INTRODUCTION
The Holy Father concluded the Synod of the Americas, begun in November 1997 and capped with his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America released at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City in January this year on the Pope's visit to the Americas. It is the Sovereign Pontiff who has expressed a strong desire to see North, Central and South Americas to be considered "one continent" and he expresses the solidarity, communion and conversion of all nations in the Western Hemisphere in this summation of all that was discussed and decided on between Rome and the Bishops of America at the month-long synod late in 1997. We bring you, over several installments, the entire document since it is pertinent not only to the Bishops and clergy, but to the lay communicants of the Americas. To read the entire document at one time or for footnotes, go to Ecclesia in America. To the right is installment eighteen of ECCLESIA IN AMERICA.
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Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America
From Pope John Paul II to the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women Religious, and all the Lay Faithful on the encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: The Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in America
Installment Eighteen of ECCLESIA IN AMERICA: CHAPTER FIVE: THE PATH TO SOLIDARITY
SOLIDARITY, THE FRUIT OF COMMUNION
"By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another"
John 13: 35
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52. “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40; cf.
25:45). The awareness of communion with Christ and with our brothers and sisters, for its part the fruit of
conversion, leads to the service of our neighbors in all their needs, material and spiritual, since the face of
Christ shines forth in every human being. “Solidarity is thus the fruit of the communion which is grounded in
the mystery of the triune God, and in the Son of God who took flesh and died for all. It is expressed in
Christian love which seeks the good of others, especially of those most in need”. (195)
For the particular Churches of the American continent, this is the source of a commitment to reciprocal
solidarity and the sharing of the spiritual gifts and material goods with which God has blessed them,
fostering in individuals a readiness to work where they are needed. Taking the Gospel as its starting-point,
a culture of solidarity needs to be promoted, capable of inspiring timely initiatives in support of the poor and
the outcast, especially refugees forced to leave their villages and lands in order to flee violence. The
Church in America must encourage the international agencies of the continent to establish an economic
order dominated not only by the profit motive but also by the pursuit of the common good of nations and of
the international community, the equitable distribution of goods and the integral development of peoples.
(196)
The Church's teaching, a statement of the demands of conversion
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53. At a time when in the sphere of morality there is a disturbing spread of relativism and subjectivism, the
Church in America is called to proclaim with renewed vigor that conversion consists in commitment to the
person of Jesus Christ, with all the theological and moral implications taught by the Magisterium of the
Church. There is a need to recognize “the role played by theologians, catechists and religion teachers who,
by setting forth the Church's teaching in fidelity to the Magisterium, cooperate directly in the correct
formation of the consciences of the faithful”. (197) If we believe that Jesus is the Truth (cf. Jn 14:6), we
cannot fail to desire ardently to be his witnesses in order to bring our brothers and sisters closer to the full
truth that dwells in the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead for the salvation of the
human race. “In this way we will be able to be, in this world, living beacons of faith, hope and charity”.
(198)
The Church's social doctrine
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54. Faced with the grave social problems which, with different characteristics, are present throughout
America, Catholics know that they can find in the Church's social doctrine an answer which serves as a
starting-point in the search for practical solutions. Spreading this doctrine is an authentic pastoral priority. It
is therefore important “that in America the agents of evangelization (Bishops, priests, teachers, pastoral
workers, etc.) make their own this treasure which is the Church's social teaching and, inspired by it,
become capable of interpreting the present situation and determine the actions to take”. (199) In this regard,
special care must be taken to train lay persons capable of working, on the basis of their faith in Christ, to
transform earthly realities. In addition, it will help to promote and support the study of this doctrine in every
area of the life of the particular Churches in America, especially in the universities, so that it may be more
deeply known and applied to American society. The complex social reality of the continent is a fruitful field
for the analysis and application of the universal principles contained in this doctrine.
To this end, it would be very useful to have a compendium or approved synthesis of Catholic social
doctrine, including a “Catechism”, which would show the connection between it and the new
evangelization. The part which the Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes to this material, in its
treatment of the seventh commandment of the Decalogue, could serve as the starting-point for such a
“Catechism of Catholic Social Doctrine”. Naturally, as in the case of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
such a synthesis would only formulate general principles, leaving their application to further treatment of the
specific issues bound up with the different local situations. (200)
An important place in the Church's social doctrine belongs to the right to dignified labor. Consequently, given
the high rates of unemployment found in numerous countries in America and the harsh conditions in which
many industrial and rural workers find themselves, “it is necessary to value work as a factor of the
fulfillment and dignity of the human person. It is the ethical responsibility of an organized society to promote
and support a culture of work”. (201)
The globalization of solidarity
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55. As I mentioned earlier, the complex phenomenon of globalization is one of the features of the
contemporary world particularly visible in America. An important part of this many-faceted reality is the
economic aspect. By her social doctrine 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”. (202) 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. For “the Church's social
doctrine is a moral vision which aims to encourage governments, institutions and private organizations to
shape a future consonant with the dignity of every person. Within this perspective it is possible to examine
questions of external debt, internal political corruption and discrimination both within and between nations”.
(203)
The Church in America is called not only to promote greater integration between nations, thus helping to
create an authentic globalized culture of solidarity, (204) but also to cooperate with every legitimate means
in reducing the negative effects of globalization, such as the domination of the powerful over the weak,
especially in the economic sphere, and the loss of the values of local cultures in favor of a misconstrued
homogenization.
NEXT MONDAY: Installment nineteen - Chapter Five: Social Sins which cry to Heaven
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