158
political interest. Only on the basis of this real and
sincere closeness can we properly accompany
the poor on their path of liberation. Only this
will ensure that âin every Christian community
the poor feel at home. Would not this approach
be the greatest and most effective presentation
of the good news of the kingdom?â
169
Without
the preferential option for the poor, âthe procla-
mation of the Gospel, which is itself the prime
form of charity, risks being misunderstood or
submerged by the ocean of words which daily
engulfs us in todayâs society of mass communi-
cationsâ.
170
200.âSince this Exhortation is addressed to
members of the Catholic Church, I want to say,
with regret, that the worst discrimination which
the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care. The
great majority of the poor have a special open-
ness to the faith; they need God and we must
not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing,
his word, the celebration of the sacraments and
a journey of growth and maturity in the faith.
Our preferential option for the poor must main-
ly translate into a privileged and preferential re-
ligious care.
201.âNo one must say that they cannot be close
to the poor because their own lifestyle demands
169
âJ
ohn
P
aul
II, Apostolic Letter
Novo Millennio Ineunte
(6
January 2001), 50: AAS 93 (2001), 303.
170
âIbid.
