"The gospel accounts of Jesus portray him as giving more emphasis to helping the poor than to any other ethical concern, so this should be a top priority for all Christians."
"In addition, for Catholics especially, the church has taught, at least as far back as Ambrose, and continuing through Thomas Aquinas to several recent papal pronouncements, that what the rich have in “superabundance” is owed, by natural right, to the poor for their subsistence. That is very similar in its implications to the position that I hold."
Interestingly, these are the words of a committed atheist, Peter Singer, in an interview with Charles C. Camosy, Associate Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at the Jesuits' Fordham University. The interview is published under the title, "Peter Singer on why we don't help the global poor and why we should."
