“It is
incongruous that one could be a Christian and not see the afflictions
of a brother or sister, not weep with them, nor suffer with them.
Whoever does not respond to the cries of the poor would have to be
completely devoid of love, ‘Christian’ in name only, lacking even
the most basic human qualities, less than an animal.” (Letter to
Jean Pierre, November 17, 1657, O.C., VI, 560-561)
