CHAPTER FOUR
176.
To evangelize is to make the kingdom of God present in our world. Yet “any
partial or fragmentary definition which attempts to render the reality of
evangelization in all its richness, complexity and dynamism does so only at the
risk of impoverishing it and even of distorting it”.[140] I
would now like to share my concerns about the social dimension of
evangelization, precisely because if this dimension is not properly brought
out, there is a constant risk of distorting the authentic and integral meaning
of the mission of evangelization.
177.
The kerygma has a clear social content: at the very heart of the Gospel is life
in community and engagement with others. The content of the first proclamation
has an immediate moral implication centred on charity.
178.
To believe in a Father who loves all men and women with an infinite love means
realizing that “he thereby confers upon them an infinite dignity”.[141] To
believe that the Son of God assumed our human flesh means that each human
person has been taken up into the very heart of God. To believe that Jesus shed
his blood for us removes any doubt about the boundless love which ennobles each
human being. Our redemption has a social dimension because “God, in Christ,
redeems not only the individual person, but also the social relations existing
between men”.[142] To
believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in everyone means realizing that he
seeks to penetrate every human situation and all social bonds: “The Holy Spirit
can be said to possess an infinite creativity, proper to the divine mind, which
knows how to loosen the knots of human affairs, even the most complex and
inscrutable”.[143] Evangelization
is meant to cooperate with this liberating work of the Spirit. The very mystery
of the Trinity reminds us that we have been created in the image of that divine
communion, and so we cannot achieve fulfilment or salvation purely by our own
efforts. From the heart of the Gospel we see the profound connection between
evangelization and human advancement, which must necessarily find expression
and develop in every work of evangelization. Accepting the first proclamation,
which invites us to receive God’s love and to love him in return with the very
love which is his gift, brings forth in our lives and actions a primary and
fundamental response: to desire, seek and protect the good of others.
179.
This inseparable bond between our acceptance of the message of salvation and
genuine fraternal love appears in several scriptural texts which we would do
well to meditate upon, in order to appreciate all their consequences. The
message is one which we often take for granted, and can repeat almost
mechanically, without necessarily ensuring that it has a real effect on our
lives and in our communities. How dangerous and harmful this is, for it makes
us lose our amazement, our excitement and our zeal for living the Gospel of fraternity
and justice! God’s word teaches that our brothers and sisters are the
prolongation of the incarnation for each of us: “As you did it to one of these,
the least of my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). The way we
treat others has a transcendent dimension: “the measure you give will be the
measure you get” (Mt 7:2). It corresponds to the mercy which God
has shown us: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and
you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive,
and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you… For the measure
you give will be the measure you get back” (Lk 6:36-38). What these
passages make clear is the absolute priority of “going forth from ourselves
towards our brothers and sisters” as one of the two great commandments which
ground every moral norm and as the clearest sign for discerning spiritual
growth in response to God’s completely free gift. For this reason, “the service
of charity is also a constituent element of the Church’s mission and an
indispensable expression of her very being”.[144] By
her very nature the Church is missionary; she abounds in effective charity and
a compassion which understands, assists and promotes.
180.
Reading the Scriptures also makes it clear that the Gospel is not merely about
our personal relationship with God. Nor should our loving response to God be
seen simply as an accumulation of small personal gestures to individuals in
need, a kind of “charity à la carte”, or a series of acts aimed solely at
easing our conscience. The Gospel is about the kingdom of God (cf. Lk 4:43);
it is about loving God who reigns in our world. To the extent that he reigns
within us, the life of society will be a setting for universal fraternity,
justice, peace and dignity. Both Christian preaching and life, then, are meant
to have an impact on society. We are seeking God’s kingdom: “Seek first God’s
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well” (Mt 6:33). Jesus’ mission is to inaugurate the kingdom of his
Father; he commands his disciples to proclaim the good news that “the kingdom
of heaven is at hand” (Mt10:7).
181.
The kingdom, already present and growing in our midst, engages us at every
level of our being and reminds us of the principle of discernment which Pope
Paul VI applied to true development: it must be directed to “all men and the
whole man”.[145] We
know that “evangelization would not be complete if it did not take account of
the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of man’s concrete life, both personal
and social”.[146] This
is the principle of universality intrinsic to the Gospel, for the Father
desires the salvation of every man and woman, and his saving plan consists in
“gathering up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10).
Our mandate is to “go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the
whole creation” (Mk 16:15), for “the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Rom 8:19). Here,
“the creation” refers to every aspect of human life; consequently, “the mission
of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ has a universal destination. Its
mandate of charity encompasses all dimensions of existence, all individuals,
all areas of community life, and all peoples. Nothing human can be alien to
it”.[147] True
Christian hope, which seeks the eschatological kingdom, always generates
history.
182.
The Church’s teachings concerning contingent situations are subject to new and
further developments and can be open to discussion, yet we cannot help but be
concrete – without presuming to enter into details – lest the great social
principles remain mere generalities which challenge no one. There is a need to
draw practical conclusions, so that they “will have greater impact on the
complexities of current situations”.[148] The
Church’s pastors, taking into account the contributions of the different
sciences, have the right to offer opinions on all that affects people’s lives,
since the task of evangelization implies and demands the integral promotion of
each human being. It is no longer possible to claim that religion should be
restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only to prepare souls for
heaven. We know that God wants his children to be happy in this world too, even
though they are called to fulfilment in eternity, for he has created all things
“for our enjoyment” (1 Tim 6:17), the enjoyment of everyone.
It follows that Christian conversion demands reviewing especially those areas
and aspects of life “related to the social order and the pursuit of the common
good”.[149]
183.
Consequently, no one can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner
sanctum of personal life, without influence on societal and national life,
without concern for the soundness of civil institutions, without a right to
offer an opinion on events affecting society. Who would claim to lock up in a
church and silence the message of Saint Francis of Assisi or Blessed Teresa of
Calcutta? They themselves would have found this unacceptable. An authentic
faith – which is never comfortable or completely personal – always involves a
deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth
somehow better that we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God
has put us, and we love the human family which dwells here, with all its
tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses.
The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters. If indeed
“the just ordering of society and of the state is a central responsibility of
politics”, the Church “cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight
for justice”.[150] All
Christians, their pastors included, are called to show concern for the building
of a better world. This is essential, for the Church’s social thought is
primarily positive: it offers proposals, it works for change and in this sense
it constantly points to the hope born of the loving heart of Jesus Christ. At
the same time, it unites “its own commitment to that made in the social field
by other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, whether at the level of doctrinal
reflection or at the practical level”.[151]
184.
