Comece/Ecwm Seminar on the 125Th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum

EN EVENT REPORT 03.05.2016 COMECE/ECWM SEMINAR ON THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF RERUM NOVARUM From Rerum Novarum (1891) to Laudato si’ (2015): Catholic social Teaching as a reference to social and ecological welfare? In times of Panama papers, climate change and a seemingly never-ending economic crisis in Europe, visions are needed that provide the impetus for reforms towards a more equitable and sustainable future. To what extent Catholic social teaching can help politicians to bring about change and be a reference for social and ecological welfare was subject of discussions of a one-day seminar that COMECE and the European Christian Workers’ Movement (ECWM) organised on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Rerum Novarum on 03 May 2016. Together with distinguished guest speakers from academia, European politics, and social entrepreneurship, they looked back to its development, impact and relevance for today’s decision-makers. The event was divided into two parts: a seminar and an evening reception. I. Seminar: Catholic social thought as an impetus for change In their welcome statements, both Bishop Gianni Ambrosio, President of the COMECE Social Affairs Commission, and Otto Meier, the President of ECWM, referred to the first social encyclical Rerum Novarum. They stated that Pope Leo XIII’s call for a fair balance between work and capital has not lost its topicality. Bishop Ambrosio stressed that, like the industrialisation in the late 19th century, the on-going globalisation and digitisation while increasing opportunities, have undermined the principles of wage justice and fair working conditions. Moreover, Otto Meier highlighted that Catholic social teaching is “As consumers, we have the moral duty that not just a theoretical discipline but, as human rights are respected throughout the Reinhard Cardinal Marx points out in his entire value chain to ensure that globalisation is a positive experience for all.” book “Das Kapital”, a triad of Church’s teaching, the academic discourse, and the Bishop Gianni Ambrosio work of the Catholic social movement. 1 COMECE/ECWM SEMINAR 3.5.2016 Session 1 – looking back: Three interrelated conflicts that need to be solved Prof. em Friedhelm Hengsbach SJ provided the basis for the discussion. In his review of the development of Catholic social teaching, the former director of the Nell- Breuning Institute for Business and Social Ethics identified three conflicts that the social doctrine aims to address. First, he indicated how the successors of Pope Leo XIII have further developed the ideas of living wages, the social function of property, and the role of the state in overcoming the class divide between workers and employers. Second, he named the North-South conflict, which Pope Paul VI addressed first in the 1960s by putting the “In the future, the most important resource and the decisive factor of production will be social question in a global context. Third, neither land nor the means of production, but Prof. em. Hengsbach outlined how first the people, their knowledge and skills, their Pope John Paul II, but most prominently organisational power and solidarity.” Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si’ Prof. em. Friedhelm Hengsbach called attention to the eco-social conflict and criticise the current way of living that is led by consumerism. Session 2 – looking at practice: EWS Schönau – a cooperative that aims to reconcile social and ecological welfare After the lunch, Tanja Gaudian presented a practical example of how even citizens can promote the papal calls for ecological welfare and social justice. Representing the managing director Sebastian Sladek, she described how their company EWS Schönau emerged in Southern Germany from a citizens’ initiative in the 1980s to guarantee a nuclear-waste free energy supply in the region. She explained how the company nowadays puts into practice Pope Francis’ “The work of cooperatives is based on a calls for an ecological conversion in fair balance of interests that looks beyond the shareholder-value principle. It is supplying renewable energy to 35,000 therefore with no surprise, that it is the households in Germany. Moreover, she most stable business form in the EU. ” promoted the business model of a Tanja Gaudian cooperative, which best reconciles the interests between employees, shareholders, and consumers according to her. 2 COMECE/ECWM SEMINAR 3.5.2016 Session 3 – looking ahead: Catholic social teaching calls for a change of life-style and models of development Dr. Elena Lasida from the Institute Catholique de Paris (ICP) praised the EWS Schönau in her subsequent speech as a good example of Christian social entrepreneurship. In her analysis of the meaning of Laudato si’, she emphasised that Pope Francis reminded us that climate change is a serious systemic crisis, which questions our current way of living. Referring to Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato si’, she explained how “Laudato si’ is a real opening to the world by