Obama Urges US Religious Groups to Fight Social Woes

US President Barack Obama called on religious groups to take a greater role in fighting poverty, the growing gap between rich and poor and other social problems plaguing the United States.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In 2013, the US Census Bureau recorded 45.3 out of total 319 million Americans were living in poverty.

“It would be powerful for faith-based organizations to speak out on this in a more forceful fashion,” the President stated in a roundtable discussion on poverty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC on Tuesday.

Obama said his own commitment to fighting social injustice came from his Christian faith and sense of obligation.

“It is important for me to be mentoring young people individually or making charitable donations while impacting the circles of friends and family I have,” Obama said. “How do we reach young boys and young men in a serious way?”

The President argued religious groups should speak out more forcefully on social problems, because that way there would be a much better chance of solving them.

“There is great caring and great concern [in the United States], but when it comes to, ‘What are you going to the mat for?’ ‘What’s the defining issue?’ ‘What’s the thing that’s going to capture who we are as Christians, Catholics?’ this is viewed as nice to have for issues,” Obama said.

On May 9, 2015, Obama suggested that the United States should make community college free for all US citizens if Congress acts to close tax loopholes for US millionaires and billionaires.