This is not the time or the place to examine in detail the many grave social
questions affecting today’s world, some of which I have dealt with in the second
chapter. This Exhortation is not a social document, and for reflection on those
different themes we have a most suitable tool in the Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church, whose use and study I heartily recommend.
Furthermore, neither the Pope nor the Church have a monopoly on the
interpretation of social realities or the proposal of solutions to contemporary
problems. Here I can repeat the insightful observation of Pope Paul VI: “In the
face of such widely varying situations, it is difficult for us to utter a
unified message and to put forward a solution which has universal validity.
This is not our ambition, nor is it our mission. It is up to the Christian
communities to analyze with objectivity the situation which is proper to their
own country”.[152]
185.
In what follows I intend to concentrate on two great issues which strike me as
fundamental at this time in history. I will treat them more fully because I
believe that they will shape the future of humanity. These issues are first,
the inclusion of the poor in society, and second, peace and social dialogue.
186.
Our faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the
outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s
most neglected members.
187.
Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of
God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be
fully a part of society. This demands that we be docile and attentive to the
cry of the poor and to come to their aid. A mere glance at the Scriptures is
enough to make us see how our gracious Father wants to hear the cry of the
poor: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard
their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and
I have come down to deliver them… so I will send you…” (Ex 3:7-8,
10). We also see how he is concerned for their needs: “When the Israelites
cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer” (Jg 3:15).
If we, who are God’s means of hearing the poor, turn deaf ears to this plea, we
oppose the Father’s will and his plan; that poor person “might cry to the Lord
against you, and you would incur guilt” (Dt 15:9). A lack of
solidarity towards his or her needs will directly affect our relationship with
God: “For if in bitterness of soul he calls down a curse upon you, his Creator
will hear his prayer” (Sir 4:6). The old question always returns:
“How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods, and sees a brother
or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (1 Jn 3:17). Let us recall
also how bluntly the apostle James speaks of the cry of the oppressed: “The
wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry
out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of
hosts” (5:4).
188.
The Church has realized that the need to heed this plea is itself born of the
liberating action of grace within each of us, and thus it is not a question of
a mission reserved only to a few: “The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy
and by love for mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to
respond to it with all her might”.[153] In
this context we can understand Jesus’ command to his disciples: “You yourselves
give them something to eat!” (Mk 6:37): it means working to
eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral
development of the poor, as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting
the real needs which we encounter. The word “solidarity” is a little worn and
at times poorly understood, but it refers to something more than a few sporadic
acts of generosity. It presumes the creation of a new mindset which thinks in
terms of community and the priority of the life of all over the appropriation
of goods by a few.
189.
Solidarity is a spontaneous reaction by those who recognize that the social
function of property and the universal destination of goods are realities which
come before private property. The private ownership of goods is justified by
the need to protect and increase them, so that they can better serve the common
good; for this reason, solidarity must be lived as the decision to restore to
the poor what belongs to them. These convictions and habits of solidarity, when
they are put into practice, open the way to other structural transformations
and make them possible. Changing structures without generating new convictions
and attitudes will only ensure that those same structures will become, sooner
or later, corrupt, oppressive and ineffectual.
190.
Sometimes it is a matter of hearing the cry of entire peoples, the poorest
peoples of the earth, since “peace is founded not only on respect for human
rights, but also on respect for the rights of peoples”.[154] Sadly,
even human rights can be used as a justification for an inordinate defense of
individual rights or the rights of the richer peoples. With due respect for the
autonomy and culture of every nation, we must never forget that the planet
belongs to all mankind and is meant for all mankind; the mere fact that some
people are born in places with fewer resources or less development does not
justify the fact that they are living with less dignity. It must be reiterated
that “the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place
their goods more generously at the service of others”.[155] To
speak properly of our own rights, we need to broaden our perspective and to
hear the plea of other peoples and other regions than those of our own country.
We need to grow in a solidarity which “would allow all peoples to become the
artisans of their destiny”,[156] since
“every person is called to self-fulfilment”.[157]
191.
In all places and circumstances, Christians, with the help of their pastors,
are called to hear the cry of the poor. This has been eloquently stated by the
bishops of Brazil: “We wish to take up daily the joys and hopes, the
difficulties and sorrows of the Brazilian people, especially of those living in
the barrios and the countryside – landless, homeless, lacking food and health
care – to the detriment of their rights. Seeing their poverty, hearing their
cries and knowing their sufferings, we are scandalized because we know that
there is enough food for everyone and that hunger is the result of a poor
distribution of goods and income. The problem is made worse by the generalized
practice of wastefulness”.[158]
192.
Yet we desire even more than this; our dream soars higher. We are not simply
talking about ensuring nourishment or a “dignified sustenance” for all people, but
also their “general temporal welfare and prosperity”.[159]This
means education, access to health care, and above all employment, for it is
through free, creative, participatory and mutually supportive labour that human
beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives. A just wage enables them
to have adequate access to all the other goods which are destined for our
common use.
193.
We incarnate the duty of hearing the cry of the poor when we are deeply moved
by the suffering of others. Let us listen to what God’s word teaches us about mercy,
and allow that word to resound in the life of the Church. The Gospel tells us:
“Blessed are the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).
The apostle James teaches that our mercy to others will vindicate us on the day
of God’s judgement: “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under
the law of liberty. For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no
mercy, yet mercy triumphs over judgement” (Jas 2:12-13). Here James
is faithful to the finest tradition of post-exilic Jewish spirituality, which
attributed a particular salutary value to mercy: “Break off your sins by
practising righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the
oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your tranquillity” (Dan 4:27).
The wisdom literature sees almsgiving as a concrete exercise of mercy towards
those in need: “Almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every
sin” (Tob 12:9). The idea is expressed even more graphically by
Sirach: “Water extinguishes blazing fire: so almsgiving atones for sin” (Sir 3:30).
The same synthesis appears in the New Testament: “Maintain constant love for
one another, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). This
truth greatly influenced the thinking of the Fathers of the Church and helped
create a prophetic, counter-cultural resistance to the self-centred hedonism of
paganism. We can recall a single example: “If we were in peril from fire, we
would certainly run to water in order to extinguish the fire… in the same way,
if a spark of sin flares up from our straw, and we are troubled on that
account, whenever we have an opportunity to perform a work of mercy, we should
rejoice, as if a fountain opened before so that the fire might be
extinguished”.[160]
194.
This message is so clear and direct, so simple and eloquent, that no ecclesial
interpretation has the right to relativize it. The Church’s reflection on these
texts ought not to obscure or weaken their force, but urge us to accept their
exhortations with courage and zeal. Why complicate something so simple?
