Pope Benedict XVI chose the theme of love as the subject of his first encyclical. In response the Pontifical Council Cor Unum organised the “World Conference on Charity” held at the Vatican from January 23-24, 2006. This is a transcript of the presentations that were made on that occasion as well as the text of the encyclical itself. The purpose of the presentations was to deepen the discussion in the various pastoral and social situations to which the Pontifical Council is directed and our understanding of various aspects of humanitarian aid.
179 pp. Pontificium Consilium “Cor Unum”.
CONTENTS
Preface
Program for the world conference on charity
Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the participants at the meeting romoted by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
Introduction – His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes
The challenge of humanity – Dr James D. Wolfensohn
Caritas, subject of charity in the Church – Mr Denis Vienot
Witnesses:
Introduction – Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls
“What will happen if I keep this child here with me?” – Fr Hans Stapel
Meeting Point International, Kampala/Uganda – Ms Rose Busingye
Charity and Christian initiation in Kazakstan: A “family in mission” – Mr Antonio Calzavara
The cry of the poor – Sr Ana Dignoes-Torres Quevedo
“This is a piece of heaven!” – Ms Madalena Maria Ponte de Aguiar
Caritas Sri Lanka and the tsunami – Rev. Damien Fernando
Love: The one and only formula for a sense of life – Dr Liliana Cavani with Introduction by Dr Sabine Scharnagl.
The Church, the love of God made visible: A theological reflection on the encyclical – His Eminence, Cardinal Francis George with Introduction by His Excellency, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. .
Homily from the concluding Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter – Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.
The Encylical: DEUS CARITAS EST – Pope Benedict XVI
List of participants
Contents
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Review |
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Programme of Conference
Monday, January 23, 2006
9:00 am Opening Prayer and Introduction: Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum
9.30am Two Visions in Confrontation:
Dr James Wolfensohn, Former President of the World Bank
Mr Denis Viénot, President of Caritas Internationalis
Moderator: Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin
10:30am Break
11:00 am Question & Answer
12:15pm Meeting with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI
1:30pm Lunch
5:00pm Six Witnesses to the Commandment of Love
Moderator: Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls, Director of the Vatican Press Office
7:00 pm Concluding Remarks
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
9:00 am The Contemporary Human Experience of “Love” and the Biblical Definition of the “Nature of Love”: Dialogue between Two Cinema Personalities
10:30 am Break
11:00 am Theological Instruction: Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago
12:00 pm Question & Answer
12:30 pm Lunch
5:00pm Celebration of the Eucharist in the Basilica of St. Peter
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, Former President of Cor Unum.
CARITAS, SUBJECT OF CHARITY IN THE CHURCH
Mr Denis Viénot
President of Caritas Internationalis
(Denis Viénot was born in France in August, 1946. He holds degrees in law and political science from universities in Paris, is married, and the father of two daughters. He joined Caritas in 1975 after five years of experience in the world of international banking. He held several offices with Secours Catholique/Caritas France and became Director of the administrative and legal affairs department, eventually serving as President of Caritas Europa from 1999-2005. Since 1987, most of his experience gained in the field of humanitarian assistance comes from his work as a member of the Justice and Peace Commission of the French Episcopal Conference, as well as being a member of the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights from 1996 to 1999. In May of 2005, he became President of Caritas Internationalis.)
On November 13, 2004, the President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, in the presence of the members of the Pontifical Council and the Bureau of Caritas lnternationalis, consigned to the president of Caritas lnternationalis, the Most Rev. Fouad EI-Hage, the Titular Archbishop of Tripoli in Lebanon, who passed away in May, 2005, the Pontifical Letter of John Paul II, dated September 16, 2004, During the Last Supper, conferring public and canonical legal personality upon this Confederation.
In his address, the President of Cor Unum evoked the creation of Caritas lnternationalis in 1951, through the initiative of Msgr. Montini, who was to become Paul VI. This Confederation of charitable organizations fulfills the role of animation, coordination and representation for its 162 autonomous national members hard at work throughout the world. Ecclesial in nature, “Caritas, [is] born out of the initiative of Catholics […] challenged by the poverty of so many of their fellowmen […] is a privileged instrument of the charitable action of bishops, who bear ultimate responsibility in this domain”.
Back in 1921, Benedict XV had already approved the idea of the creation of an international organization of Caritas bodies, and they convened in an international conference during the Eucharistic Congress of Amsterdam in 1924. Then, in 1928, Pius XI gave this network the name of “Catholic Caritas”. It disappeared from view during World War II, but resumed activity in 1951 with the support of Pius XII. This network has been and is active at all times in different contexts and conditions. Particular Churches and the Universal Church adapt according to changing needs and situations, as does their cooperation with sovereign states or international organizations.
