Brian R Corbin's Reflections on Religion and Life

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May 21, 2008 • 3:48 pm 0

Holy See UN Permanent Observer: Agriculture

INVESTING IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMMES

VATICAN CITY, 21 MAY 2008 (VIS) – On 16 May, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, pronounced a discourse during the 16th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development of the U.N. Economic and Social Council.
“Investing in long-term and sustainable agriculture programmes at the local and international levels remains central to the development prospects of so many”, he said in his English-language remarks. “This investment must be done in a way that addresses the prices of food commodities as well as the distribution and production of food around the world, in particular in Africa”.

Noting the fact that “seventy percent of the world’s poor live in the same rural areas where widespread chronic malnourishment continues to persist” archbishop Migliore explained that this “illustrates that in addressing sustainable development we must continue to focus not merely upon those who consume food commodities but also upon those who produce it.

“Greater investment in small-holder farmers which enables them to increase production in a sustainable manner would provide an important element to addressing the continued presence of chronic hunger and malnourishment in certain regions”, he concluded.
DELSS/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT/U.N.:MIGLIORE VIS 080521 (200)

Filed under: Social Doctrine, Social Justice

May 13, 2008 • 11:22 pm 0

Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples

PLENARY ASSEMBLY ON EMIGRANT AND ITINERANT FAMILIES

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAY 2008 (VIS) – “The emigrant and itinerant family” is the theme of the 18th plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, which was inaugurated this morning by Cardinal Renato Martino, president of that dicastery.

In his opening address, the cardinal drew from the most recent documents published by the pontifical council, in order to illustrate the pastoral guidelines it follows in the various areas in which it undertakes its mission.

A communique released by the council explains that the plenary – which is being held in the Vatican from 13 to 15 May – is to be attended by 26 members, including cardinals, archbishops and bishops from various countries, and by 14 consultors, also of various nationalities, specialists in the various aspects of human mobility with which the council concerns itself. These aspects, listed by the communique, are: emigrants, refugees and displaced persons, foreign students, nomads, circus workers, tourists and pilgrims, seafarers, airport workers, drivers, women and children who live on the streets, and people of no fixed abode.

Over these days the plenary assembly is also scheduled to include testimonies from people who work directly with families in certain sectors of human mobility, from various countries: Australia , U.S.A. , Colombia , Dominican Republic , Great Britain , France , Italy , Spain and Germany .

CON-SM/MIGRANT FAMILIES/… VIS 080513 (230)

Filed under: Migration, Social Justice

May 8, 2008 • 12:18 am 0

Papal Message on Disarmament, Development and Peace
“Promote the Good of Every Man and of the Whole Man”

VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2008 ( Zenit.org ).- Here is a Vatican translation of the message Benedict XVI addressed to Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The message was sent on the occasion of an April 11-12 conference in Rome titled: “Disarmament, Development and Peace: Prospects for Integral Disarmament.”

* * *

Venerable Brother
Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino
President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

I have great pleasure in sending a cordial greeting to the participants in the International Seminar organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on the theme: “Disarmament, Development and Peace. Prospects for Integral Disarmament”, and express my deep appreciation of such a timely initiative. I assure you, Your Eminence, and all who are taking part of my spiritual closeness.

The subject on which you are intending to reflect is more topical than ever. Humanity has made formidable progress in science and technology. Human ingenuity has resulted in achievements that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. At the same time, some areas in the world are still without adequate human and material development; many peoples and people lack the most fundamental rights and freedoms. Even in regions of the world where there is a high standard of living, pockets of marginalization and poverty seem to be spreading. Although the worldwide globalization process has opened new horizons, it has not yet brought the hoped-for results. And although after all the horror of the Second World War the human family gave proof of a great civilization by founding the United Nations Organization, today the international community seems at a loss. In various areas of the world tension and war persist, and even where the tragedy of war is not being played out there is nonetheless a widespread feeling of fear and insecurity. Furthermore, phenomena such as terrorism on a world scale make the boundary between peace and war transient, seriously jeopardizing the hope of humanity’s future.

How should we respond to these challenges? How can we recognize the “signs of the times”?