Conceptual tools exist to heighten contact with the realities they seek to
explain, not to distance us from them. This is especially the case with those
biblical exhortations which summon us so forcefully to brotherly love, to
humble and generous service, to justice and mercy towards the poor. Jesus
taught us this way of looking at others by his words and his actions. So why
cloud something so clear? We should not be concerned simply about falling into
doctrinal error, but about remaining faithful to this light-filled path of life
and wisdom. For “defenders of orthodoxy are sometimes accused of passivity,
indulgence, or culpable complicity regarding the intolerable situations of
injustice and the political regimes which prolong them”.[161]
195.
When Saint Paul approached the apostles in Jerusalem to discern whether he was
“running or had run in vain” (Gal 2:2), the key criterion of
authenticity which they presented was that he should not forget the poor (cf. Gal 2:10).
This important principle, namely that the Pauline communities should not
succumb to the self-centred lifestyle of the pagans, remains timely today, when
a new self-centred paganism is growing. We may not always be able to reflect
adequately the beauty of the Gospel, but there is one sign which we should
never lack: the option for those who are least, those whom society discards.
196.
Sometimes we prove hard of heart and mind; we are forgetful, distracted and
carried away by the limitless possibilities for consumption and distraction
offered by contemporary society. This leads to a kind of alienation at every
level, for “a society becomes alienated when its forms of social organization,
production and consumption make it more difficult to offer the gift of self and
to establish solidarity between people”.[162]
197.
God’s heart has a special place for the poor, so much so that he himself
“became poor” (2 Cor 8:9). The entire history of our redemption is
marked by the presence of the poor. Salvation came to us from the “yes” uttered
by a lowly maiden from a small town on the fringes of a great empire. The
Saviour was born in a manger, in the midst of animals, like children of poor
families; he was presented at the Temple along with two turtledoves, the
offering made by those who could not afford a lamb (cf. Lk 2:24; Lev 5:7);
he was raised in a home of ordinary workers and worked with his own hands to
earn his bread. When he began to preach the Kingdom, crowds of the dispossessed
followed him, illustrating his words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18).
He assured those burdened by sorrow and crushed by poverty that God has a
special place for them in his heart: “Blessed are you poor, yours is the
kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20); he made himself one of them: “I was
hungry and you gave me food to eat”, and he taught them that mercy towards all
of these is the key to heaven (cf. Mt 25:5ff.).
198.
For the Church, the option for the poor is primarily a theological category
rather than a cultural, sociological, political or philosophical one. God shows
the poor “his first mercy”.[163] This
divine preference has consequences for the faith life of all Christians, since
we are called to have “this mind… which was in Jesus Christ” (Phil 2:5).
Inspired by this, the Church has made an option for the poor which is
understood as a “special form of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity,
to which the whole tradition of the Church bears witness”.[164] This
option – as Benedict XVI has taught – “is implicit in our Christian faith in a
God who became poor for us, so as to enrich us with his poverty”.[165]This
is why I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach
us. Not only do they share in the sensus fidei, but in their
difficulties they know the suffering Christ. We need to let ourselves be
evangelized by them. The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the
saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the centre of the
Church’s pilgrim way. We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice
to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for
them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us
through them.
199.
Our commitment does not consist exclusively in activities or programmes of
promotion and assistance; what the Holy Spirit mobilizes is not an unruly
activism, but above all an attentiveness which considers the other “in a
certain sense as one with ourselves”.[166] This
loving attentiveness is the beginning of a true concern for their person which
inspires me effectively to seek their good. This entails appreciating the poor
in their goodness, in their experience of life, in their culture, and in their
ways of living the faith. True love is always contemplative, and permits us to
serve the other not out of necessity or vanity, but rather because he or she is
beautiful above and beyond mere appearances: “The love by which we find the
other pleasing leads us to offer him something freely”.[167] The
poor person, when loved, “is esteemed as of great value”,[168] and
this is what makes the authentic option for the poor differ from any other
ideology, from any attempt to exploit the poor for one’s own personal or
political interest. Only on the basis of this real and sincere
closeness can we properly accompany the poor on their path of liberation. Only
this will ensure that “in every Christian community the poor feel at home.
Would not this approach be the greatest and most effective presentation of the
good news of the kingdom?”[169] Without
the preferential option for the poor, “the proclamation of the Gospel, which is
itself the prime form of charity, risks being misunderstood or submerged by the
ocean of words which daily engulfs us in today’s society of mass
communications”.[170]
200.
Since this Exhortation is addressed to members of the Catholic Church, I want
to say, with regret, that the worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the
lack of spiritual care. The great majority of the poor have a special openness
to the faith; they need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship,
his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of
growth and maturity in the faith. Our preferential option for the poormust
mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care.
201.
No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because their own
lifestyle demands more attention to other areas. This is an excuse commonly
heard in academic, business or professional, and even ecclesial circles. While
it is quite true that the essential vocation and mission of the lay faithful is
to strive that earthly realities and all human activity may be transformed by
the Gospel,[171] none
of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice:
“Spiritual conversion, the intensity of the love of God and neighbour, zeal for
justice and peace, the Gospel meaning of the poor and of poverty, are required
of everyone”.[172] I
fear that these words too may give rise to commentary or discussion with
no real practical effect. That being said, I trust in the openness and
readiness of all Christians, and I ask you to seek, as a community, creative
ways of accepting this renewed call.
202.
The need to resolve the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed, not
only for the pragmatic reason of its urgency for the good order of society, but
because society needs to be cured of a sickness which is weakening and frustrating
it, and which can only lead to new crises. Welfare projects, which meet certain
urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses. As long as the
problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute
autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural
causes of inequality,[173]no
solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any
problems. Inequality is the root of social ills.
203.
The dignity of each human person and the pursuit of the common good are
concerns which ought to shape all economic policies. At times, however, they
seem to be a mere addendum imported from without in order to fill out a
political discourse lacking in perspectives or plans for true and integral
development. How many words prove irksome to this system! It is irksome when
the question of ethics is raised, when global solidarity is invoked, when the
distribution of goods is mentioned, when reference in made to protecting labour
and defending the dignity of the powerless, when allusion is made to a God who
demands a commitment to justice. At other times these issues are exploited by a
rhetoric which cheapens them. Casual indifference in the face of such questions
empties our lives and our words of all meaning. Business is a vocation, and a
noble vocation, provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by
a greater meaning in life; this will enable them truly to serve the common good
by striving to increase the goods of this world and to make them more
accessible to all.