Different contexts such as today’s globalization, which, according to Mr. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, as well as former Chief Economist and Vice President of the World Bank, “is the closest integration of countries and peoples of the world, which on one hand has brought about a substantial reduction in transportation and communication costs, and, on the other hand, the destruction of artificial barriers to the crossborder circulation of goods, services, capital, knowledge, and, albeit to a lesser degree, persons”.(1)
John Paul II also took a stand: “… the Church makes an effective contribution to the issues presented by the current globalized economy. Her moral vision in this area ‘rests on the threefold cornerstone of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity’. The globalized economy must be analyzed in the light of the principles of social justice, respecting the preferential option for the poor who must be allowed to take their place in such an economy, and the requirements of the international common good”. (2)
Mr. Stiglitz pursues very much the same line of thought: “It is exact to say that poverty cannot be reduced in a sustainable manner without vigorous economic growth. But the inverse is not true. If there is growth, not necessarily is it to the benefit of all. It is not exact to say that the rising tide raises all vessels. At times when the tide sweeps in, especially under bad weather conditions, it hurls the more fragile boats against the coastal rocks and reduces them to splinters”. (3)
Differing geographical contexts and practices were noted by Benedict XVI with respect to a particular case when addressing the newly appointed Ambassador of France to the Holy See on December 19, 2005: “…the principle of secularity consists in a ‘clear division of powers’, which is no way in opposition and does not prevent the Church from taking ‘a more and more active part in social life with respect for the competence of each one’. (4) This concept must permit a greater promotion of the Church’s autonomy, both in her organization and in her mission”.
In actual practice, the Church will be more or less prone to entertain contractual relations with the state according to places, circumstances or traditions. In the realm of health care, for example, the churches of English-speaking Africa do so extensively, while the sister churches of French-speaking Africa are more reserved. Political differences, like in the area of official development assistance. Side by side with the scandal of non-respect on the part of the richest countries for the commitment regarding the famous 0.7% of GDP for such assistance, these same countries allocate differing amounts to NGOs. An average of 5% of bilateral assistance is either given to NGOs or passes through them. Spain gives them 20% of its official development assistance; Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand are between 10% and 15%; Australia, Japan and Italy between 2 and 5%, while France and Portugal are down around a sad 0.4%. (5)
Caritas: An Instrument of the church’s mystical and institutional Charity
Towards the end of the Gospel according to St. John, Christ gives the new commandment: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). This commandment is new because it is a question of loving as Christ loves, and, therefore, unto the total oblation of life itself. It is also new because it knows no borders. Our neighbor is any man, any woman, no matter what may be his/her race, religion or culture. “Christian institutions and services that would be limited to believers and knowingly exclude others are inconceivable […] The charity of the Church must always be open to all”. (6)
Therefore, neighbor insofar as the object of love out of charity, neighbor insofar as the subject of rights out of justice. (7) Charity and justice go hand in hand. Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi: “… it is impossible to accept ‘that in evangelization one could or should ignore the importance of the problems so much discussed today, concerning justice, liberation, development and peace in the world. This would be to forget the lesson which comes to us from the Gospel concerning love of our neighbor who is suffering and in need” (n. 31). In the section of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, headed “The Church Both Visible and Spiritual”, we read: “Similarly, the Church encompasses with love all who are afflicted with human suffering and in the poor and afflicted sees the image of its poor and suffering Founder. It does all it can to relieve their need and in them it strives to serve Christ” (n. 8).
Relationships within the Church vary. Caritas groupings have been founded everywhere by the local Ordinary or by the Episcopal Conferences: they are always bodies of coordination and communion created for the diaconia, for the diffusion of charity and its embodiment in the Church, on the front lines of the Church, and beyond. According to n. 525 in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, (8) “The social message of the Gospel must guide the Church in her two-fold pastoral activity: that of helping men and women to discover the truth and to choose the path that they will follow, and that of encouraging Christians to bear witness with a spirit of service to the Gospel in the field of social activity. […] her [the Church’s] social message will gain credibility more immediately from the witness of action than from its internal logic and consistency”.(9)
On January 18, 2006, when announcing the publication of his first Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas est, His Holiness Benedict XVI stated that “the very personal act… of [God’s] love” must also be expressed in the Church as an “organizational act”, and that “Caritas is… a necessary expression of the deepest act of personal love with which God has created us…” (10) Caritas, with its services, institutions, social and pastoral activities, programmes, emergency assistance and care, development and promotion endeavors, social welfare and medical activities, training and studies, managers, supervisors and millions of volunteers, is a pluralistic network anchored in the local autonomous Churches within the universal Church.
