The Pope's Moral Lesson

The Pope's address to the US Congress has a historic significance as he spoke to the most powerful country to remind the congressmen their duties and responsibilities. Most of his words derive from the Church's social doctrine.

His main message is summarized in this part of the speech, where he recalled the pursuit of common good as the mission of politics.

All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" (Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776). 

If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life" 
P.S:  The Pope expresses a progressive view of the world and its modernity and without him the world would be much worse. 

Our Common Home

The recent papal encyclical by Pope Francis  Laudato Si : On care for our common home highlights that climate change is one of the principal challenges facing humanity and a moral issue requiring respectful dialogue with all parts of society. 

The encyclical warns of an "unprecedented destruction of ecosystems" and "serious consequences of all of us" if humanity fails to act on climate change. It takes a holistic approach where climate change cannot be separated from poverty and global inequality. But it also draws on solid scientific evidence showing significant warming of the climate system and that most of global warming in recent decades is mainly the result of human activity. 

“Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in coming decades. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial activities or resources which can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural disasters, and their access to social services and protection is very limited.” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si': On Care For Our Common Home, no. 15)

 It is a moral issue which requires respectful dialogue with all parts of the society.  But it also requires an imperative for action. The pope condemns the egoism of nations when he says " international (climate) negotiations cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place  their national interests above the global common good.  On this position, the UN secretary general , Ban Ki Moon called on governments to place 'the global common good above national interests and to adopt an ambitious, universal climate agreement" at the UN climate summit in Paris this December. 

The Pope's message is not only  addressed to the Catholic community but to all communities and other faiths to act together. His words are powerful and transcend all kinds of divisions:

"We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is there room for the globalization of indifference.”  

P.S: Sign the petition to demand world leaders a strong agreement  at the Paris climate summit

An inspiring man of Church

Archbishop Card. Martini passed away today at 85 . After leaving  Milan, the largest archdiocese in Europe where he was archbishop during 23 years, he was living in retirement in his beloved Jerusalem.

He was one of the greatest biblic scholars and  he was well known for his sermons and his profound writings. In opposition to the conservatives, he defended 'liberal' ideas on contraception, the beginning of human life and the role of women in the church. 

But his fundamental battle was against social injustice. In particular, he expressed concerned and defended immigrants and social minorities against any form of discrimination.  Martini said  that the Church had to rekindle a "burning fire in the heart" of men and women today.

Cardinal Martini, then President of the Conference of the European Churches  addressed the European Parliament in 1997 in a symposium on 'Remembering the Origins of the Process of Integration' with these words: ""Europe is faced with a decisive crossroads in its history. On the one hand it opens the way for closer political integration involving the European peoples and their institutions. On the other hand there may be a stagnation of unification or a reduction by only a few economic aspects and limited to a few countries"

He was a man of culture and dialogue who listened to people. This is the Church prophetically inspiring that we need today. 

P.S: Card. Martini gave a last interview to a Jesuit priest, Georg Porschill - who interviewed him in "Nighjt conversations in Jerusalem"  - and which was published by  Corriere della Sera after his death.   " the Church is tired, in the Europe of wealth and in America. Our culture has aged, our churches are big, our religious houses empty, the Church bureaucracy is growing and our rites and vestments are pompous" . He also said that the "Church was 200 years out of date and needed faith, trust and courage to move on".

Why Religion matters

After decades of secularism, the world has seen a surge of spirituality. The current surge is different, however, because it has assumed a global context. Spirituality is the living heart of all the great world religions. It is not a mere return to biblical and historical roots.

Some argue that religion is the cause of our worst divisions, and a threat to democracy and civilization. The truth is more broadly and deeply rooted in the human psyche and spirit. The great religious traditions have survived across millennia because they express insights that human beings have repeatedly found to be true. But they are containers for those insights—fashioned and carried forward by human beings, and therefore prone to every passion and fragility of the human condition. Religions become entangled with human identity, and there is nothing more intimate and volatile than that. Our sacred traditions should help us live more thoughtfully, generously, and hopefully with the tensions of our age. But to grasp that, we must look at the very nature of faith.

Huston Smith*, one of the most respected authorities on religion provides a reflection on the urgent need to restore the role of religion as the primary humanizing force for individuals and society. Bringing together insights from comparative religions, theology, philosophy, science, and history, along with examples drawn from current events and his own personal experience, Smith gives both a convincing historical and social critique and a profound expression of hope for the spiritual condition of humanity.

It is true that religious leaders seek to increase their influence over the course of action on the grounds of morality and ethics. How can religion and faith make a contribution to resolve our current problems?

All religions contain an idea of what is common good and offer some guiding principles to achieve it. In fact, the influence of religion in economic life is far from being irrelevant. In western societies, the catholic church has contributed in many ways to reducing the influence of the market and has shaped a third sector made of voluntary organizations, charities and so on. It provides a social safety net for many disadvantaged people, e.g. immigrants that regular social systems cannot assist directly. Islamic faith has also shaped many aspects of economic life, for instance with the zakat , which is a form of charity as every muslim has to give a small share of its wealth to the poor. Judaism is also based on righteousness and social justice.

All men, whether they believe in their faith have to live according to their moral and ethical principles. Develop a consciousness - Above all human rights are sacred and social justice - which is linked to common good- should prevail over the search for profit.

But we also need a dialogue and mutual understanding between the great religions. This dialogue should be revived with various initiatives led by courageous organizations like Sant'Egidio, despite of continuous tensions and misunderstandings, often the product of ignorance.

*Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief- paperback- January 2002