204.
We can no longer trust in the unseen forces and the invisible hand of the
market. Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while
presupposing such growth: it requires decisions, programmes, mechanisms and
processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation
of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor which goes
beyond a simple welfare mentality. I am far from proposing an irresponsible
populism, but the economy can no longer turn to remedies that are a new poison,
such as attempting to increase profits by reducing the work force and thereby
adding to the ranks of the excluded.
205.
I ask God to give us more politicians capable of sincere and effective dialogue
aimed at healing the deepest roots – and not simply the appearances – of the evils
in our world! Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and
one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good.[174] We
need to be convinced that charity “is the principle not only of
micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups)
but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones)”.[175] I
beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the
state of society, the people, the lives of the poor! It is vital that
government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons,
working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and
healthcare. Why not turn to God and ask him to inspire their plans? I am firmly
convinced that openness to the transcendent can bring about a new political and
economic mindset which would help to break down the wall of separation between
the economy and the common good of society.
206.
Economy, as the very word indicates, should be the art of achieving a fitting
management of our common home, which is the world as a whole. Each meaningful
economic decision made in one part of the world has repercussions everywhere
else; consequently, no government can act without regard for shared
responsibility. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to
find local solutions for enormous global problems which overwhelm local
politics with difficulties to resolve. If we really want to achieve a healthy
world economy, what is needed at this juncture of history is a more efficient
way of interacting which, with due regard for the sovereignty of each nation,
ensures the economic well-being of all countries, not just of a few.
207.
Any Church community, if it thinks it can comfortably go its own way without
creative concern and effective cooperation in helping the poor to live with
dignity and reaching out to everyone, will also risk breaking down, however
much it may talk about social issues or criticize governments. It will easily
drift into a spiritual worldliness camouflaged by religious practices,
unproductive meetings and empty talk.
208.
If anyone feels offended by my words, I would respond that I speak them with
affection and with the best of intentions, quite apart from any personal
interest or political ideology. My words are not those of a foe or an opponent.
I am interested only in helping those who are in thrall to an individualistic,
indifferent and self-centred mentality to be freed from those unworthy chains
and to attain a way of living and thinking which is more humane, noble and
fruitful, and which will bring dignity to their presence on this earth.
209.
Jesus, the evangelizer par excellence and the Gospel in person, identifies
especially with the little ones (cf. Mt25:40). This reminds us
Christians that we are called to care for the vulnerable of the earth. But the
current model, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance, does not appear
to favour an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak or the less
talented to find opportunities in life.
210.
It is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability, in
which we are called to recognize the suffering Christ, even if this appears to
bring us no tangible and immediate benefits. I think of the homeless, the
addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly
isolated and abandoned, and many others.Migrants present a particular challenge
for me, since I am the pastor of a Church without frontiers, a Church which
considers herself mother to all. For this reason, I exhort all countries to a
generous openness which, rather than fearing the loss of local identity, will
prove capable of creating new forms of cultural synthesis. How beautiful are
those cities which overcome paralysing mistrust, integrate those who are
different and make this very integration a new factor of development! How
attractive are those cities which, even in their architectural design, are full
of spaces which connect, relate and favour the recognition of others!
211.
I have always been distressed at the lot of those who are victims of various
kinds of human trafficking. How I wish that all of us would hear God’s cry:
“Where is your brother?” (Gen 4:9). Where is your brother or sister
who is enslaved? Where is the brother and sister whom you are
killing each day in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in
children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented labour. Let us not look
the other way. There is greater complicity than we think. The issue involves
everyone! This infamous network of crime is now well established in our cities,
and many people have blood on their hands as a result of their comfortable and
silent complicity.
212.
Doubly poor are those women who endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment
and violence, since they are frequently less able to defend their rights. Even
so, we constantly witness among them impressive examples of daily heroism in
defending and protecting their vulnerable families.
213.
Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love
and concern are unborn children, the most defenceless and innocent among us.
Nowadays efforts are made to deny them their human dignity and to do with them
whatever one pleases, taking their lives and passing laws preventing anyone
from standing in the way of this. Frequently, as a way of ridiculing the
Church’s effort to defend their lives, attempts are made to present her
position as ideological, obscurantist and conservative. Yet this defence of
unborn life is closely linked to the defence of each and every other human
right. It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and
inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. Human beings
are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems. Once this
conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defence of
human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers
that be. Reason alone is sufficient to recognize the inviolable value of each
single human life, but if we also look at the issue from the standpoint of
faith, “every violation of the personal dignity of the human being cries out in
vengeance to God and is an offence against the creator of the individual”.[176]
214.
Precisely because this involves the internal consistency of our message about
the value of the human person, the Church cannot be expected to change her
position on this question. I want to be completely honest in this regard. This
is not something subject to alleged reforms or “modernizations”. It is not
“progressive” to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life. On the
other hand, it is also true that we have done little to adequately accompany
women in very difficult situations, where abortion appears as a quick solution
to their profound anguish, especially when the life developing within them is
the result of rape or a situation of extreme poverty. Who can remain unmoved
before such painful situations?
215.
There are other weak and defenceless beings who are frequently at the mercy of
economic interests or indiscriminate exploitation. I am speaking of creation as
a whole. We human beings are not only the beneficiaries but also the stewards
of other creatures. Thanks to our bodies, God has joined us so closely to the
world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a
physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement.
Let us not leave in our wake a swath of destruction and death which will affect
our own lives and those of future generations.[177] Here
I would make my own the touching and prophetic lament voiced some years ago by
the bishops of the Philippines: “An incredible variety of insects lived in the
forest and were busy with all kinds of tasks… Birds flew through the air, their
bright plumes and varying calls adding color and song to the green of the
forests… God intended this land for us, his special creatures, but not so that
we might destroy it and turn it into a wasteland… After a single night’s rain,
look at the chocolate brown rivers in your locality and remember that they are
carrying the life blood of the land into the sea… How can fish swim in sewers
like the Pasig and so many more rivers which we have polluted? Who has turned
the wonderworld of the seas into underwater cemeteries bereft of color and
life?”[178]
216.
Small yet strong in the love of God, like Saint Francis of Assisi, all of us,
as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which
we live, and all its peoples.
217.
We have spoken at length about joy and love, but the word of God also speaks
about the fruit of peace (cf. Gal5:22).
218.