Caritas is also one of the bridges between the Church and the world, a place where the wind blows freely, a place of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue in deeds: “It is the same Spirit of the Lord, leading the people of God while simultaneously permeating the universe, who from time to time inspires new and appropriate ways for humanity to exercise its creative responsibility. This inspiration is given to the community of Christians who are a part of the world and of history, and who are therefore open to dialogue with all people of good will in the common quest for the seeds of truth and freedom sown in the vast field of humanity”. (11) The identity of Caritas revolves around charity, solidarity and justice. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, justice focuses upon the respect for rights and promotion of equity with regard to the common good, (12) while “Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue. It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones”. (13)
This characteristic triptych involving charity, solidarity and justice has an impact on the identity of the local Caritas linked to the situations in which, in a spirit of service, they come forth to incarnate, to “globalize”- a World Bank neologism stressing the linkage between global and local – the universal Church’s mission in a place, a country, a diocese, a parish, a local community, an historical setting, etc., in order, as John Paul II stated at Vienna in 1998: “… so that the inhuman disparity in affluence within Europe will be gradually eliminated”. (14) This is also well along the lines of Gaudium et Spes: “God intended the earth with everything contained in it for the use of all human beings and peoples. Thus, under the leadership of justice and in the company of charity, created goods should be in abundance for all in like manner” (n. 69), or the 1971 Synod of Bishops: “Christian love of neighbor and justice cannot be separated, because love implies an absolute demand for justice, which means the acknowledgment of the dignity and rights of our neighbor. Justice is only fulfilled completely in love”.
Caritas Spain made a contribution to reflection on the identity of Caritas through the symposium organized in Valencia in 1996. In a statement delivered there and entitled “The Cause of the Poor: A Challenge for an Evangelizing Church”, Rev. Antonio Bravo, currently the Ecclesiastical Assistant of Caritas Spain, proposed seven ways of action: cultivate a spirituality of closeness to the poor; acquire a believing understanding of the poor; develop fraternal relations with the poor; love gratuitously; act effectively and with fecundity; love the Church at large through the preferential option for the poor; and dare to proclaim the Gospel.
The fifth way – act effectively and with fecundity – calls for additional commentary because of the link established between charity and justice. The Church is not there to assume responsibility for society and the poor. Just like the Good Samaritan, her response to the appeal of the poor makes her “neighbor” and she calls others to her assistance. With outcasts and the voiceless, she wishes to be at the table of negotiations, despite the ambiguities of any human endeavor. In the face of forms of injustice and violence, she fights for legislation that defends the weakest and serves them in justice. Such action is based on a lucid and critical analysis that, in itself, does not question either dialogue or collaboration if they serve the cause of the poor.
These seven ways illustrate the variety of instruments available for edifying the dignity of the human person: from consideration to relation, from assistance to exchange, from project to witness and social transformation. They also open the way to spiritual reflection and evangelization: “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). John the Baptist, a core figure in yesterday’s Gospel, received a message from Christ: “Go back and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news is proclaimed to them” (Matthew 11:4).
Caritas lnternationalis defines its vision in the following terms: “Caritas believes that the weak and oppressed are not objects of pity, but agents of change leading the struggle to eradicate dehumanizing poverty, unacceptable living and working conditions, and unjust social, political, economic and cultural structures”. (15) Caritas thereby seeks the integral promotion of the individual. Animated by the spirit of sharing and of justice, its programmes bear witness to the Gospel of Charity. Its advocacy is based on experience and partnership with victims and outcasts. It makes incarnate the preferential option for the poor and the Social Teaching of the Church. It pursues economic and social justice, human rights and peace. Its aim is to bring about changes in the analyses of leaders, in policies, laws, regulations, procedures and practices. To work for charity means to go all the way to social transformation out of a respect and desire for the promotion of all persons and the whole person, (16) fielding action for human rights and economic justice. As Cardinal Roger Etchegaray stated during the World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Human Rights (Rome, July, 1998): “Fighting for human rights often means colliding head on with the density of sin […] The battle for human rights is like a war of attrition”.
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez, the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras, linked charity and solidarity in his address to the General Assembly of Caritas lnternationalis in July of 2003. This eruptive expression expresses the “solid” condition of humankind. The golden rule of charity is the development of solidarity: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Chapter 25 of the Gospel according to Matthew (25:40) and his Last Judgment depict the encounter with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner, men and women who suffer and are victims: “And the King will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me’ “. The King endorses these encounters of fraternity in what today is an appeal for the globalization of fraternity among persons and peoples. The Cardinal went on to comment on the Encyclical Solicitudo rei socialis, in which the Holy Father says solidarity is a “new” virtue very close to the “virtue of charity” and with its own human basis in the interdependence among individuals, groups and nations; this virtue also has its particular ethics, (17) transforming interdependence into solidarity and thereby avoiding the “structures of sin” stemming from the ill use of interdependence.
In very concrete terms and with respect to collaboration with societies and international organizations, he analyzes solidarity on one hand as a pedagogy helping to see others – persons, peoples or nations – as peers to be invited to the banquet of life; on the other hand, as a process of Christian identity in social commitment. Thus, the practice of solidarity may be understood as the realization of the plan of God on both the national and international level. Populorum Progressio had already clarified two points in a resolute manner: the obligation of rich countries to assist the poorer countries, and the need to construct an international order founded on justice. In order to take part in this, the Church, like the Good Samaritan, seeks alliances and partnerships with society, civil society and social forces, public authorities, states and international organizations.
