Ireland now ranks top of the list of EU countries with the biggest gap between its richest and poorest people, according to the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP).
The SVP, in its annual report for 2002, said 22 per cent of Irish people - more than one in five - live on less than €147 per week.
It added that calls for assistance to its national head office alone are up 80 per cent over a year ago at 9,259.
"Ireland now ranks top of the list of EU countries with the biggest gap between its richest and poorest people," national president of the SVP Mr Brian O'Reilly said.
"This situation is not acceptable in what is now one of the richest countries in the world," he added. He pointed out that the Society is charged by its very ethos and existence to reject what it perceives to be the "wrong" in civil society and to point out alternatives. "This we do and will continue to do," said Mr O'Reilly.
Mr O'Reilly also expressed the SVP's thanks to the general public whose contributions have increased by 22 per cent.
"We're now 160 years serving the community in Ireland and we rely as much as ever on the commitment of our 9,000 volunteers and the public's support — worth almos t€24m last year — to maintain and expand our vital services," said Mr O'Reilly.
The SVP spent €32,852,610 in 2002 assisting people in financial, practical, or emotional ways. Its income for 2002 was €36,269,750.