Lamenting the fact that Catholic social thought has been described as "our best kept secret," LMU-professor Jesuit Father John A. Coleman spoke on the global impact of the church's "distinguished" intellectual tradition to approximately 200 staff and faculty members at Mount St. Mary's College convocation Aug. 26.
Beginning with the 1891 papal encyclical, "Rerum Novarum," dealing with the rights of workers in an era of "savage capitalism," and continuing up through social encyclicals and speeches presented by Pope John Paul II, the church has had a long tradition of addressing social concerns. According to Father Coleman, encyclical drafts were usually written by economists, who, in turn, drew from the writings of prominent contemporary Catholic thinkers.
"In that tradition, there's a range of issues which have been covered about society, about the state, about the human person," said Father Coleman. "Issues such as labor unions and strikes and the role of government in providing welfare and not just order.
"It's a distinguished tradition that talks about development, international organizations, the role of the market, unemployment and inflation --- basically a tradition talking about social, economic and political matters, and, more recently, about the environment."
An interesting aspect of Catholic social thought conveyed through papal encyclicals is that it is not addressed just to Catholics but to all men and women of good will. Throughout the world, a collective body of bishops' letters commenting on social issues also considers the common good of all people living in a particular region.
Father Coleman said social Catholicism is a distinctive tradition of social thought about society and the state of the human person, which doesn't fit easily into ordinary left-right political categories. He termed it "communitarian personalism," rooted in principles of human dignity, the common good and the notion of subsidiarity (idea that both the state and society have a role in the common good.)
To preserve the "living" tradition of Catholic social thought, Father Coleman said people must be aware of its history and progress and institutional "carriers" must bring it into the world of policy and action. "One of the great challenges is to move this tradition from the intellectual world into the pews," declared the priest.
He cited two "major issues" that the tradition has not adequately addressed: the protection of the environment and the impact of globalization. According to Father Coleman, globalization necessitates the re-thinking of the role of the state, international organizations and multi-national corporations, which have amassed "inordinate power."
Grassroots change
Following Father Coleman's talk, Tom Chabolla, Catholic Campaign for Human Development associate director for programs based in Washington D.C., discussed how the church's solidarity with the poor was re-defined in Vatican II's pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world, "Gaudium et Spes."
Published near the end of the Second Vatican Council on December 7, 1965, the document said the church has a role and responsibility to be an advocate in protecting the human dignity of all people, especially the poor. "'Gaudium et Spes' calls us to look at the signs of the times --- to analyze specific social, political, economic situations through the lens of our faith," said Chabolla.
According to Chabolla, the U.S. bishops' Catholic Campaign for Human Development was created five years after the publication of "Gaudium et Spes" as a response to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and "the body of Catholic social thought." Since its inception, CCHD has given over $270 million to over 4,000 organizations run by and for poor, low-income people working toward social change.
CCHD is funded by an annual collection held the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Twenty-five percent of the funds are designated for anti-poverty programs in the local diocese. In Los Angeles, the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace gives grants up to $10,000 to local organizations working to change the root causes of poverty and social injustice. The remaining 75 percent is sent to the national office for its grants program.
"CCHD has been one of the largest funders of faith-based community organizing," said Chabolla.
After Chabolla's presentation, three representatives from CCHD-funded groups working within the Los Angeles Archdiocese gave brief overviews of their work. They included: Lizette Hernandez, Figueroa Corridor Coalition; Aquilina Soriano, Filipino Workers Association; and Consuelo Valdez, Comunidad en Movimeinto. |