Joint action is certainly needed at the political, economic and juridical levels, but even before that we need to reflect together on the moral and spiritual level: the promotion of a “new humanism” seems to be ever more urgently necessary in order to enlighten human beings on the understanding of themselves and the meaning of their journey through history. In this regard the teaching of the Servant of God Pope Paul VI and his proposal of an integral humanism, which aims, in other words, “to promote the good of every man and of the whole man”, is more timely than ever (Populorum Progressio, n. 14). Development cannot be reduced to mere economic growth: it must include the moral and spiritual dimensions. At the same time, an authentic and integral humanism can only consist of solidarity, and solidarity is one of the loftiest expressions of the human spirit; it is one of the natural duties of the human being (cf. Jas 2: 15-16), applicable to both individuals and peoples (cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 86); the full development of peace depends on the implementation of this duty. Indeed, when man pursues material well-being alone, remaining absorbed in himself, he bars the way to his own total fulfilment and authentic happiness.

At your Seminar you are reflecting on three interdependent issues: disarmament, development and peace. Indeed, authentic and lasting peace is inconceivable without the development of every person and people; as Paul VI said: “The new name for peace is development” (Populorum Progressio, n. 87). Nor is a reduction of armaments conceivable without first eliminating violence at its root, that is, without humankind first being determined to seek peace, goodness and justice. Like any form of evil, war originates in the human heart (cf. Mt 15: 19; Mk 7: 20-23). In this sense, disarmament does not only refer to State armaments but involves every person who is called to disarm his own heart and be a peacemaker everywhere.

As long as there is a risk of offence, States will need to be armed for reasons of legitimate defence, which is a right that must be listed among the inalienable rights of States since it is also connected with the duty of States themselves to defend the security and peace of their peoples. Yet an excessive accumulation of arms does not appear legitimate to us, because “a State may possess only those means necessary to assure its legitimate defence” (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, The International Arms Trade, Vatican City, 1994, p. 13). Lack of respect for this “principle of sufficiency” leads to the paradox by which States threaten the life and peace of the peoples they intend to defend, and, from being a guarantee of peace, arms for defence risk becoming a tragic preparation for war.

There is a close connection, then, between disarmament and development. The immense military expenditure, involving material and human resources and arms, is in fact detracted from development projects for peoples, especially the poorest who are most in need of aid. This is contrary to what is stated in the Charter of the United Nations, which engages the international community and States in particular “to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources” (Article 26). In fact, in 1964 Paul VI was already asking States to reduce their military expenditure on armaments and to create a world fund with the amount saved for development projects for the neediest people and peoples (cf. Message to the World, Entrusted to Journalists, 4 December 1964). What, however, is being recorded is that the production and trade in arms are constantly growing and are becoming a driving force in the world economy. Indeed, this trend has resulted in civil and military economies overlapping, as is demonstrated by the continuous distribution of goods and knowledge “for a dual purpose”, that is, for possible double use: civil and military. It is a grave risk in the biological, chemical and nuclear sectors, where civil programmes can never be assured without a general and complete renunciation of military programmes of confrontation. I therefore renew my appeal to States to reduce their military expenditure on weapons and to consider seriously the idea of creating a world fund to finance projects for the peaceful development of peoples.

A close relationship between development and peace also exists in a double sense. War can in fact break out because of serious violations of human rights, injustice and poverty, but one must not overlook the risk of true and proper “wars of well-being”, in other words, wars caused by expansionist ambitions or in order to exercise economic control at the expense of others. Mere material well-being, without a consistent moral and spiritual development, can make man so blind as to incite him to kill his own brother (cf. Jas 4: 1ff.). Today, even more urgently than in the past, the International Community is required to make a decisive option for peace. At the economic level, it is vital to work to ensure that the economy is oriented to the service of the human person, to solidarity and not only to profit. At the juridical level, States are called in particular to renew their commitment to respect the international treaties in force on disarmament and the control of all types of weapons, as well as the ratification and consequent entry into force of the instruments already adopted, such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and to the success of negotiations currently underway, such as those on banning cluster bombs, the trade in conventional weapons or fissionable material. Lastly, every effort is required to prevent the proliferation of light, small calibre weapons which encourage local wars and urban violence and kill too many people in the world every day.