Peace in society cannot be understood as pacification or the mere absence of
violence resulting from the domination of one part of society over others. Nor
does true peace act as a pretext for justifying a social structure which
silences or appeases the poor, so that the more affluent can placidly support
their lifestyle while others have to make do as they can. Demands involving the
distribution of wealth, concern for the poor and human rights cannot be
suppressed under the guise of creating a consensus on paper or a transient
peace for a contented minority. The dignity of the human person and the common
good rank higher than the comfort of those who refuse to renounce their
privileges. When these values are threatened, a prophetic voice must be raised.
219.
Nor is peace “simply the absence of warfare, based on a precarious balance of
power; it is fashioned by efforts directed day after day towards the
establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect
justice among men”.[179] In
the end, a peace which is not the result of integral development will be
doomed; it will always spawn new conflicts and various forms of violence.
220.
People in every nation enhance the social dimension of their lives by acting as
committed and responsible citizens, not as a mob swayed by the powers that be.
Let us not forget that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation
in political life is a moral obligation”.[180] Yet
becoming a people demands something more. It is an ongoing
process in which every new generation must take part: a slow and arduous effort
calling for a desire for integration and a willingness to achieve this through
the growth of a peaceful and multifaceted culture of encounter.
221.
Progress in building a people in peace, justice and fraternity depends on four
principles related to constant tensions present in every social reality. These
derive from the pillars of the Church’s social doctrine, which serve as
“primary and fundamental parameters of reference for interpreting and
evaluating social phenomena”.[181] In
their light I would now like to set forth these four specific principles which
can guide the development of life in society and the building of a people where
differences are harmonized within a shared pursuit. I do so out of the
conviction that their application can be a genuine path to peace within each
nation and in the entire world.
222.
A constant tension exists between fullness and limitation. Fullness evokes the
desire for complete possession, while limitation is a wall set before us.
Broadly speaking, “time” has to do with fullness as an expression of the
horizon which constantly opens before us, while each individual moment has to
do with limitation as an expression of enclosure. People live poised between
each individual moment and the greater, brighter horizon of the utopian future
as the final cause which draws us to itself. Here we see a first principle for
progress in building a people: time is greater than space.
223.
This principle enables us to work slowly but surely, without being obsessed
with immediate results. It helps us patiently to endure difficult and adverse
situations, or inevitable changes in our plans. It invites us to accept the
tension between fullness and limitation, and to give a priority to time. One of
the faults which we occasionally observe in sociopolitical activity is that
spaces and power are preferred to time and processes. Giving priority to space
means madly attempting to keep everything together in the present, trying to
possess all the spaces of power and of self-assertion; it is to crystallize
processes and presume to hold them back. Giving priority to time means being
concerned about initiating processes rather than possessing spaces.
Time governs spaces, illumines them and makes them links in a constantly
expanding chain, with no possibility of return. What we need, then, is to give
priority to actions which generate new processes in society and engage other
persons and groups who can develop them to the point where they bear fruit in
significant historical events. Without anxiety, but with clear convictions and
tenacity.
224.
Sometimes I wonder if there are people in today’s world who are really
concerned about generating processes of people-building, as opposed to
obtaining immediate results which yield easy, quick short-term political gains,
but do not enhance human fullness. History will perhaps judge the latter with
the criterion set forth by Romano Guardini: “The only measure for properly
evaluating an age is to ask to what extent it fosters the development and
attainment of a full and authentically meaningful human existence, in
accordance with the peculiar character and the capacities of that age”.[182]
225.
This criterion also applies to evangelization, which calls for attention to the
bigger picture, openness to suitable processes and concern for the long run.
The Lord himself, during his earthly life, often warned his disciples that
there were things they could not yet understand and that they would have to
await the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 16:12-13). The parable of the
weeds among the wheat (cf. Mt 13:24-30) graphically
illustrates an important aspect of evangelization: the enemy can intrude upon
the kingdom and sow harm, but ultimately he is defeated by the goodness of the
wheat.
226.
Conflict cannot be ignored or concealed. It has to be faced. But if we remain
trapped in conflict, we lose our perspective, our horizons shrink and reality
itself begins to fall apart. In the midst of conflict, we lose our sense of the
profound unity of reality.
227.
When conflict arises, some people simply look at it and go their way as if
nothing happened; they wash their hands of it and get on with their lives.
Others embrace it in such a way that they become its prisoners; they lose their
bearings, project onto institutions their own confusion and dissatisfaction and
thus make unity impossible. But there is also a third way, and it is the best
way to deal with conflict. It is the willingness to face conflict head on, to
resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process. “Blessed are
the peacemakers!” (Mt 5:9).
228.
In this way it becomes possible to build communion amid disagreement, but this
can only be achieved by those great persons who are willing to go beyond the
surface of the conflict and to see others in their deepest dignity. This
requires acknowledging a principle indispensable to the building of friendship
in society: namely, that unity is greater than conflict. Solidarity, in its
deepest and most challenging sense, thus becomes a way of making history in a
life setting where conflicts, tensions and oppositions can achieve a
diversified and life-giving unity. This is not to opt for a kind of syncretism,
or for the absorption of one into the other, but rather for a resolution which
takes place on higher plane and preserves what is valid and useful on both
sides.
229.
This principle, drawn from the Gospel, reminds us that Christ has made all
things one in himself: heaven and earth, God and man, time and eternity, flesh
and spirit, person and society. The sign of this unity and reconciliation of
all things in him is peace. Christ “is our peace” (Eph 2:14). The
Gospel message always begins with a greeting of peace, and peace at all times
crowns and confirms the relations between the disciples. Peace is possible
because the Lord has overcome the world and its constant conflict “by making
peace through the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20). But if we look
more closely at these biblical texts, we find that the locus of this
reconciliation of differences is within ourselves, in our own lives, ever
threatened as they are by fragmentation and breakdown.[183] If
hearts are shattered in thousands of pieces, it is not easy to create authentic
peace in society.
230.
The message of peace is not about a negotiated settlement but rather the
conviction that the unity brought by the Spirit can harmonize every diversity.
It overcomes every conflict by creating a new and promising synthesis.
Diversity is a beautiful thing when it can constantly enter into a process of
reconciliation and seal a sort of cultural covenant resulting in a “reconciled
diversity”. As the bishops of the Congo have put it: “Our ethnic diversity is
our wealth… It is only in unity, through conversion of hearts and
reconciliation, that we will be able to help our country to develop on all levels”.[184]
231.