The Encyclical Pacem in Terris, subtitled “On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity, and Liberty”, acknowledged the role of the international organizations of the United Nations and the world financial system: “The United Nations Organization (UN) was established, as is well known, on June 26, 1945. To it were subsequently added lesser organizations consisting of members nominated by the public authority of the various nations and entrusted with highly important functions in the economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields” (n. 142)(18). In his Message for the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2006, Benedict XVI writes: “… I wish to express gratitude to the international organizations and to all those who are daily engaged in the application of international humanitarian law” (n.8); followed: “The United Nations Organization must become a more efficient instrument for promoting the values of justice, solidarity and peace in the world”.(n. 15) In his Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America, John Paul II specifically called for cooperation with international financial institutions: “Once more I express the hope, which the Synod Fathers made their own, that the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace together with other competent agencies, such as the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, ‘through study and dialogue with representatives of the First World and with the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, will seek ways of resolving the problem of the foreign debt and produce guidelines that would prevent similar situations from recurring in the occasion of future loans’. On the broadest level possible, it would be helpful if ‘internationally known experts in economics and monetary questions would undertake a critical analysis of the world economic order, in its positive and negative aspects, so as to correct the present order, and that they would propose a system and mechanism capable of ensuring an integral and concerted development of individuals and peoples'” (n.59)(19).
Cooperation among actors involved
The example of the Democratic Republic of Congo highlights activities on the part of numerous actors in a country in the grip of a profound crisis. Ever since its independence in 1960, and throughout thirty years of an authoritarian regime, the country has been marked by economic collapses, an impoverishment of the population and the deterioration of infrastructures. The grave deterioration of the situation at the outset of the 1990s was followed by territorial threats, with neighboring countries striving to bring certain zones under their direct influence and control. Four million people have died since 1998 as a result of open warfare and its humanitarian effects.
A democratic and electoral process was launched with support and pressure coming from the United Nations and the Security Council, together with African countries and the European Union, which, during the Europe-Africa Summit held at Bamako in 2005, declared: “The Ministers noted with great satisfaction the voter registration process underway and the organization of both the referendum and the elections”. A Mission of the United Nations was created in 1999 and is now responsible for the logistics of the electoral process. The vast majority of voters had never cast a vote prior to the referendum on December 18, 2005. It therefore proved necessary to create voter registration offices and have citizens register their names on the electoral lists, all of which took seven months in the midst of immense practical difficulties: 25 million of the potential 30 million voters actually registered. Despite extensive abstention in certain parts of the country, the Constitution was approved. Preparations are now underway for the presidential, legislative and local elections scheduled to take place before June of 2006. The potential controversies are many, however: the acceptance of the election results, governance, corruption, reunification of the armed forces, and security on the country’s eastern frontiers.
As a result, the country has received substantial foreign assistance over the last few years for various purposes, including the re-establishment of peace and the process towards democracy. Numerous countries took part in financing the Mission of the United Nations, and the European Union has been active in all the areas of political, economic and social concern. The World Bank is also continuing its efforts. Deeply involved in demilitarization, assistance on its own scale still remains relatively modest while waiting to change gears with the outcome of the election process. Nonetheless, the Bank is active in the financing of public works, such as the highway from Matadi to Kinshasa, and, in December, 2005, approved financing for: $ 90 million for budget support and $125 million in the areas of agriculture, food security, health care, water and electrical energy. In September of 2005, the Bank granted a subsidy of $125 million to support the campaign against malaria. Thus far, it has become involved in eight projects representing close to $1.3 billion. Much remains to be done after the elections in terms of roadways, communication systems, hospitals, schools and training centers, in order to provide the population with at least minimum access to social rights.
The Caritas network in its turn supports the activities of the Church in Congo: Caritas for emergency relief, food security, development, health care, AIDS, youth, the demobbing of child-soldiers, and education, or rather an advocacy campaign against rape as a weapon of warfare. Likewise, other entities are active, such as “Justice and Peace”. In effect, the Church is very involved in all social domains, but also in the political process underway, supported by numerous foreign partners belonging to Caritas of CIDSE: for example, Misereor from Germany, CCFD in France, Cordaid from the Netherlands, CAFOD in England and Wales, CRS in the United States, Trócaire in Ireland, Development and Peace from Canada, Caritas Germany, Caritas Belgium, and Secours Catholique from France. In close collaboration with the other civil society organizations, churches, and religious confessions, the Catholic Church has taken part in inter-Congolese dialogue and is very involved in the transition process. The president of the electoral commission is a priest.