It will nevertheless be difficult to find a solution to the various technical issues without man’s conversion to goodness at the cultural, moral and spiritual levels. Every person, in any walk of life, is called to convert to goodness and to seek peace in his own heart, with his neighbour and in the world. In this regard the Magisterium of Bl. Pope John XXIII is still valid. He clearly pointed out the objective of integral disarmament, saying: “Unless this process of disarmament be thorough-going and complete, and reach men’s very souls, it is impossible to stop the arms race or to reduce armaments…. Everyone must sincerely cooperate in the effort to banish fear and the anxious expectation of war from men’s minds” (Pacem in Terris, 11 April 1963, n. 113 [Vatican Website version]). At the same time, the effect that armaments produce on the human psyche and behaviour should not be ignored. Arms, in fact, tend in turn to increase violence. Paul VI showed his very acute understanding of this aspect in his Discourse to the United Nations General Assembly in 1965. He said at their headquarters, where I am preparing to go in the next few days: “Those weapons, especially the terrible weapons that modern science has given you, long before they produce victims and ruins, cause bad dreams, foster bad feelings, create nightmares, distrust and sombre resolves; they demand enormous expenditure; they obstruct projects of solidarity and useful work; they falsify the very psychology of peoples” (n. 5).

As was said several times by my Predecessors, peace is a gift of God, a precious gift that must also be sought and preserved using human means. It thus requires the contribution of all. A unanimous dissemination of the culture of peace and a common education in peace are becoming more and more necessary, especially for the new generations for whom the adult generations have grave responsibility. Moreover, emphasizing every person’s duty to build peace does not mean neglecting the existence of a true and proper human right to peace. It is a fundamental and inalienable right, indeed, one on which the exercise of all the other rights depends. “Peace is a good so great”, St Augustine wrote, “that even in this earthly and mortal life there is no word we hear with such pleasure, nothing we desire with such zest or find to be more thoroughly gratifying” (City of God, XIX, 11).

Your Eminence and all of you who are taking part in the Seminar, in turning one’s gaze to the concrete situations in which humanity lives today, one might be overcome by a justifiable uneasiness and resignation: in international relations, diffidence and solitude sometimes seem to prevail; peoples feel divided and are at odds with one another. Total war, from being a terrible prediction, risks turning into a tragic reality. Yet war is never inevitable and peace is always possible. Indeed, it is only right! The time has come to change the course of history, to recover trust, to cultivate dialogue, to nourish solidarity. These are the noble objectives that inspired the founders of the United Nations Organization, a real experience of friendship among peoples. Humanity’s future depends on everyone’s commitment. Only by following an integral and supportive humanism in whose context the question of disarmament takes on an ethical and spiritual nature, will humanity be able to walk towards the desired authentic and lasting peace. It will certainly not be an easy journey and will be subject to dangers, as my venerable Predecessor Paul VI already recognized 30 years ago in his Message to the First Special Session on Disarmament of the United Nations General Assembly: “The journey that leads to the construction of a new international order that can eliminate wars and their causes, hence, rendering weapons useless, will not on any account be a brief one” (n. 6). Believers find support in the Word of God that encourages us in faith and in hope, with a view to the definitive peace of the Kingdom of God where “mercy and truth will meet, justice and peace will embrace” (cf. Ps 85[84]: 11). Let us therefore with fervent prayers invoke from God the gift of peace for all humanity. With these sentiments, I renew my congratulations to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on having promoted and organized this Meeting on such a delicate and urgent theme. I assure a particular remembrance in prayer for the success of your work and cordially impart a special Apostolic Blessing to you all.

From the Vatican, 10 April 2008

BENEDICTVS PP. XVI

Filed under: Papal Teachings, Social Justice

May 8, 2008 • 12:16 am 0

Social Scientists Conclude Session on Solidarity, Subsidiarity

Academy Links a “3rd Sector” to the Common Good

By Marta Lago

VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2008 ( Zenit.org ).- Neither laws nor economic benefits are exclusive factors in motivating organizations or individuals dedicated to the common good, affirmed the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

The academy asserted this at the conclusion Tuesday of its 14th plenary session, which focused on “Pursuing the Common Good: How Solidarity and Subsidiarity Can Work Together.”

Margaret Archer of Great Britain’s University of Warwick, and Pierpaolo Donati of Italy’s University of Bologna, coordinated the event.

Tuesday in the Vatican press office, accompanied by the chancellor of the academy, Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, they discussed some of the main points that came from the five days of discussion.