There also exists a constant tension between ideas and realities. Realities
simply are, whereas ideas are worked out. There has to be continuous dialogue
between the two, lest ideas become detached from realities. It is dangerous to
dwell in the realm of words alone, of images and rhetoric. So a third principle
comes into play: realities are greater than ideas. This calls for rejecting the
various means of masking reality: angelic forms of purity, dictatorships of
relativism, empty rhetoric, objectives more ideal than real, brands of ahistorical
fundamentalism, ethical systems bereft of kindness, intellectual discourse
bereft of wisdom.
232.
Ideas – conceptual elaborations – are at the service of communication,
understanding, and praxis. Ideas disconnected from realities give rise to ineffectual
forms of idealism and nominalism, capable at most of classifying and defining,
but certainly not calling to action. What calls us to action are realities
illuminated by reason. Formal nominalism has to give way to harmonious
objectivity. Otherwise, the truth is manipulated, cosmetics take the place of
real care for our bodies.[185] We
have politicians – and even religious leaders – who wonder why people do not
understand and follow them, since their proposals are so clear and logical.
Perhaps it is because they are stuck in the realm of pure ideas and end up
reducing politics or faith to rhetoric. Others have left simplicity behind and
have imported a rationality foreign to most people.
233.
Realities are greater than ideas. This principle has to do with incarnation of
the word and its being put into practice: “By this you know the Spirit of God:
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God”
(1 Jn 4:2). The principle of reality, of a word already made flesh
and constantly striving to take flesh anew, is essential to evangelization. It
helps us to see that the Church’s history is a history of salvation, to be
mindful of those saints who inculturated the Gospel in the life of our peoples
and to reap the fruits of the Church’s rich bimillennial tradition, without
pretending to come up with a system of thought detached from this treasury, as
if we wanted to reinvent the Gospel. At the same time, this principle impels us
to put the word into practice, to perform works of justice and charity which
make that word fruitful. Not to put the word into practice, not to make it
reality, is to build on sand, to remain in the realm of pure ideas and to end
up in a lifeless and unfruitful self-centredness and gnosticism.
234.
An innate tension also exists between globalization and localization. We need
to pay attention to the global so as to avoid narrowness and banality. Yet we
also need to look to the local, which keeps our feet on the ground. Together,
the two prevent us from falling into one of two extremes. In the first, people get
caught up in an abstract, globalized universe, falling into step behind
everyone else, admiring the glitter of other people’s world, gaping and
applauding at all the right times. At the other extreme, they turn into a
museum of local folklore, a world apart, doomed to doing the same things over
and over, and incapable of being challenged by novelty or appreciating the
beauty which God bestows beyond their borders.
235.
The whole is greater than the part, but it is also greater than the sum of its
parts. There is no need, then, to be overly obsessed with limited and
particular questions. We constantly have to broaden our horizons and see the
greater good which will benefit us all. But this has to be done without evasion
or uprooting. We need to sink our roots deeper into the fertile soil and
history of our native place, which is a gift of God. We can work on a small
scale, in our own neighbourhood, but with a larger perspective. Nor do people
who wholeheartedly enter into the life of a community need to lose their
individualism or hide their identity; instead, they receive new impulses to
personal growth. The global need not stifle, nor the particular prove barren.
236.
Here our model is not the sphere, which is no greater than its parts, where
every point is equidistant from the centre, and there are no differences
between them. Instead, it is the polyhedron, which reflects the convergence of
all its parts, each of which preserves its distinctiveness. Pastoral and
political activity alike seek to gather in this polyhedron the best of each.
There is a place for the poor and their culture, their aspirations and their
potential. Even people who can be considered dubious on account of their errors
have something to offer which must not be overlooked. It is the convergence of
peoples who, within the universal order, maintain their own individuality; it
is the sum total of persons within a society which pursues the common good,
which truly has a place for everyone.
237.
To Christians, this principle also evokes the totality or integrity of the
Gospel which the Church passes down to us and sends us forth to proclaim. Its
fullness and richness embrace scholars and workers, businessmen and artists, in
a word, everyone. The genius of each people receives in its own way the entire
Gospel and embodies it in expressions of prayer, fraternity, justice, struggle
and celebration. The good news is the joy of the Father who desires that none
of his little ones be lost, the joy of the Good Shepherd who finds the lost
sheep and brings it back to the flock. The Gospel is the leaven which causes
the dough to rise and the city on the hill whose light illumines all peoples.
The Gospel has an intrinsic principle of totality: it will always remain good
news until it has been proclaimed to all people, until it has healed and
strengthened every aspect of humanity, until it has brought all men and women
together at table in God’s kingdom. The whole is greater than the part.
238.
Evangelization also involves the path of dialogue. For the Church today, three
areas of dialogue stand out where she needs to be present in order to promote
full human development and to pursue the common good: dialogue with states,
dialogue with society – including dialogue with cultures and the sciences – and
dialogue with other believers who are not part of the Catholic Church. In each
case, “the Church speaks from the light which faith offers”,[186]contributing
her two thousand year experience and keeping ever in mind the life and
sufferings of human beings. This light transcends human reason, yet it can also
prove meaningful and enriching to those who are not believers and it stimulates
reason to broaden its perspectives.
239.
The Church proclaims “the Gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15) and she
wishes to cooperate with all national and international authorities in
safeguarding this immense universal good. By preaching Jesus Christ, who is
himself peace (cf. Eph 2:14), the new evangelization calls on
every baptized person to be a peacemaker and a credible witness to a reconciled
life.[187] In
a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter, it is time to
devise a means for building consensus and agreement while seeking the goal of a
just, responsive and inclusive society. The principal author, the historic
subject of this process, is the people as a whole and their culture, and not a
single class, minority, group or elite. We do not need plans drawn up by a few
for the few, or an enlightened or outspoken minority which claims to speak for
everyone. It is about agreeing to live together, a social and cultural pact.
240.
It is the responsibility of the State to safeguard and promote the common good
of society.[188] Based
on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, and fully committed to
political dialogue and consensus building, it plays a fundamental role, one
which cannot be delegated, in working for the integral development of all. This
role, at present, calls for profound social humility.
241.
In her dialogue with the State and with society, the Church does not have
solutions for every particular issue. Together with the various sectors of
society, she supports those programmes which best respond to the dignity of
each person and the common good. In doing this, she proposes in a clear way the
fundamental values of human life and convictions which can then find expression
in political activity.
242.
