World has become deaf to plight of the poor, pope says in Assisi

Pope Francis speaks during a meeting with people who have made a pilgrimage to the Assisi, during a private visit, ahead of World Day of the Poor, at Santa Maria degli Angeli basilica, in Assisi, Italy, November 12, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ASSISI, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Friday that the world had become deaf to the plight of the poor and condemned those who become disproportionately rich while blaming the needy for their own fate.

Francis travelled to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, to meet with about 500 poor people before the Catholic Church's World Day of the Poor which will be marked on Sunday.