More than 100 organizations--including Catholic religious congregations-- which advocate for debt relief have publicized a letter to the International Monetary Fund calling on international policymakers to cancel debt payments for poor and developing nations so that they use focus their resources on dealing with the pandemic.

As we face the challenge of Covid-19, our obligations to the citizens of our own country must not negate our duties to global humanity. Active support for the poor and the displaced will be essential in longer-term efforts for a more just, more inclusive and healthier post-crisis world.

Nearly 50% of Lebanese are living below the poverty line, and unemployment has reached 35% of the working population, according to the government.

Indians in several states said the situation has been exacerbated by poor preparation by state governments and conflicting messages from central and state governments.

“The world is rich but, notwithstanding this, the [number of] poor people around us is increasing,” Pope Francis said. “Hundreds of millions of people are living in extreme poverty, lacking the bare necessities of life including food, medical care, schools, drinking water.”

Elizabeth Strout examines the human condition in a quiet setting where introspection cannot be escaped.