Pope John Paul II, during the accreditation ceremony for the new Dominican ambassador to the Vatican, Carlos Rafael Conrado Marion Landais, mentioned the worsening standard of living of the Dominican population, as reported in El Caribe newspaper. “Internal and external causes have produced a serious deterioration and certain decline in the quality of life of Dominicans. To resolve those problems, the public interest should be the objective for which the Church, without assuming challenges that do not pertain to its mission, provides its collaboration to the government and society,” said the Pope. He also mentioned that in today’s world it is not enough to adhere to market laws and globalization, that there is a need to promote solidarity. When asked to comment on the Pope’s statement, President Hipolito Mejia said he concurred and that he had recently made similar statements. He emphasized that he is a man who was brought up in the Catholic Church.