. In the end, we must recognise that we are all Americans, and we are stronger and healthier when we are united.”
Addressing the annual Al Smith dinner in New York, Haley told how, as ambassador, she had been to some “truly dark places” where the suffering endured by many people would be hard for most Americans to imagine.
“I’ve been to the border between Colombia and Venezuela, where people walk three hours each way in the blazing sun to get the only meal that they will have that day. “Who’s giving that meal? The Catholic Church,” she said.
But she would “be remiss” if she did not mention the abuse scandals in the Church.
While sexual abuse and assault were not a problem limited to the Church but “deeply touch the American family,” she said that the Church had an obligation to victims.
“The Church’s place must be with the victims who carry the pain with them,” she said.
However, it would be “tragic” if the scandals made the world blind to “the amazing good works the Catholic Church does every single day.”
For her, the Church’s global works of charity, education, and healthcare were “everyday miracles” and “those miracles are the way of the Church.”
“I’ve been to refugee camps in Central Africa where young boys are kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers and young girls are raped as a matter of routine,” she said.
“Who was in the forefront of changing this culture of corruption and violence? The Catholic Church.”
Each year, the Smith dinner features a prominent politician and raises millions of dollars for the “neediest children of the Archdiocese of New York, regardless of race, creed, or colour.”
In 1928 Al Smith, a Democrat who was elected Governor of New York four times, became the first Catholic to be nominated as a presidential candidate by one of America’s two main political parties.
Haley also criticised a growing tendency in politics to label opponents as “evil”.
In the past two years, as ambassador, she said, “I’ve seen true evil. We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil. They’re just our opponents.”
She added: “We are blessed with a political system that allows us to resolve our differences peacefully. In the end, we must recognise that we are all Americans, and we are stronger and healthier when we are united.”