Archer and Donati noted a current model of social organization primarily based on the roles of the state and the economy. But they called for more attention to be given to the role of a third sector, which they affirmed is also a protagonist in promoting the common good.

In that context, Donati noted, the interests of the market and the regulations of the modern state exercise a certain “dominion” over social groups, associations, methods of cooperation, volunteerism and other “new networks.”

But it is these networks, groups and associations that are oftentimes the source of common goods, the professor stated, goods that are “nevertheless treated badly, or misunderstood or even marginalized by the protagonists of the state and the market.”

“If we ask ourselves how many common goods are produced each day not because of the benefit — the economic interest — not because the law requires it, but because there is an accord between people, because there is interest in mutually interchanging goods, we would see that the greatest part of goods are produced in this way,” he explained. “With everything, our societies are organized essentially over the power of the economy and the state.”

“It is necessary, therefore, to give a lot of attention to this world of civil society that produces common goods,” affirmed Donati.

Selfless protagonists

During the plenary session, the pontifical academy heard the contribution of Michel Bauwens, initiator of the P2P (Peer to Peer) Foundation. His experience relates to the sharing of common goods — for example, knowledge — through the Internet. The case reflects a situation wherein a network of persons share freely and receive freely, without an economic motivation.

This is an example, Donati explained, of the importance of understanding the development of a society that produces common goods.

It is about an “interweaving between subsidiarity and solidarity that should be, yes, horizontal in the sense that it regulates relations between people, but which should also have a vertical dimension,” he added. Donati affirmed that the state — though it has a notable role in the production and preservation of the common good — does not have a monopoly over it.

The professor suggested that current economic theories are insufficient because they “still presupposes a ‘homo economicus’ interested in acting substantially for his benefit.” Even though that theory takes into account “a selfless protagonist,” it considers him a figure of little importance. It thinks of the third sector, Donati added, “as a charitable sector, of beneficence, not as a sector that creates common goods.”

That’s why Donati indicated the necessity of proposing new economic theories and perhaps even a new political theory, citing a tendency toward “a certain return to focusing on the state […] which points again in some way to the strength and the monopoly of the state, something that does not help in the development of the common goods we’ve mentioned.”

Filed under: Social Doctrine, Social Justice

May 5, 2008 • 12:31 am 0

Pope: Trinity Reflected in Solidarity, Subsidiarity


Urges Social Sciences Academy to See Principles’ Link to God

VATICAN CITY, MAY 4, 2008 ( Zenit.org ).- Faith in the Trinity enlightens the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity proposed by Catholic social doctrine, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this Saturday when he addressed participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Their meeting is focused on “Pursuing the Common Good: How Solidarity and Subsidiarity Can Work Together.” It began Friday and continues through Tuesday.

“How can solidarity and subsidiarity work together in the pursuit of the common good in a way that not only respects human dignity, but allows it to flourish?” the Holy Father asked. “This is the heart of the matter which concerns you.”

And though certain elements can help to understand these concepts, he said, “the solidarity that binds the human family, and the subsidiary levels reinforcing it from within, must however always be placed within the horizon of the mysterious life of the Triune God, in whom we perceive an ineffable love shared by equal, though nonetheless distinct, Persons.”

He continued: “My friends, I invite you to allow this fundamental truth to permeate your reflections: not only in the sense that the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity are undoubtedly enriched by our belief in the Trinity, but particularly in the sense that these principles have the potential to place men and women on the path to discovering their definitive, supernatural destiny.

“The natural human inclination to live in community is confirmed and transformed by the ‘oneness of Spirit,’ which God has bestowed upon his adopted sons and daughters.

“Consequently, the responsibility of Christians to work for peace and justice, their irrevocable commitment to build up the common good, is inseparable from their mission to proclaim the gift of eternal life to which God has called every man and woman.”

Serving all people

Benedict XVI explained that with faith, it is possible to see that “the heavenly and earthly cities interpenetrate and are intrinsically ordered to one another, inasmuch as they both belong to God the Father.”

“At the same time,” he continued, “faith places into sharper focus the due autonomy of earthly affairs, insofar as they are ‘endowed with their own stability, truth, goodness, proper laws and order.'”

The Pope affirmed to the pontifical academy that “you can be assured that your discussions will be of service to all people of good will, while simultaneously inspiring Christians to embrace more readily their obligation to enhance solidarity with and among their fellow citizens, and to act upon the principle of subsidiarity by promoting family life, voluntary associations, private initiative, and a public order that facilitates the healthy functioning of society’s most basic communities.”