its simple and accessible the Holy Father suggests us to rethink our language. Hence, do not miss this life-style and our models of development opportunity it offers us to become towards the emerging ideas of circular, architects of a new world.” service or solidarity economy. Dr. Elena Lasida Session 4 – panel debate: Catholic Social Teaching as a reference for social and ecological welfare? How this paradigm shift can be initiated was also addressed in the following panel debate, which brought together all guest speakers as well as Dr. Ellen van Stichel. The post-doctoral researcher at the Catholic University (KU) of Leuven proposed to take the concept of vulnerability, not only of conflict to look at Catholic social teaching. She underlined that vulnerability is a common characteristic of being human given that nobody can protect him- “If we can recognise that we are or herself from the risk of poverty and vulnerable, and other are too, because of social exclusion. Those that are privileged our humanity, maybe it would result in more compassion to the most vulnerable to put up structures have according to Dr. and their situation and hence a willingness Ellen van Stichel consequently the to act.” responsibility to look after the most Dr. Ellen van Stichel vulnerable of our society. Tanja Gaudian emphasised that consumers should be aware of their power, as far as their preferences for bio or fair-trade products can influence economic and political decisions. Referring to the example of the German energy transition, which started out as a bottom-up initiative 30 years ago, she concluded that consumers’ behaviour and citizens’ initiative could be vital drivers for reforms and push politicians to implement policies that will support this change of mentality. Prof. em Hengsbach, on the contrary, questioned the power of a consumer to change structural disadvantages as long as he does not join together with other like- minded people. He noticed with regret that nowadays the link between Catholic movements and political parties is too weak to effectively promote the ideas of Catholic social teaching. Moreover, he urged the participants to rethink the model of 3 COMECE/ECWM SEMINAR 3.5.2016 growth in the industrialised countries given that the vital objectives of economic growth in developing countries and ecological protections are difficult to reconcile with high growth rates in developed countries. Dr. Elena Lasida sees that the encyclical Laudato si’, however, is an example that still “Laudato si’ has shown that the Catholic the social doctrine of the Church can provide Church has a strong interest to contribute to a solution of our common social the impetus for change. According to the questions. Likewise, it revealed that, at researcher, Pope Francis’ encyclical was the grassroots level, its social published at the best moment, as it was movements play already an active role in widely mentioned in the media, civil society promoting climate and social justice.” and the governments that negotiated the Dr. Elena Lasida climate targets at COP21 in Paris. In his conclusion, the moderator, Prof. Johan Verstraeten from the Catholic University (KU) Leuven, urged the need to invent new ways of living. He proposed to move away from a doctrinal view of the Gospel and Catholic social teaching to a process of discerning. The theologian thus encouraged Christians to participate in global movements in order to speak not just about Catholic social thought, but to transform its principles into Catholic social practice. II. Evening reception: social doctrine as a method of policy-making The event closed with an evening reception with Prof. Ingeborg Gabriel, the Vice President of Justice and Peace Europe and Head of the department of social ethics at the University of Vienna, as keynote speaker and two Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Patrizia Toia (S&D) and Elmar Brok (EPP) who responded by outlining the influence of the Catholic social thoughts in their political career. In her review on the development and A joker once called Catholic social teaching the impact of Catholic social teaching, “ the best kept secret of the Catholic Church. Prof. Ingeborg Gabriel showed that the The present pontificate shows that this does doctrine could provide non-technical not need to be so and that the Church can guidance to take political decisions in a use its influence in many ways to drive world that is growing more complex. By forward solutions to central social questions” looking at the social realities from a birds’ Prof. Ingeborg Gabriel perspective and assessing them in the light of ethics and of the gospel, the encyclical gives impulse to address the central and interrelated questions in Europe, that are the economic and financial crisis, the deterioration of the ecology, and mass migration. The present pontificate has shown according to her that the Church is still able to use its influence in many ways to drive forward solutions and that it is now the task for Churches to follow-up the issues addressed by Pope Francis.

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