The Episcopal Conference has spoken out on a regular basis to support the election process and remind everyone of their duties in constructing a state where the rule of law applies and contributes to sustainable peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region at large. The Bishops’ declaration dated February 5, 2005, and entitled “Congo Belongs To Us”, begins with an analysis of the situation, concluding that “the country is in danger. Hence, no attitude of irresponsibility or resignation is tolerable”. The document then addresses orientations to each category of society: “(To) Parliament, which, within the established deadline, (must) draw up a national Constitution which is specifically Congolese […]; (To) the government, (which must) speed up the unification and effective integration of the armed forces, and through concrete deeds indicate (its) political volition to proceed to elections […]; (To) the people, who are to pursue their formation to republican and democratic values; (To) pastoral agents (who are confirmed) in the pursuit of civic and electoral education in order to accompany the population all the way to the elections. The Episcopal Conference, together with Justice and Peace, has organized and led a number of “education to democracy” sessions, while at the same time assisting in the voter registration process and distributing copies of the Constitution, even to the most remote parishes. In addition, the communities involved in agricultural or health care projects have also been engaged. A new programme was launched at the beginning of 2006 to prepare for the elections and train election-post observers.
The action undertaken by the Church is unanimously acknowledged as both efficacious and respectful of democracy, because, as the Church states in the election education material distributed: “The Church is marching together with the people and does not have candidates standing for election”. Public and private actors, religious and laypersons are therefore working together in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the international community and its various institutions. The future, however, remains shadowed by the armed conflicts underway in South Kivu, Ituri and Katanga.
An analysis of this ongoing cooperation brings to the surface a series of questions of principle. The selfsame principle of collaboration becomes an imperative as a result of the integration of competencies and resources. With its network of parishes, the Church can disseminate “education to democracy”, but financial assistance is needed to cover the production of material and the travel costs of the formators or educators. The same applies in the area of advocacy. The local Church appealed to Caritas Internationalis, which launched an international campaign on the success of the period of transition and the end to a situation of general insecurity.
Collaborating or working together on subjects of common interest is undoubtedly one of the ways to exercise influence on the thinking and the practices of international financial institutions. The point of departure for Caritas is the principle that it is necessary to evangelize relations with all due respect for respective roles: state and international organizations dealing with politics, justice and the common good; the Church committed to the animation and promotion of love and charity. This collaboration with all kinds of international institutions, as well as governments and their administrations, is a challenge. The risk of being manipulated always exists for Caritas and for the NGOs of civil society. But what about Caritas? Is Caritas an NGO? The situation can vary from one country to another, since Caritas, always an organization of the Church, is organized and regulated by national legislation in numerous cases, and, in other cases, by Canon Law insofar as it is a direct emanation of an Episcopal Conference; Caritas always complies with national legislation.
The response to the aforementioned risk of manipulation lies in consistency with the identity and holistic vision of Caritas, whose activities, no matter what may be its legal status determined by the local Church, pursue the development of the whole person in his/her economic, political, cultural and spiritual dimensions. If Caritas is an NGO, it is a particular NGO, whose agents, whether staff members or volunteers, must be professionally competent and animated by the relationship with the neighbor, with a brother and a sister in Christ. If Caritas is not an NGO as such, it does have many of the features of one. Then again, collaboration is always the outcome of negotiations conducted in all liberty. This, for example, is the concrete case of the relationship with UNAIDS: the orientational document signed between this UN agency and Caritas takes into account the latter’s specific identity. A meeting on AIDS organized by Caritas and the World Health Organization (WHO) is scheduled to take place this week in Geneva. Attendance will include Catholic agencies and organizations with representatives of the Holy See and Episcopal Conferences, as well as international organizations, such as the World Bank. The purpose of the meeting is to take stock of the situation and activities currently underway, while the accessibility of medicines may lead to a decline in upstream endeavors, such as care and treatment, education and prevention, collaboration and financing, etc. Together with the World Bank and international financial institutions present and active in Congo, the issues and areas tackled over the last few years have been numerous.
Poverty reduction strategies
NGOs, joining forces in the major Jubilee Campaign 2000, collectively proposed to make the fight against poverty the priority in development activities as a result of the failures reported in structural adjustment. The same rationale was followed in the 1990s by international institutions such as OECD (with the international development objectives later espoused by the international community under the title “Millennium Development Goals”) and the World Bank, which had focused its 1990 annual report on development in the world and poverty. The Catholic networks (Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE) were part of this Jubilee 2000 movement and, in 1998, published a document entitled “Make Life Come Before the Debt”, asking for debt cancellation to be subordinate to investments in human development. (20) One of the results of the Jubilee 2000 Campaign was the decision by the G7 at Cologne in June, 1999, to center development on the fight against poverty and to entrust the implementation of this endeavor to the international financial institutions. Thus, the Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) were born, the fruit of demands made by civil society, whose participation had been proposed in the effort.
