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Life4seekers Frequently Asked Questions: What have you to say about social justice? |
"No man is an island, entire unto himself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the maine."
John Donne.
People are gregarious. We live in families which live in communities
which live in countries which fill the world. This brings with it many
joys but also many responsibilities; the main one being to ensure justice
and equality for the individual. It is so easy to look around our country
and the world and see situations where "might is right"; here
the strongest in the community govern for their own good and those who
are weaker are marginalised. They often end up in poor housing, no education
or access to medical care. The Church would see this as contrary to God's
plan for us.
This is not a new story. In the Book of Amos, the prophet is shouting out against those who live in rich idleness while heaping more on the poor. He condemns the traders who say, "We can buy up the weak for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals, and even get a price for the sweepings of the wheat." Amos 8:6. There are many more examples in the Old Testament.
Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of the Pharisees for their harsh treatment of the poor while they themselves live in ostentatious luxury. He quotes the prophet Isaiah to them. "This people honours me only with lip-service while their hearts are far from me." Mt.15:8. Jesus preaches a God who is just but who is also merciful and call us to be the same. This is shown very well in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Mt:18:23-35.
The Church is called to be a voice of Justice and Peace. The social doctrine of the Church came into focus at the end of the C19th with the publication of the encyclical Rerum Novarum. This document spoke out for the needs of working people. It was not a blueprint for the reform of the world but rather a broad framework for social analysis. This groundbreaking letter was followed by another eight such documents that have led the Church into many areas of social and political reform. A summary of these and their application to England and Wales can be found in the document The Common Good.
There are many examples of people who have been caught up in this work. Mother Teresa of Calcutta began her work of bringing comfort to the abandoned children in India. Dom Helder Camara, working in South America spoke out against the harsh political dictatorships. His famous quotation, "I gave bread to the poor and they called me a saint: I asked why the poor had no bread and they called me a communist", shows us that it is a very difficult line to walk. How far can the Church or the individual confront a political regime?
Today the Church works in many countries throughout the world in areas of development, advocacy, education, health-care, employment, fair-trading, famine relief and politics. One of the most successful agencies of the Church in this area is CAFOD. The Church is also a passionate advocate for peace. The present Pope has urged nations to move away from war, not least in his Messages for World Peace Day, such as the Message for World Peace Day 2003. In the Catholic Church in this country many groups campaign for peace with justice, such as Pax Christi.