Horizontal and vertical

The Holy Father further noted that the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity are not simply “horizontal.”

“They both have an essentially vertical dimension,” he said. “[T]rue solidarity — though it begins with an acknowledgment of the equal worth of the other — comes to fulfillment only when I willingly place my life at the service of the other. Herein lies the ‘vertical’ dimension of solidarity: I am moved to make myself less than the other so as to minister to his or her needs.”

“Similarly, subsidiarity,” the Pontiff continued, “insofar as it encourages men and women to enter freely into life-giving relationships with those to whom they are most closely connected and upon whom they most immediately depend, and demands of higher authorities respect for these relationships — manifests a ‘vertical’ dimension pointing toward the Creator of the social order.”

“When those responsible for the public good attune themselves to the natural human desire for self-governance based on subsidiarity,” he added, “they leave space for individual responsibility and initiative, but most importantly, they leave space for love, which always remains ‘the most excellent way.”

“As you strive to articulate the ways in which men and women can best promote the common good, I encourage you to survey both the ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ dimensions of solidarity and subsidiarity,” the Pope concluded. “In this way, you will be able to propose more effective ways of resolving the manifold problems besetting mankind at the threshold of the third millennium, while also bearing witness to the primacy of love, which transcends and fulfills justice as it draws mankind into the very life of God.”

********************************************
Papal Address to Social Sciences Academy
“The Heavenly and Earthly Cities Interpenetrate”

VATICAN CITY, MAY 4, 2008 ( Zenit.org ).- Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave Saturday to the participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. The meeting is focused on “Pursuing the Common Good: How Solidarity and Subsidiarity Can Work Together.” It began Friday and continues through Tuesday.

* * *

Dear Brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to have this occasion to meet with you as you gather for the fourteenth Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Over the last two decades, the Academy has offered a valuable contribution to the deepening and development of the Church’s social doctrine and its application in the areas of law, economics, politics and the various other social sciences. I thank Professor Margaret Archer for her kind words of greeting, and I express my sincere appreciation to all of you for your commitment to research, dialogue and teaching, so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ may continue to shed light on the complex situations arising in a rapidly changing world.

In choosing the theme Pursuing the Common Good: How Solidarity and Subsidiarity Can Work Together, you have decided to examine the interrelationships between four fundamental principles of Catholic social teaching: the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 160-163). These key realities, which emerge from the living contact between the Gospel and concrete social circumstances, offer a framework for viewing and addressing the imperatives facing mankind at the dawn of the twenty-first century, such as reducing inequalities in the distribution of goods, expanding opportunities for education, fostering sustainable growth and development, and protecting the environment.

How can solidarity and subsidiarity work together in the pursuit of the common good in a way that not only respects human dignity, but allows it to flourish? This is the heart of the matter which concerns you. As your preliminary discussions have already revealed, a satisfactory answer can only surface after careful examination of the meaning of the terms (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Chapter 4). Human dignity is the intrinsic value of a person created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed by Christ. The totality of social conditions allowing persons to achieve their communal and individual fulfilment is known as the common good . Solidarity refers to the virtue enabling the human family to share fully the treasure of material and spiritual goods, and subsidiarity is the coordination of society’s activities in a way that supports the internal life of the local communities.

Yet definitions are only the beginning. What is more, these definitions are adequately grasped only when linked organically to one another and seen as mutually supportive of one another. We can initially sketch the interconnections between these four principles by placing the dignity of the person at the intersection of two axes: one horizontal, representing “solidarity” and “subsidiarity”, and one vertical, representing the “common good”. This creates a field upon which we can plot the various points of Catholic social teaching that give shape to the common good.

Though this graphic analogy gives us a rudimentary picture of how these fundamental principles imply one another and are necessarily interwoven, we know that the reality is much more complex. Indeed, the unfathomable depths of the human person and mankind’s marvellous capacity for spiritual communion – realities which are fully disclosed only through divine revelation – far exceed the capacity of schematic representation. The solidarity that binds the human family, and the subsidiary levels reinforcing it from within, must however always be placed within the horizon of the mysterious life of the Triune God (cf. Jn 5:26; 6:57), in whom we perceive an ineffable love shared by equal, though nonetheless distinct, persons (cf. Summa Theologiae, I, q. 42).

