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Next DACPA Meeting
Join us on Saturday,
January 16,
2009, 2-4pm
Due to the holidays, there will be
no meeting in December.
Northaven United Methodist Church,
11211 Preston Rd. at Northaven
All are welcome
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In this season of promotion of consumption, we
take a moment to consider words from a recent Encyclical from Pope
Benedict XVI, focusing on charity, justice and the common good. The
reflection is extracted from the 49-page Encyclical, some parts with
which many readers might disagree, but much is here that is
important for all Christians to consider as we work to progress
toward the reign of God "on earth as it is in heaven." An asterisk
in brackets indicates that text has been edited for space.
Charity in Truth
"Caritas in veritate" is the principle around which the Church's
social doctrine turns, a principle that takes on practical form in
the criteria that govern moral action. I would like to consider two
of these in particular, of special relevance to the commitment to
development in an increasingly globalized society: justice and the
common good.
First of all, justice. Ubi societas, ibi ius: every society draws up
its own system of justice. Charity goes beyond justice, because to
love is to give, to offer what is "mine" to the other; but it never
lacks justice, which prompts us to give the other what is "his",
what is due to him by reason of his being or his acting. I cannot
"give" what is mine to the other, without first giving him what
pertains to him in justice. If we love others with charity, then
first of all we are just towards them. Not only is justice not
extraneous to charity, not only is it not an alternative or parallel
path to charity: justice is inseparable from charity, and intrinsic
to it. Justice is the primary way of charity or, in Paul VI's words,
"the minimum measure" of it, an integral part of the love "in deed
and in truth" (1 Jn 3:18), to which Saint John exhorts us. On the
one hand, charity demands justice: recognition and respect for the
legitimate rights of individuals and peoples. It strives to build
the earthly city according to law and justice. On the other hand,
charity transcends justice and completes it in the logic of giving
and forgiving. The earthly city is promoted not merely by
relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more
fundamental extent by relationships of gratuitousness, mercy and
communion. Charity always manifests God's love in human
relationships as well, it gives theological and salvific value to
all commitment for justice in the world.
Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone
is to desire that person's good and to take effective steps to
secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that
is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of
"all of us," made up of individuals, families and intermediate
groups who together constitute society. It is a good that is sought
not for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social
community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good
within it. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a
requirement of justice and charity. To take a stand for the common
good is on the one hand to be solicitous for, and on the other hand
to avail oneself of, that complex of institutions that give
structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically
and culturally, making it the pólis, or "city". The more we strive
to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our
neighbors, the more effectively we love them. [*]
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN OUR TIME
Today the picture of development has many overlapping layers. [*]
The world's wealth is growing in absolute terms, but inequalities
are on the increase. In rich countries, new sectors of society are
succumbing to poverty and new forms of poverty are emerging. In
poorer areas some groups enjoy a sort of "superdevelopment" of a
wasteful and consumerist kind which forms an unacceptable contrast
with the ongoing situations of dehumanizing deprivation. "The
scandal of glaring inequalities" continues. Corruption and
illegality are unfortunately evident in the conduct of the economic
and political class in rich countries, both old and new, as well as
in poor ones. Among those who sometimes fail to respect the human
rights of workers are large multinational companies as well as local
producers. International aid has often been diverted from its proper
ends, through irresponsible actions both within the chain of donors
and within that of the beneficiaries. Similarly, in the context of
immaterial or cultural causes of development and underdevelopment,
we find these same patterns of responsibility reproduced. On the
part of rich countries there is excessive zeal for protecting
knowledge through an unduly rigid assertion of the right to
intellectual property, especially in the field of health care. At
the same time, in some poor countries, cultural models and social
norms of behavior persist which hinder the process of
development.[*]
From the social point of view, systems of protection and welfare,
already present in many countries in Paul VI's day, are finding it
hard and could find it even harder in the future to pursue their
goals of true social justice in today's profoundly changed
environment. The global market has stimulated first and foremost, on
the part of rich countries, a search for areas in which to outsource
production at low cost with a view to reducing the prices of many
goods, increasing purchasing power and thus accelerating the rate of
development in terms of greater availability of consumer goods for
the domestic market. Consequently, the market has prompted new forms
of competition between States as they seek to attract foreign
businesses to set up production centers, by means of a variety of
instruments, including favorable fiscal regimes and deregulation of
the labor market. These processes have led to a downsizing of social
security systems as the price to be paid for seeking greater
competitive advantage in the global market, with consequent grave
danger for the rights of workers, for fundamental human rights and
for the solidarity associated with the traditional forms of the
social State. Systems of social security can lose the capacity to
carry out their task, both in emerging countries and in those that
were among the earliest to develop, as well as in poor countries.
