Aging Population Creates Economic Problems, Vatican Envoy Reminds UN

From Catholic World News:

New York, Apr. 12, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican's envoy to the UN has warned that demographic trends point to an emerging problem for economic development, as workers will be required to support an aging population.

Speaking to an April 10 session on population and development, Archbishop Celestino Migliore said that the economic problems created by declining birth rates should be addressed by efforts to provide education and support for young workers, increasing their productivity. The archbishop's English-language address was summarized by the Vatican on April 12.

As the world's population ages, the archbishop said, "an increasing number of elderly people will lay a heavier burden on the active population." In the long run, he said, that problem must be addressed by programs that "foster respect for human life in all its stages."

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