Who draws the line?

Before I start, let's take a closer look at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, in the middle of Italy's capital, Rome, where many gypsy families can be seen begging:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-st-peters-basilica.htm

Anyone venture to guess the level of affluence Vatican City has? St. Peter's Basilica, the mecca for the Catholic faithful and tourists alike, holds tremendous value. All the buildings around the square are adorned with granite and marble, while the interior displays "the finest Renaissance monuments and decoration money could buy, employing the talents of such greats as Michelangelo and Bernini." So, there are homeless people in a city of such great wealth? What's wrong with this picture? Where is the money going? Catholic priests and nuns live in simplicity and I'd imagine that revenues from tourism exceed overhead costs...

Now, I'm sure that the catholic church does significant outreach to underprivileged individuals throughout Italy, but who decides the right amount? And who decides on which groups to give aid to?

I agree with Yasmin that as health professionals, we can only keep giving without questions. While our political leaders squabble over those questions posed above, we can each choose to act. Instead of drawing lines on who is "vulnerable" or "deserving of aid," why not view them as people needing help? Instead of ignoring those homeless people on the street, help one of them out. Instead of just giving money to them, pay them for an idea or for some advice or just for the conversation..."When you help someone up a hill, you get to the top as well." --Anonymous



For all those considering medical school, here's Carola Eisenberg's (p.19-21) perspective "On Doctoring" :

http://books.google.com/books?id=zLnv9jQ2JB4C&pg=PA248&lpg=PA248&dq=on+doctoring+excerpts&source=web&ots=Gn9g8pmQSl&sig=yT-UsFWwlSAJEjPT3q7TgGgik9A&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA20,M1