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Valparaiso (Agenzia Fides) – The President of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Chilean Bishops’ Conference (CECh), Fr. Eugenio Diaz, and Fr. Rodrigo Rupper, Vicar of Social-Pastoral and Workers Ministry in Santiago, on behalf of Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic, President of the CECh, presented the Church’s teaching on resting on Sundays to the Senate’s Labor Commission. Having been asked for the Church’s opinion on an initiative of Senator Juan Pablo Letelier in changing the law on Sunday rest, the Justice and Peace Commission explained that the Church promotes and supports any measures taken in favor of Sunday rest, “based in its centrality in the faith in Christ, which is held by the majority of Chile’s population, as well as for the dignity of the human person and that of human work.” The Senator’s initiative seeks to reestablish the obligation of Sunday rest, except in those cases that the law establishes and those whose services meet the community’s basic needs.
Firstly, they mentioned that Sunday, the Lord’s Day “is at the heart of Christian life” and therefore, it would be “an error to view the legislation on weekly rest as a mere historical event without valuing the Church and the risk that it be abandoned.” On the contrary, “it is a central part of Christian life and therefore, the Church greatly respects the fact that this day be honored as well through legislation.” Furthermore, “honoring Sunday as a day of rest contributes to the recognition of the dignity of work.” With that in mind, they mention that “it is an ethical obligation that requires that we all make a greater effort in overcoming the many situations where work is carried out amidst precarious conditions with inadequate protection and insufficient salaries for the decent living of a worker and his family.”
According to the members of the Justice and Peace Commission, there are certain cultural tendencies “that impose forms of contact that many times “impose certain forms of behavior that do not strengthen the family as the nucleus of society: individualism, consumerism, hedonism, etc.” “There are also “structural characteristics in modern life that do not foster rest and family life: the predominant economist perspective on work, an increase in working hours, changes in the form of work, technological advancements, a growing competition, etc.” Thus, in this situation, they mention the “right to leisure, which goes beyond mere resting, and leads to a wider-reaching human development...it is a component that cannot be excluded from these considerations made in the draft bill.”
“Rest is a right that the government and society should ensure,” they continued. Thus, recalling the Social Doctrine of the Church, they affirm that “the public authorities have the duty of protecting the citizens from being deprived, for economic reasons, of a time reserved for rest and divine worship.”
“We believe that a law that guarantees Sunday rest will be an effective contribution in building family life, with all that implies in terms of benefits in its members and in society at large. Public policies in favor of the family cannot be strengthened if the proper material conditions for family life are not accessible,” they reiterated.
Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other documents from the Church’s Magisterium, the representatives of the CECh’s President mentioned the fact that the most important is not resting from work on Sunday, but in honoring the Lord, in the company of the family and the community. “There are people who do not work on Sunday and yet are far from honoring the Lord. There are those who, for various circumstances, sometimes have to work on Sunday and one way or another should be allowed to fulfill their obligation to honor the Lord.”
“In as much as Chile is able to respect Sunday, we will be contributing to the humanization and enrichment of the development of all our sons and daughters, as well as to the good of our society,” the representatives of the Chilean Bishops’ Conference concluded. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 1/8/2008)