Here budgetary policies, with cuts in social spending often made
under pressure from international financial institutions, can leave
citizens powerless in the face of old and new risks; such
powerlessness is increased by the lack of effective protection on
the part of workers' associations. Through the combination of social
and economic change, trade union organizations experience greater
difficulty in carrying out their task of representing the interests
of workers, partly because Governments, for reasons of economic
utility, often limit the freedom or the negotiating capacity of
labor unions. Hence traditional networks of solidarity have more and
more obstacles to overcome. The repeated calls issued within the
Church's social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum[, for the
promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must
therefore be honored today even more than in the past, as a prompt
and far-sighted response to the urgent need for new forms of
cooperation at the international level, as well as the local level.
[*]
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE, RIGHTS AND DUTIES, THE ENVIRONMENT
International cooperation requires people who can be part of the
process of economic and human development through the solidarity of
their presence, supervision, training and respect. From this
standpoint, international organizations might question the actual
effectiveness of their bureaucratic and administrative machinery,
which is often excessively costly. At times it happens that those
who receive aid become subordinate to the aid-givers, and the poor
serve to perpetuate expensive bureaucracies which consume an
excessively high percentage of funds intended for development. Hence
it is to be hoped that all international agencies and
non-governmental organizations will commit themselves to complete
transparency, informing donors and the public of the percentage of
their income allocated to programs of cooperation, the actual
content of those programs and, finally, the detailed expenditure of
the institution itself.
Today the subject of development is also closely related to the
duties arising from our relationship to the natural environment. The
environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have
a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and
towards humanity as a whole. When nature, including the human being,
is viewed as the result of mere chance or evolutionary determinism,
our sense of responsibility wanes. In nature, the believer
recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity, which we
may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs, material or
otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If
this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an
untouchable taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it. Neither attitude
is consonant with the Christian vision of nature as the fruit of
God's creation. [*]
Questions linked to the care and preservation of the environment
today need to give due consideration to the energy problem. The fact
that some States, power groups and companies hoard non-renewable
energy resources represents a grave obstacle to development in poor
countries. Those countries lack the economic means either to gain
access to existing sources of non-renewable energy or to finance
research into new alternatives. The stockpiling of natural
resources, which in many cases are found in the poor countries
themselves, gives rise to exploitation and frequent conflicts
between and within nations. These conflicts are often fought on the
soil of those same countries, with a heavy toll of death,
destruction and further decay. The international community has an
urgent duty to find institutional means of regulating the
exploitation of non-renewable resources, involving poor countries in
the process, in order to plan together for the future.
On this front too, there is a pressing moral need for renewed
solidarity, especially in relationships between developing countries
and those that are highly industrialized. The technologically
advanced societies can and must lower their domestic energy
consumption, either through an evolution in manufacturing methods or
through greater ecological sensitivity among their citizens. It
should be added that at present it is possible to achieve improved
energy efficiency while at the same time encouraging research into
alternative forms of energy. What is also needed, though, is a
worldwide redistribution of energy resources, so that countries
lacking those resources can have access to them. The fate of those
countries cannot be left in the hands of whoever is first to claim
the spoils, or whoever is able to prevail over the rest. [*]
This responsibility is a global one, for it is concerned not just
with energy but with the whole of creation, which must not be
bequeathed to future generations depleted of its resources. Human
beings legitimately exercise a responsible stewardship over nature,
in order to protect it, to enjoy its fruits and to cultivate it in
new ways, with the assistance of advanced technologies, so that it
can worthily accommodate and feed the world's population. On this
earth there is room for everyone: here the entire human family must
find the resources to live with dignity, through the help of nature
itself - God's gift to his children - and through hard work and
creativity. At the same time we must recognize our grave duty to
hand the earth on to future generations in such a condition that
they too can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it. [*]
The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert
this responsibility in the public sphere. In so doing, she must
defend not only earth, water and air as gifts of creation that
belong to everyone. She must above all protect mankind from
self-destruction.
THE COOPERATION OF THE HUMAN FAMILY
In the search for solutions to the current economic crisis,
development aid for poor countries must be considered a valid means
of creating wealth for all. What aid program is there that can hold
out such significant growth prospects - even from the point of view
of the world economy - as the support of populations that are still
in the initial or early phases of economic development? From this
perspective, more economically developed nations should do all they
can to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic product to
development aid, thus respecting the obligations that the
international community has undertaken in this regard. [*]
Greater solidarity at the international level is seen especially in
the ongoing promotion - even in the midst of economic crisis - of
greater access to education, which is at the same time an essential
precondition for effective international cooperation. The term
"education" refers not only to classroom teaching and vocational
training - both of which are important factors in development - but
to the complete formation of the person. [*]
Another aspect of integral human development that is worthy of
attention is the phenomenon of migration. This is a striking
phenomenon because of the sheer numbers of people involved, the
social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it
raises, and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the
international community. We can say that we are facing a social
phenomenon of epoch-making proportions that requires bold,
forward-looking policies of international cooperation if it is to be
handled effectively. [*]
No consideration of the problems associated with development could
fail to highlight the direct link between poverty and unemployment.