Dialogue between science and faith also belongs to the work of evangelization
at the service of peace.[189]Whereas
positivism and scientism “refuse to admit the validity of forms of knowledge
other than those of the positive sciences”,[190] the
Church proposes another path, which calls for a synthesis between the
responsible use of methods proper to the empirical sciences and other areas of
knowledge such as philosophy, theology, as well as faith itself, which elevates
us to the mystery transcending nature and human intelligence. Faith is not
fearful of reason; on the contrary, it seeks and trusts reason, since “the
light of reason and the light of faith both come from God”[191]and
cannot contradict each other. Evangelization is attentive to scientific
advances and wishes to shed on them the light of faith and the natural law so
that they will remain respectful of the centrality and supreme value of the
human person at every stage of life. All of society can be enriched thanks to
this dialogue, which opens up new horizons for thought and expands the
possibilities of reason. This too is a path of harmony and peace.
243.
The Church has no wish to hold back the marvellous progress of science. On the
contrary, she rejoices and even delights in acknowledging the enormous
potential that God has given to the human mind. Whenever the sciences –
rigorously focused on their specific field of inquiry – arrive at a conclusion
which reason cannot refute, faith does not contradict it. Neither can believers
claim that a scientific opinion which is attractive but not sufficiently verified
has the same weight as a dogma of faith. At times some scientists have exceeded
the limits of their scientific competence by making certain statements or
claims. But here the problem is not with reason itself, but with the promotion
of a particular ideology which blocks the path to authentic, serene and
productive dialogue.
244.
Commitment to ecumenism responds to the prayer of the Lord Jesus that “they may
all be one” (Jn 17:21). The credibility of the Christian message
would be much greater if Christians could overcome their divisions and the
Church could realize “the fullness of catholicity proper to her in those of her
children who, though joined to her by baptism, are yet separated from full
communion with her”.[192] We
must never forget that we are pilgrims journeying alongside one another. This
means that we must have sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all
suspicion or mistrust, and turn our gaze to what we are all seeking: the
radiant peace of God’s face. Trusting others is an art and peace is an art.
Jesus told us: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9). In taking up
this task, also among ourselves, we fulfil the ancient prophecy: “They shall
beat their swords into ploughshares” (Is 2:4).
245.
In this perspective, ecumenism can be seen as a contribution to the unity of
the human family. At the Synod, the presence of the Patriarch of
Constantinople, His Holiness Bartholomaios I, and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
His Grace Rowan Williams, was a true gift from God and a precious Christian
witness.[193]
246.
Given the seriousness of the counter-witness of division among Christians,
particularly in Asia and Africa, the search for paths to unity becomes all the
more urgent. Missionaries on those continents often mention the criticisms,
complaints and ridicule to which the scandal of divided Christians gives rise.
If we concentrate on the convictions we share, and if we keep in mind the
principle of the hierarchy of truths, we will be able to progress decidedly
towards common expressions of proclamation, service and witness. The immense
numbers of people who have not received the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot leave
us indifferent. Consequently, commitment to a unity which helps them to accept
Jesus Christ can no longer be a matter of mere diplomacy or forced compliance,
but rather an indispensable path to evangelization. Signs of division between
Christians in countries ravaged by violence add further causes of conflict on
the part of those who should instead be a leaven of peace. How many important
things unite us! If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the
Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being
better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown
in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us. To give but one example, in
the dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, we Catholics have the
opportunity to learn more about the meaning of episcopal collegiality and their
experience of synodality. Through an exchange of gifts, the Spirit can lead us
ever more fully into truth and goodness.
247.
We hold the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has
never been revoked, for “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29).
The Church, which shares with Jews an important part of the sacred Scriptures,
looks upon the people of the covenant and their faith as one of the sacred
roots of her own Christian identity (cf. Rom 11:16-18). As
Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion; nor do we include
the Jews among those called to turn from idols and to serve the true God
(cf. 1 Thes 1:9). With them, we believe in the one God who
acts in history, and with them we accept his revealed word.
248.
Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of
Jesus’ disciples. The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly
and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and
continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians.
249.
God continues to work among the people of the Old Covenant and to bring forth
treasures of wisdom which flow from their encounter with his word. For this
reason, the Church also is enriched when she receives the values of Judaism.
While it is true that certain Christian beliefs are unacceptable to Judaism,
and that the Church cannot refrain from proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Messiah,
there exists as well a rich complementarity which allows us to read the texts
of the Hebrew Scriptures together and to help one another to mine the riches of
God’s word. We can also share many ethical convictions and a common concern for
justice and the development of peoples.
250.
An attitude of openness in truth and in love must characterize the dialogue
with the followers of non-Christian religions, in spite of various obstacles
and difficulties, especially forms of fundamentalism on both sides.
Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so
it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities. This
dialogue is in first place a conversation about human existence or simply, as
the bishops of India have put it, a matter of “being open to them, sharing
their joys and sorrows”.[194] In
this way we learn to accept others and their different ways of living, thinking
and speaking. We can then join one another in taking up the duty of serving
justice and peace, which should become a basic principle of all our exchanges.
A dialogue which seeks social peace and justice is in itself, beyond all merely
practical considerations, an ethical commitment which brings about a new social
situation. Efforts made in dealing with a specific theme can become a process
in which, by mutual listening, both parts can be purified and enriched. These
efforts, therefore, can also express love for truth.
251.
In this dialogue, ever friendly and sincere, attention must always be paid to
the essential bond between dialogue and proclamation, which leads the Church to
maintain and intensify her relationship with non-Christians.[195] A
facile syncretism would ultimately be a totalitarian gesture on the part of
those who would ignore greater values of which they are not the masters. True
openness involves remaining steadfast in one’s deepest convictions, clear and
joyful in one’s own identity, while at the same time being “open to
understanding those of the other party” and “knowing that dialogue can enrich
each side”.[196] What
is not helpful is a diplomatic openness which says “yes” to everything in order
to avoid problems, for this would be a way of deceiving others and denying them
the good which we have been given to share generously with others.
Evangelization and interreligious dialogue, far from being opposed, mutually
support and nourish one another.[197]
252.
Our relationship with the followers of Islam has taken on great importance,
since they are now significantly present in many traditionally Christian countries,
where they can freely worship and become fully a part of society. We must never
forget that they “profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us
they adore the one, merciful God, who will judge humanity on the last day”.[198] The
sacred writings of Islam have retained some Christian teachings; Jesus and Mary
receive profound veneration and it is admirable to see how Muslims both young
and old, men and women, make time for daily prayer and faithfully take part in
religious services. Many of them also have a deep conviction that their life,
in its entirety, is from God and for God. They also acknowledge the need to
respond to God with an ethical commitment and with mercy towards those most in
need.
253.
