Public Debt and the Social Doctrine of the Church

Imagine you’re 20 years old. The government gives you 400 euros in a cultural voucher. You can spend it on concerts, books, or video games. A real treat, no doubt. But no one tells you—no one ever tells you—that at that very moment, you’re adding to a debt that already stands at 78,000 euros. Not personal debt. Public debt. Yours, as a citizen who will have to pay it off—or watch as it’s passed on to your children.

The data analyst and economist Joseph Gefaell He has been pointing this out for some time, citing data from the Bank of Spain: since 2007—when it hit a historic low of 18,567 euros per employed person—public debt per employed person in Spain has done nothing but rise. In the first quarter of 2026, it reached 78,051 euros per employed person: a 320 % increase in just 19 years. 

The Social Doctrine of the Church

The Catholic Church in Spain—through Caritas, the bishops, and dozens of organizations—carries out extraordinary social work. It feeds hundreds of thousands of people, supports marginalized families, and courageously speaks out against the fact that poverty rates continue to worsen. This is undeniable and deserves recognition.

But the Church’s Social Doctrine is not limited to demanding more institutional charity. The principle of subsidiarity, the centrality of work, the dignity of the person as a free and responsible being—all of this points to something more than simply asking the state for more resources. It aims to tackle the causes of poverty, not just its effects. And if we focus solely on the effects—giving fish instead of teaching how to fish—we run the risk of perpetuating the very poverty we claim to be fighting.

What happens when the government spends more than it takes in, year after year, to fund services it cannot later sustain? Future generations end up footing the bill. And when the party is over, the reforms are painful and always fall on everyone, affecting the most vulnerable even more.

What Each President Left in the Account

Gefaell’s chart clearly shows what the General Budget never explicitly explained. A look at past presidents shows that José María Aznar left the public debt per employed person at 22,000 €; subsequently, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero ended his term having raised it to 44,000 €; under Mariano Rajoy’s administration, the figure continued to rise, reaching nearly 65,000 €; and, finally, under Pedro Sánchez, it currently stands at 78,000 €.

The data is very real: debt is not calculated as a percentage of GDP, but rather by dividing total public debt by the number of employed workers at the end of each year. Public debt per worker continues to rise, despite strong growth in the number of workers.

What would have happened if, when approving each budget, the Prime Minister had said out loud what he was doing? «Ladies and gentlemen of the Parliament: We are going to raise pensions this year. It’s a fair measure. But it will cost 800 euros per citizen, which we’ll add to the public debt.» «We’re going to expand unemployment coverage. Wonderful. But it will cost 1,200 euros per resident, which we’ll add to the debt your children will inherit.».

Would he have been just as widely applauded? Would citizens have voted the same way? Pensions have been rising for years at a rate higher than the CPI and higher than private-sector wages. Civil servants have experienced fewer pay freezes than private-sector workers. All of this comes at a cost. And that cost has almost always been charged to the intergenerational credit card.

What a 25-year-old inherits

Let's do the math. Spain has a public debt of approximately 1.72 trillion euros and a population of about 49.5 million. Per capita debt currently stands at around 34,700 euros per person. But if we look only at those who are employed—who ultimately sustain the system and generate the revenue to pay it off—the figure rises to 78,000 euros per worker.

A 65-year-old worker, two years away from retirement, would be responsible for about 6,000 € of that average 78,000 € per worker, but a 25-year-old who is just entering the workforce has 40 years of working life ahead of them and will end up paying about 150,000 €. Would young people really applaud the cultural voucher if they knew what was in store for them? 

Germany, which has one of the most robust public systems in Europe, already considers its pension model unsustainable: it accounts for more than 40 % of the federal budget, is running a growing deficit, and expects a 35 % increase in the number of retirees in the coming years. As explained Juan Ramón Rallo, Faced with this situation, a group of experts appointed by members of the German parliament has just proposed linking the retirement age to life expectancy, adjusting pension payments to remain below wage levels, and increasing social security contributions. In short: work more years to receive less and pay more. That is what awaits those who fail to reform in time.

The Elephant in the Room of Social Justice

There is a lot of talk about intergenerational social justice, but true intergenerational social justice would mean telling a young person today what debt they are born with, how much the system their grandparents enjoy will cost them, and whether that system is sustainable without structural reforms.

One could argue—and rightly so—that the economy isn’t that simple. That no one knows whether Spain will discover gas fields, whether twenty companies the size of Inditex will emerge, or whether AI will work for us and we’ll still need to work. All of that is possible. But governing based on hopes without managing present risks is not economic policy: it’s Russian roulette financed by public debt.

What Caritas could emphasize most in its message

The Church and Caritas are right to call for more resources for the most vulnerable. But their own doctrine compels them to go further. It is not enough to ask the government to spend more, especially when that spending is financed by debt that the next generation will have to pay off. 

The authentic Social Doctrine of the Church also calls on citizens to take responsibility: entrepreneurship, hard work, a culture of effort, and a spirit of service to the community. It is true that politicians should be responsible and demand the same of citizens, but if they do not, the Church should not be afraid to speak the truth.

A society that looks solely to the government for help—and a government that takes action without revealing the true cost of those measures—does not produce free and responsible citizens. It produces people who are dependent. And those who are dependent, as history shows, are the most vulnerable when the party is over and emergency reforms are implemented. One need only look at the state of many Latin American countries governed by progressive leaders concerned with helping the most needy. 

True solidarity is not financed solely by debt. It is built by generations capable of supporting themselves, creating wealth, innovating, and contributing before receiving. That, too, is part of the Church’s social doctrine. And that, too, needs to be said loud and clear.

The Example of Leo XIV

On his recent trip to the Canary Islands, the Papa recalled some uncomfortable truths for both migrants and the Church workers and volunteers who serve them. To the former, the Pontiff reminded them of their duty to integrate: “Brothers and sisters who are migrants, it is up to you to open yourselves to the community that welcomes you, to learn its language, to respect its laws, and to become familiar with its customs.”.

Furthermore, he urged pastoral workers on several occasions not to forget evangelization in their work of welcoming others, noting that passing on the faith is part of true charity and constitutes the greatest good that can be offered to them.

This reminder highlights the need for ecclesial institutions and the episcopate to step forward with greater boldness and prophetic courage. Beyond its commendable emergency relief efforts, the Church is called to proclaim, without hesitation, the richness of its social doctrine, shedding light on the structural causes of vulnerability. 

True charity not only provides aid in times of crisis, but also courageously promotes long-term solutions that restore people’s dignity and independence, avoiding a cycle of chronic dependency and helping them become true agents of their own development and integration.