My friends, I invite you to allow this fundamental truth to permeate your reflections: not only in the sense that the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity are undoubtedly enriched by our belief in the Trinity, but particularly in the sense that these principles have the potential to place men and women on the path to discovering their definitive, supernatural destiny. The natural human inclination to live in community is confirmed and transformed by the “oneness of Spirit” which God has bestowed upon his adopted sons and daughters (cf. Eph 4:3; 1 Pet 3:8). Consequently, the responsibility of Christians to work for peace and justice, their irrevocable commitment to build up the common good, is inseparable from their mission to proclaim the gift of eternal life to which God has called every man and woman. In this regard, the tranquillitas ordinis of which Saint Augustine speaks refers to “ all things”: that is to say both “civil peace”, which is a “concord among citizens”, and the “peace of the heavenly city”, which is the “perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of God, and of one another in God” ( De Civitate Dei, XIX, 13).

The eyes of faith permit us to see that the heavenly and earthly cities interpenetrate and are intrinsically ordered to one another, inasmuch as they both belong to God the Father, who is “above all and through all and in all” ( Eph 4:6). At the same time, faith places into sharper focus the due autonomy of earthly affairs, insofar as they are “endowed with their own stability, truth, goodness, proper laws and order” ( Gaudium et Spes, 36). Hence, you can be assured that your discussions will be of service to all people of good will, while simultaneously inspiring Christians to embrace more readily their obligation to enhance solidarity with and among their fellow citizens, and to act upon the principle of subsidiarity by promoting family life, voluntary associations, private initiative, and a public order that facilitates the healthy functioning of society’s most basic communities (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 187).

When we examine the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity in the light of the Gospel, we realize that they are not simply “horizontal”: they both have an essentially vertical dimension. Jesus commands us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (cf. Lk 6:31); to love our neighbour as ourselves (cf. Mat 22:35). These laws are inscribed by the Creator in man’s very nature (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 31). Jesus teaches that this love calls us to lay down our lives for the good of others (cf. Jn 15:12-13). In this sense, true solidarity – though it begins with an acknowledgment of the equal worth of the other – comes to fulfilment only when I willingly place my life at the service of the other (cf. Eph 6:21). Herein lies the “vertical” dimension of solidarity: I am moved to make myself less than the other so as to minister to his or her needs (cf. Jn 13:14-15), just as Jesus “humbled himself” so as to give men and women a share in his divine life with the Father and the Spirit (cf. Phil 2:8; Mat 23:12).

Similarly, subsidiarity – insofar as it encourages men and women to enter freely into life-giving relationships with those to whom they are most closely connected and upon whom they most immediately depend, and demands of higher authorities respect for these relationships – manifests a “vertical” dimension pointing towards the Creator of the social order (cf. Rom 12:16, 18). A society that honours the principle of subsidiarity liberates people from a sense of despondency and hopelessness, granting them the freedom to engage with one another in the spheres of commerce, politics and culture (cf. Quadragesimo Anno, 80). When those responsible for the public good attune themselves to the natural human desire for self-governance based on subsidiarity, they leave space for individual responsibility and initiative, but most importantly, they leave space for love (cf. Rom 13:8; Deus Caritas Est, 28), which always remains “the most excellent way” (cf. 1 Cor 12:31).

In revealing the Father’s love, Jesus has taught us not only how to live as brothers and sisters here on earth; he has shown us that he himself is the way to perfect communion with one another and with God in the world to come, since it is through him that “we have access in one Spirit to the Father” (cf. Eph 2:18). As you strive to articulate the ways in which men and women can best promote the common good, I encourage you to survey both the “vertical” and “horizontal” dimensions of solidarity and subsidiarity. In this way, you will be able to propose more effective ways of resolving the manifold problems besetting mankind at the threshold of the third millennium, while also bearing witness to the primacy of love, which transcends and fulfils justice as it draws mankind into the very life of God (cf. Message for the 2004 World Day of Peace ).

With these sentiments, I assure you of my prayers, and I cordially extend my Apostolic Blessing to you and your loved ones as a pledge of peace and joy in the Risen Lord.

Filed under: Papal Teachings, Social Doctrine, Social Justice

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