Fight against poverty must be based on Gospel, social doctrine, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis prayed that Advent would be a time of spiritual renewal to build up a civilization of love.

"As we approach the Jubilee, I invite you to be pilgrims of hope and to reorient your life toward Jesus, also through your contribution to the material improvement, moral progress and spiritual development of the most fragile and needy, to help them achieve a life that responds to the dignity of children of God," the pope said during an audience with Spanish volunteers at the Vatican Dec. 9.

Pope Francis met with representatives of "Manos Unidas," a Catholic organization based in Spain that promotes aid and development in developing nations, particularly in the fight against hunger. The group, which was established by a group of women from Catholic Action in Spain, was celebrating its 65th anniversary.

The pope recalled his meeting June 15 with Cindy McCain, executive director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, who expressed how difficult it is to fully meet the needs of those who go hungry in the world.

He praised the women working with "Manos Unidas" for their "sensitivity and the strength of feminine genius" as they seek to eradicate "those evils that continue to strike so many nations."

"We are accustomed with this chauvinist culture to considering women, I wouldn't say as a pet dog or cat at home, but as a second-class human being," even though women are "the ones who run the world and -- some say -- they are the ones who are in charge," he said.

It's true, he said. "Women keep the family going" and communities, by figuring out what is needed.

"Thanks to your characteristic intuition and reality as mothers, daughters, wives and mothers-in-law," he said, they were following in the footsteps of Mary, whose heart is rooted in God, who is attentive to the needs of her children and who brings them the Lord's consolation.

"She is the fully realized model of our humanity, through whom, by God's grace, we can all contribute to the betterment of our world," he said.

Manos Unidas' work in fighting hunger, underdevelopment and a lack of education, especially by eradicating their structural causes, he said, "is only possible with a Christian vision of the human being, based on the Gospel and the social doctrine of the church."

He said he hoped the season of Advent would lead everyone toward a "spiritual renewal in order to contribute to the much-desired construction of a civilization of love, in such a way that it will allow us to unite our filial love for God with love for our neighbor."