The Caritas network therefore decided to take advantage of the opportunity offered to it to become involved in the PRS process, and did so by working with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, providing them with input through meetings, seminars and documentation. (21) As part of the effort to train the personnel of national Caritas organizations within the framework of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Framework (PRSF), timely collaboration was established with both the resident missions of the international financial institutions and the development cooperation services of embassies in the countries concerned. At present, initial work with the World Bank Institute is underway in order to identify ways and means of possible cooperation on issues regarding the training and formation of partners.
The reform of international financial institutions (IFIs)
This is another urgent issue being pursued by Catholic organizations. It is being tackled within the overall framework of world governance, (22) but special stress has been brought to bear on the IFIs (23) with a series of proposals relative to a restructuring of the respective Boards of Directors. These proposals include a distribution of seats providing for a better representation of development countries, as well as the promotion of a plurality of approaches for equitable development, compared with the traditional “Washington Consensus”, which “was happily dead”, (24) to quote the words of the Former President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, when addressing a meeting of civil society organizations in Paris on May 14, 2003. An additional proposal has to do with the need to make sure that the role of the IFIs in the system of world institutions respects the primacy of international legislation on human rights and economic-social develop ment. In effect, the Catholic networks are of the opinion that the reform of the IFIs must be based on a certain number of principles, such as solidarity, subsidiarity and priority allocated to the poor.
The Paris Declaration on the Efficacy of Assistance (February 28 – March 2, 2005) assumes more of a social tone in the mainstream of the Millennium Development Goals. Strongly influenced by the World Bank, it focuses on increasing the volume of assistance and, thus, improves its quality. It also underscores the need to improve processes, and, among a dozen indicators proposed for 2010, lists factors such as the existence of development strategies in beneficiary countries, as well as management systems in both beneficiary and donor countries.
Follow-up and monitoring of the debt issue and development financing
The foreign debt issue continues to dominate the rapport with the IFIs because it has served as a basic trigger for advocacy and lobbying within the Catholic networks, and has been at the center of concrete relationships with those institutions. In this domain as well, there is a certain amount of documentation making it possible to trace these relations (25). Over the last few years the Catholic networks have mainly stressed the following themes: the participation of the poor; the fight against poverty and its linkage with debt cancellation to the benefit of human development; the integration of development components in a process nowadays referred to as sustainable development; the introduction into the PRS of the idea of multi-centered development adapted to each country and the assumption thereof by each country in plans supported by donors; international taxation and its redistribution; and, if it comes down to a question of adopting but one approach, it is that of working together with others. A certain number of the positions adopted by the Catholic networks are often understood and well accepted by the heads of the IFIs. Moreover, some of these positions are embraced or supported by other NGO networks, and this heightens their impact. In particular, John Paul II’s support on the debt issue had quite an impact on international evolutions.
The issue of financing the multiple activities of civil society in the case of the Congo arises from numerous points of view. Regarding such development, a recent CIDSE study underscores “on one hand, an increasingly integrated development policy subordinate to security concerns, military rationale and short term military or political strategies, and, on the other hand, the fact that the armed forces occupy an important place in peace keeping, humanitarian assistance, and development activities”. (26) Organizations within civil society are in very different situations regarding the actual flow of financing. As far as international assistance is concerned, they only receive a fraction of official development assistance (ODA). (27) Their own funds from private sources increased from $7 billion in 2000 to $11 billion in 2004, compared with their share of ODA in 2004, which amounted to $5 billion. The insufficient response to the extreme poverty in so many countries must be acknowledged.
Regarding social and medical assistance, etc., the situations in the rich or middle-income countries are too diverse to permit anything close to a general analysis. In some cases, the state, regional and local authorities, or public services, handle almost the entire task. In other cases, this work is entrusted either to “pay-as-you-go” private enterprise and social security systems, or to the non-profit sector, financed through public and private social security schemes, direct subsidies or services upon demand. The systems and schemes coexisting in countries around the world are many. Just to make this analysis all the more complicated, some countries finance their social security system primarily through taxes, while others mostly through social security contributions linked to salaries and professional activities.
In these two situations of social-medical assistance and international assistance, one of the strengths of Catholic organizations stems from their very capillary networking ability. In other words, they are in direct touch with a considerable amount of people, especially among the poorest of the poor. As a result, they are in a position to tackle poverty first hand, while at the same time, they are ordinarily well suited to analyzing situations, collecting verifiable data and thereby providing an overview other than a macro-economic one. Their strong point resides in helping people grasp the link between the micro-economic level and the macro-economic level. Public actors, in the sense of states, national governments, regional administrations and all kinds of international organizations not only support the activities of both NGOs and non-profit medical-social services, but actually cannot do without them in their management of the common good. As a result, in Pakistan for example, the Church is now in the process of regaining possession of schools, which had been nationalized.
Even though it can lead to bureaucratic excesses, the tendency on the part of donors and financiers to be more demanding in terms of management procedures and practices can help to improve the governance of private organizations. Whether “Northern” or “Southern”, they themselves are doing much the same thing, willingly imposing serious management and organizational norms upon both themselves and their partners, with the result that everyone comes out a winner in the long term and projects are well implemented in all their dimensions.
