Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, lamented poverty in Italy as he opened the conference’s 79th general assembly.
The health of the country is of particular concern,” he said. “It is increasingly difficult to get out of the abyss of destitution.”
“Furthermore, the generation gap is widening,” he added. “Young people are increasingly exposed to economic hardship and the gap created by those who tend to drift away from political participation and voluntary work is increasing.”