The BBC, among its many virtues, has a program called “Assignment.” I happened upon an episode this morning that is a stark, indeed horrific, presentation of homelessness in our time. It gives a face to the statistics. And if, as a defender of the present socio-economic order maintains, it only accounts for 5% of those in poverty … well, if you can spare 25 minutes, judge for yourself.

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, has contributed to Commonweal for fifty years. A selection of his essays and reviews, some of which first appeared in Commonweal, has been published as Christ Brings All Newness (Word on Fire Academic).

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