Advocacy is not ordinarily hampered by financial dependence on public authorities, who usually appreciate the analyses and intellectual input of experienced partners who offer data and proposals stemming from their activities in direct contact with daily life. The Caritas network is now engaged in numerous advocacy endeavors: “Caritas fights poverty, exclusion, intolerance and discrimination. More importantly, it empowers people to participate fully in all matters affecting their lives, and it advocates on their behalf at national and international forums”. (28) When the weak, outcasts and those excluded from society lobby directly and in the first person for the defense of their rights, they make progress along the pathway of restoring their dignity. As they emerge from under the crushing weights imposed upon them they become actors taking part in creation.
The disappointment in the area of trade, following the meeting of the World Trade Organization held in Hong Kong at the end of 2005, was great indeed. Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE (29) had asked the Northern hemisphere countries to reform their agricultural subsidy schemes in order to stop the dumping of their products on world markets, as well as to rebalance the agreement on agriculture so the developing countries would be able to protect their borders. The main problem with the issue of cotton, for example, is that the final decision made in Hong Kong does not set a precise deadline for the reduction of support to cotton producers in the rich countries, and this makes the terms of trade unfair. This is something infinitely more important than export subsidies. The African Cotton Producers’ Association declared: “We do not underwrite the consensus reached and will continue to demand the elimination of domestic support in the developed countries”.
In the realm of efforts for peace, there is the case of Columbia, where three million displaced persons are the direct victims of conflict, humanitarian crises and violations of human rights. In this country Caritas Internationalis supports the position of the Episcopal Conference, which, while assuring peace, states that this peace may only be obtained through negotiations and may only be sustained through social justice. In Darfour, Sudan, joint efforts with Protestant partners is making it possible to attend to the needs of close to 500,000 persons, displaced by roving armed bands. In this regard, we should note that today marks the beginning of the week for Christian unity. Moreover, the Confederation is resolute in its solidarity with the Palestinian people and shares the vision of The Most Rev. Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who wrote the following words in his Message for Christmas 2005: “To our political leaders who, by their policy, can decide for the life or the death of so many in this land, we say: Be builders of life, not of death. […] It is time to change ways and to take once for all the good decision to reach justice and peace. […] When injustice, the cause of violence, ceases violence will stop and security will reign” (n.3).
Considering what is at stake, the efforts of an organization acting all on its own do not suffice. Proof of this may be seen in the joint efforts underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This can also be seen in the Caritas programmes against human trafficking, when it strives “to lobby for migration and economic policies reducing people’s vulnerability to trafficking” (30). An ecumenical network brings numerous partners into the picture (31). Further proof may be seen in action taken in the wake of the tsunami in December of 2004, when it was necessary to lobby for access to land in order to reconstruct houses or continue “Peace and Reconciliation” programmes in conflict zones. The representatives of all religions were present at the first anniversary ceremony in Sri Lanka.
What should we do in the face of heightened awareness regarding the necessary nature of sustainable human development (32)? The non-sustainable character of our current mode of development and its constant pursuit seriously evoke our responsibility towards future generations: the depletion and degradation of natural resources, inequality in modes of consumption and rejection of the virtue of temperance, etc. Here, we are at the very core of the structures of sin, a concept very prevalent in the teaching of John Paul II: “The Church’s social doctrine also makes possible a clearer appreciation of the gravity of the ‘social sins which cry out to heaven because they generate violence, disrupt peace and harmony between communities within single nations, between nations and between the different regions of the continent’. Among these must be mentioned: ‘the drug trade, the recycling of illicit funds, corruption at every level, the terror of violence, the arms race, racial discrimination, inequality between social groups and the irrational destruction of nature’ “.(33) Sustainable human development calls for the broadest possible degree of mobilization, as we well see in the Millennium Development Goals, the economic and social charter linking together all countries, all public and private actors. These Goals constitute a common mission, constructed around the eradication of poverty, (and promoting) education, health care, respect for the environment, gender equality, and global partnership for development.
In the face of these economic stakes and tension factors threatening world security, Benedict XVI, when addressing his best wishes to the diplomatic corps at the beginning of 2006, followed the line of development as the “new name of peace” and, like both Paul VI and John Paul II, summoned the international community to reason: “… peace… is not merely the silence of arms; […] one cannot speak of peace in situations where human beings are lacking even the basic necessities for living with dignity. Here my thoughts turn to the limitless multitudes who are suffering from starvation. […] Are these human beings not our brothers and sisters? […] On the basis of available statistical data, it can be said that less than half of the immense sums spent worldwide on armaments would be more than sufficient to liberate the immense masses of the poor from destitution. This challenges humanity’s conscience” (34).