In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of
human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through
unemployment or underemployment), or "because a low value is put on
work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a
just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her
family." For this reason, on 1 May 2000 on the occasion of the
Jubilee of Workers, my venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II
issued an appeal for "a global coalition in favour of 'decent
work,", supporting the strategy of the International Labour
Organization. In this way, he gave a strong moral impetus to this
objective, seeing it as an aspiration of families in every country
of the world. What is meant by the word "decent" in regard to work?
It means work that expresses the essential dignity of every man and
woman in the context of their particular society: work that is
freely chosen, effectively associating workers, both men and women,
with the development of their community; work that enables the
worker to be respected and free from any form of discrimination;
work that makes it possible for families to meet their needs and
provide schooling for their children, without the children
themselves being forced into labor; work that permits the workers to
organize themselves freely, and to make their voices heard; work
that leaves enough room for rediscovering one's roots at a personal,
familial and spiritual level; work that guarantees those who have
retired a decent standard of living.
While reflecting on the theme of work, it is appropriate to recall
how important it is that labor unions - which have always been
encouraged and supported by the Church - should be open to the new
perspectives that are emerging in the world of work. Looking to
wider concerns than the specific category of labor for which they
were formed, union organizations are called to address some of the
new questions arising in our society: I am thinking, for example, of
the complex of issues that social scientists describe in terms of a
conflict between worker and consumer. Without necessarily endorsing
the thesis that the central focus on the worker has given way to a
central focus on the consumer, this would still appear to constitute
new ground for unions to explore creatively. The global context in
which work takes place also demands that national labour unions,
which tend to limit themselves to defending the interests of their
registered members, should turn their attention to those outside
their membership, and in particular to workers in developing
countries where social rights are often violated. [*]
Both the regulation of the financial sector, so as to safeguard
weaker parties and discourage scandalous speculation, and
experimentation with new forms of finance, designed to support
development projects, are positive experiences that should be
further explored and encouraged, highlighting the responsibility of
the investor. Furthermore, the experience of micro-finance, which
has its roots in the thinking and activity of the civil humanists -
I am thinking especially of the birth of pawnbroking - should be
strengthened and fine-tuned. This is all the more necessary in these
days when financial difficulties can become severe for many of the
more vulnerable sectors of the population, who should be protected
from the risk of usury and from despair. [*]
Global interconnectedness has led to the emergence of a new
political power, that of consumers and their associations. This is a
phenomenon that needs to be further explored, as it contains
positive elements to be encouraged as well as excesses to be
avoided. It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always
a moral - and not simply economic - act. Hence the consumer has a
specific social responsibility, which goes hand-in-hand with the
social responsibility of the enterprise.
In the face of the unrelenting growth of global interdependence,
there is a strongly felt need, even in the midst of a global
recession, for a reform of the United Nations Organization, and
likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that
the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth. One
also senses the urgent need to find innovative ways of implementing
the principle of the responsibility to protect and of giving poorer
nations an effective voice in shared decision-making. This seems
necessary in order to arrive at a political, juridical and economic
order which can increase and give direction to international
cooperation for the development of all peoples in solidarity.
CONCLUSION
Without God man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands
who he is. In the face of the enormous problems surrounding the
development of peoples, which almost make us yield to
discouragement, we find solace in the sayings of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who teaches us: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5)
and then encourages us: "I am with you always, to the close of the
age" (Mt 28:20). As we contemplate the vast amount of work to be
done, we are sustained by our faith that God is present alongside
those who come together in his name to work for justice. [*]
At the conclusion of the Pauline Year, I gladly express this hope in
the Apostle's own words, taken from the Letter to the Romans: "Let
love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love
one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing
honor" (Rom 12:9-10). May the Virgin Mary - proclaimed Mater
Ecclesiae by Paul VI and honoured by Christians as Speculum
Iustitiae and Regina Pacis - protect us and obtain for us, through
her heavenly intercession, the strength, hope and joy necessary to
continue to dedicate ourselves with generosity to the task of
bringing about the "development of the whole man and of all men."
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 29 June, the Solemnity of the
Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in the year 2009, the fifth of my
Pontificate. Have a comment on this story?
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