A pastoral letter, launched on Monday at the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, addresses housing and homelessness and describes the root causes of the crisis.
The letter details 18 key findings and calls for a number of measures including fair pricing and security in the private rental sector, vacant sites to be taxed and action to be taken to increase the supply and reduce the price of housing.
At its autumn general meeting, the bishops’ conference said the Government is struggling to tackle the growing homelessness crisis.
One bishop said some landlords should “examine their consciences as to the extent of profit they make”.
Kevin Doran of Elphin, acting chairman of the Council for Justice and Peace, added: “This is not just a problem for Dublin, but a problem that faces all of us in society.
“The magnitude of the problem is so great that it cannot be solved by voluntary effort alone. The state must take the lead partner on this – this cannot be left to the private sector either.”
Father Sean Donohoe, co-director of homelessness charity Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin, said it is not the responsibility of the church to solve the homelessness crisis.
“It’s the responsibility of the state of civic society through our governmental process,” he said.
“We do from 300 to 350 breakfasts every day and this morning we gave out baby food and nappies to 250 families.
“The day…
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