The challenge first of all concerns nations, which bear primary responsibility for international policies and budgets. Likewise concerned, however, are the entire community of political, economic and social actors, the World Bank, international financial institutions, international organizations like the United Nations, NGOs, civil society organizations and religious organizations, each one according to its own identity and nature, abilities, competencies and means.
One fourth of the world population lives in extreme poverty. Action and commitment together are imperative. The philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, constantly drawing from the words of Alioucha in Dostoyevski’s The Brothers Karamazov, conceived of human rights as those of another man, of a brother: ‘We are all responsible for everything and everyone before all, and I more than all the others”. “Caritas Christi urget nos” (2 Cor 5: 14), says St. Paul the Apostle. This call to responsibility unites and challenges humankind at large to animate through “Charity”.
Notes
I Joseph Stiglitz, Globalisation and Its Discontents (W.W. Norton, 2002).
2 Pope John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America, n.55: AAS 91 (1999)
3 Stiglitz, op. cit.
4 Pope John Paul II , “Letter to the Bishops of France” (11 February 2005), nn. 2-3, in L’Osservatore Romano English Edition (23 February 2005), p. 3.
5 See www.oecd.org.
6 Prof Dr Heinrich Pompey, University of Freiburg, Germany, “Biblical and Theological Foundations of Charitable Works”, World Congress on Charity, Pontifical Council Cor Unum (Rome, 12-15 May 1999).
7 Bishop Pierre Raffin, O.P, “Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Metz, France, for the 100th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Caritas Federation” (20 September 2005).
8 Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2005, n. 3l.
9 Pope John Paul II, Centesimus annus, n. 57, AAS 63 (1991) 862.
10 Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience Address (I8 January 2006), see Vatican Information Service.
11 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 53.
12 Catechism of the Catholic Church (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 2002), n. 1807.
13 Ibid., n. 1948.
14 Pope John Paul II, Address to the Civil Authorities and Diplomatic Corps of Austria (20 June 1988)
15 Cf. www.caritas.org. “Who We Are”.
16 Cf. Pope Paul IX, Populorum Progressio, AAS 59 (1967) 257-299.
17 Integrate the ethical dimension in the working of Caritas. Caritas/Italy is doing work on criteria such as human rights (life, health care, liberty, etc.), human dignity, respect for rules in the production and sale of weapons, protection of the environment in the framework of its relations with suppliers, banks, insurance companies, public authorities and private entities, etc. The work being done by Caritas lnternationalis regarding relations with the military in emergency relief situations is much along the same lines.
18 Pope John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in terris, AAS 55 (1963) 300ff.
19 Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, n. 59.
20 “Make Life Come Before The Debt”! Caritas Internationalis-CIDSE (1998), pp,) 17-18
21 “From the Debt to the Eradication of Poverty: The Role of Poverty Reduction Strategies”, Caritas Internationalis-CIDSE (March, 2001); “PRSF: Do the World Bank and the IMF Keep Their Promises?” (April-December, 2004); “The Theatre of the PRSF: Policy-making in the Corridors and the Future of the PRSF Process” (December, 2004); “Contribution to the Review of the PRS” (April, 2005); “Act Otherwise to Reduce Poverty”, Sixth WTO Inter-Ministerial Conference Hong.Kong June 2005)”.
22 Cf. “Action for a World Governance of Progress”, Caritas Internationalis-CIDSE (January, 2004).
23 “A Reform Awaited All Too Long: IMF, World Bank and World Economic Governance 60 Years Later”, Caritas Internationalis-CIDSE (April, 2005); ‘The Other Side of the Coin: An Alternative Perspective on the Role of the International Monetary Fund in Low-Income Countries”, Trócaire (September, 2004).
24 The “Washington Consensus” of the World Bank and the IMF contains a list of reforms expected of developing countries wishing to receive loans from them. Free trade and fiscal discipline have always been present. Only since the 1990’s have financial norms and codes been included in anti-corruption measures and the fight against poverty.
25 “Finance Development Through Redistribution”, Caritas Internationalis-CIDSE (September, 2001); “Sustainability and Justice: A Global Renegotiation of the Poor Countries’ Debt Together with an International Arbitration Process” (September, 2004); “Beyond the Figures: Make Sure the MDG Fight Against Structural Injustice” (April, 2005).
26 CIDSE Study on Security and Development (Brussels: January, 2006).
27 Cf. Ibid.
28 Cf. www.caritas.org. “Who We Are”,
29 “Act Otherwise to Reduce Poverty”, op. cit.
30 “Created in the Image of God, Treated Like Slaves”, Caritas Internationalis (November, 2005).
31 See www.coamet.org
32 Cf. “Is Our Way of Life Sustainable?”, Justice et Paix (Karthala, Paris: 2005); and “The Letter of Justice and Peace” (December, 2005), n. 123; cf. www.justice-paix.cefr.
33 Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, n.56.
34 Pope Bnedict XVI, “Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See” (9 January 2006); cf. note 4.