In order to sustain dialogue with Islam, suitable training is essential for all
involved, not only so that they can be solidly and joyfully grounded in their
own identity, but so that they can also acknowledge the values of others,
appreciate the concerns underlying their demands and shed light on shared
beliefs. We Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim
immigrants to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received
and respected in countries of Islamic tradition. I ask and I humbly entreat
those countries to grant Christians freedom to worship and to practice their
faith, in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in Western
countries! Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our
respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful
generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are
opposed to every form of violence.
254.
Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their
own consciences, can live “justified by the grace of God”,[199] and
thus be “associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ”.[200] But
due to the sacramental dimension of sanctifying grace, God’s working in them
tends to produce signs and rites, sacred expressions which in turn bring others
to a communitarian experience of journeying towards God.[201] While
these lack the meaning and efficacy of the sacraments instituted by Christ,
they can be channels which the Holy Spirit raises up in order to liberate
non-Christians from atheistic immanentism or from purely individual religious
experiences. The same Spirit everywhere brings forth various forms
of practical wisdom which help people to bear suffering and to live in greater
peace and harmony. As Christians, we can also benefit from these treasures
built up over many centuries, which can help us better to live our own beliefs.
255.
The Synod Fathers spoke of the importance of respect for religious freedom,
viewed as a fundamental human right.[202] This
includes “the freedom to choose the religion which one judges to be true and to
manifest one’s beliefs in public”.[203] A
healthy pluralism, one which genuinely respects differences and values them as
such, does not entail privatizing religions in an attempt to reduce them to the
quiet obscurity of the individual’s conscience or to relegate them to the
enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques. This would represent, in
effect, a new form of discrimination and authoritarianism. The respect due to
the agnostic or non-believing minority should not be arbitrarily imposed in a
way that silences the convictions of the believing majority or ignores the
wealth of religious traditions. In the long run, this would feed resentment rather
than tolerance and peace.
256.
When considering the effect of religion on public life, one must distinguish
the different ways in which it is practiced. Intellectuals and serious
journalists frequently descend to crude and superficial generalizations in
speaking of the shortcomings of religion, and often prove incapable of
realizing that not all believers – or religious leaders – are the same. Some
politicians take advantage of this confusion to justify acts of discrimination.
At other times, contempt is shown for writings which reflect religious
convictions, overlooking the fact that religious classics can prove meaningful
in every age; they have an enduring power to open new horizons, to stimulate
thought, to expand the mind and the heart. This contempt is due to the myopia
of a certain rationalism. Is it reasonable and enlightened to dismiss certain
writings simply because they arose in a context of religious belief? These
writings include principles which are profoundly humanistic and, albeit tinged
with religious symbols and teachings, they have a certain value for reason.
257.
As believers, we also feel close to those who do not consider themselves part
of any religious tradition, yet sincerely seek the truth, goodness and beauty
which we believe have their highest expression and source in God. We consider
them as precious allies in the commitment to defending human dignity, in
building peaceful coexistence between peoples and in protecting creation. A
special place of encounter is offered by new Areopagi such as the Court of the
Gentiles, where “believers and non-believers are able to engage in dialogue
about fundamental issues of ethics, art and science, and about the search for
transcendence”.[204] This
too is a path to peace in our troubled world.
258. Starting from certain social
issues of great importance for the future of humanity, I have tried to make
explicit once again the inescapable social dimension of the Gospel message and
to encourage all Christians to demonstrate it by their words, attitudes and
deeds.
[140] PAUL
VI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (8
December 1975), 17: AAS 68 (1976), 17.
[141] JOHN
PAUL II, Message to the Handicapped, Angelus (16 November 1980): Insegnamenti,
3/2 (1980), 1232.
[142] PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, 52.
[147] FIFTH
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document, 29 June 2007, 380.
[149] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America (22
January 1999), 27: AAS 91 (1999), 762.
[150] BENEDICT
XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005),
28: AAS 98 (2006), 239-240.
[151] PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, 12.
[153] CONGREGATION
FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction Libertatis Nuntius (6
August 1984), XI, 1: AAS 76 (1984), 903.
[154] PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, 157.
[158] CONFERÊNCIA
NACIONAL DOS BISPOS DO BRAZIL, Exigências evangélicas e éticas de
superação da miséria e da fome” (April 2002), Introduction, 2.
[161] CONGREGATION
FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction Libertatis Nuntius (6
August 1984), XI, 18: AAS 76 (1984), 907-908.
[163] JOHN
PAUL II, Homily at Mass for the Evangelization of Peoples in Santo Domingo (11
October 1984), 5: AAS 77 (1985), 358.
[164] JOHN
PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30
December 1987), 42: AAS 80 (1988), 572.
[165] Address
at the Inaugural Session of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American
and Caribbean Bishops (13 May 2007), 3: AAS 99 (2007), 450.
[169] JOHN
PAUL II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January
2001), 50: AAS 93 (2001), 303.
[172] CONGREGATION
FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction Libertatis Nuntius (6
August 1984), XI, 18: AAS 76 (1984), 908.
[173] This
implies a commitment to “eliminate the structural causes of global economic
dysfunction”: BENEDICT XVI,Address to the Diplomatic Corps (8
January 2007): AAS 99 (2007), 73.
[174] Cf.
COMMISSION SOCIALE DE L’ÉPISCOPAT FRANÇAIS, Réhabiliter la politique (17
February 1999); cf. PIUS XI, Message of 18 December 1927.
[176] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (30
December 1988), 37: AAS 81 (1989), 461.
[178] CATHOLIC
BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Pastoral Letter What is
Happening to our Beautiful Land? (29 January 1988).
[180] UNITED
STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS, Pastoral Letter Forming
Conscience for Faithful Citizenship (November 2007), 13.
[181] PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, 161.
[184] COMITÉ
PERMANENT DE LA CONFÉRENCE ÉPISCOPALE NATIONALE DU CONGO, Message sur
la situation sécuritaire dans le pays (5 December 2012), 11.
[188] Cf. Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 1910; PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND
PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 168.
[191] SAINT
THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa contra Gentiles, I, 7; cf. JOHN PAUL II,
Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio (14 September 1998), 43: AAS
91 (1999), 39.
[194] INDIAN
BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Final Declaration of the XXX Assembly: The Role of
the Church for a Better India (8 March 2013), 8.9.
[197] Cf.
BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Roman Curia (21 December 2012): AAS
105 (2006), 51; SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree on the Missionary
Activity of the Church Ad Gentes, 9; Catechism of the
Catholic Church, 856.
[199] INTERNATIONAL
THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION, Christianity and the World Religions (1996),
72: Enchiridion Vaticanum 15, No. 1061.
[203] BENEDICT
XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (14
September 2012), 26: AAS 104 (2012), 762.
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