Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET. Visit www.pbs.org/religionandethics for additional information.   Show #1720 will be fed over PBS at 5:00 p.m. EST on January 17 (check local listings).

Ministry to the Poor in Camden, N.J. – Father Michael Doyle loves his parishioners and tries to help them, but he tells Lucky Severson that conditions in Camden are worse now than they were when he came here from Ireland, 39 years ago.  His church, Sacred Heart, has founded a school, and has helped build 250 homes.  It operates a food kitchen and gives food away on Saturdays.  Still, Fr. Doyle says drug wars, primarily, have caused 788 murders in Camden since 1995.  But he does not despair.  “My little bit in God’s hands,” he says, is all he can do.

Fighting poverty – and succeeding – in the Third World – Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on one man’s campaign to persuade the very poor in the slums of the Philippines to move back to the land and use scientific research to grow profitable crops, start small businesses and create new communities.  Economist and activist Tony Meloto says the movement he started has transformed the lives of up to a million people.  In his words, “This country does not have any excuse to remain poor.”