Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Three specific challenges facing the world today, environment and sustainable development, full justice, the values of the spirit, were identified by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in a message for the 13th plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. The Message was addressed to Professor Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Science. The theme of the Plenary was "Charity and Justice in Relations among Peoples and Nations". The Pope said that for the Church “ the pursuit of justice and the promotion of the civilisation of love are essential aspects of her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”. Undoubtedly “ the building of a just society is the primary responsibility of the political order” and this demands “ at every level, a disciplined exercise of practical reason and a training of the will in order to discern and achieve the specific requirements of justice in full respect for the common good and the inalienable dignity of each individual ”.
The Church in convinced of the inseparability of justice and charity and "her teaching, which is addressed not only to believers but to all people of good will, thus appeals to right reason and a sound understanding of human nature in proposing principles capable of guiding individuals and communities in the pursuit of a social order marked by justice, freedom, fraternal solidarity and peace. At the heart of that teaching, as you well know, is the principle of the universal destination of all the goods of creation.”. Therefore "everything that the earth produces and all that man transforms and manufactures, all his knowledge and technology, is meant to serve the material and spiritual development and fulfilment of the human family and all its members. From this integrally human perspective we can understand more fully the essential role which charity plays in the pursuit of justice. My predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was convinced that justice alone is insufficient to establish truly humane and fraternal relations within society”.
Then Pope Benedict XVI indicated three specific challenges facing the world today. The first concerns the environment and sustainable development and this demands “an interdisciplinary approach… a capacity to assess and forecast, to monitor the dynamics of environmental change and sustainable growth, and to draw up and apply solutions at an international level. Particular attention must be paid to the fact that the poorest countries are likely to pay the heaviest price for ecological deterioration.”.
The second challenge consists in the fact that “ Despite the recognition of the rights of the person in international declarations and legal instruments, much progress needs to be made in bringing this recognition to bear upon such global problems as the growing gap between rich and poor countries; the unequal distribution and allocation of natural resources and of the wealth produced by human activity; the tragedy of hunger, thirst and poverty on a planet where there is an abundance of food, water and prosperity; the human suffering of refugees and displaced people; the continuing hostilities in many parts of the world; the lack of sufficient legal protection for the unborn; the exploitation of children; the international traffic in human beings, arms and drugs; and numerous other grave injustices..”
The third challenge concerns the values of the spirit which “ the more one shares them, the more they are possessed… Globalisation has increased the interdependence of peoples, with their different traditions, religions and systems of education. This means that the peoples of the world, for all their differences, are constantly learning about one another and coming into much greater contact. All the more important, then, is the need for a dialogue which can help people to understand their own traditions vis-à-vis those of others, to develop greater self-awareness in the face of challenges to their identity, and thus to promote understanding and the acknowledgement of true human values within an intercultural perspective. To meet these challenges, a just equality of opportunity, especially in the field of education and the transmission of knowledge, is urgently needed”.
The Holy Father concluded his message recalling that “ only love for neighbour can inspire within us justice at the service of life and the promotion of human dignity. Only love within the family, founded on a man and a woman, who are created in the image of God, can assure that inter-generational solidarity which transmits love and justice to future generations. Only charity can encourage us to place the human person once more at the centre of life in society and at the centre of a globalized world governed by justice.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 1/5/2007, righe parole )
