The bishop of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Gerard de Korte, thinks that his colleague Tiny Muskens, who died ten years ago, was ‘right in principle’ with his controversial statement that hungry people can always steal a loaf of bread. He writes this in his column on Tuesday It Dutch daily newspaper.
‘His statement caused a lot of noise and was perhaps a bit short-sighted. But in principle Muskens was right. In Catholic social thinking, the right to (survival) life takes precedence over the right to property,’ writes De Korte. The former bishop of Breda, Tiny Muskens, set himself up as a mouthpiece for the ‘bottom of society’. He became nationally known for the striking statement he made in 1996.
De Korte writes his column in response to the bed-bath-bread consternation last week, and because he was asked to sign a petition stating that every person on Dutch territory, including asylum seekers, should be entitled to a number of basic services. As a Christian, he supports that call. ‘As a creature of God, every human being must be able to sleep dry and with sufficient warmth, especially in a very rich country like the Netherlands,’ he writes.
Sufficient food is also a basic need, according to him. ‘Incidentally, this is not only a question of civilization, but also of safety. If a man has too little bread for himself or for his loved ones, he is almost certain to steal it. I suspect that few citizens are waiting for that.’
The Catholic clergyman points out that food shortages are not common in the Netherlands, but that Muskens wanted to make us sensitive to the basic needs of every human being with his statement. He therefore pleads for a merciful civilization, with bed, bath and bread shelter.
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