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CHAPTER 1 2 C O M M E N T a R Y O N Populorum Prqgressio (On The CHAPTER Commentary on Populorum prqgressio (On the Development 12 ofPeoples) ALLAN FIGUEROA DECK, S.J. INTRODUCTION sions in PP continue to resonate even now in the early years of the third millennium. Populorum progressio vigorously asserted the connection between Christian faith and the pursuit of economic justice for all. Pope Paul OUTLINE OF THE DOCUMENT VI took the term development in its social and economic sense and sought to link it intimately The introduction (1-5) presents the back­ with a Christian understanding of the human ground for the Church's concern for socioeco­ person in community. Grounding his vision nomic development.1 In the five paragraphs of in the gospel message itself and in the spirit this section Paul VI stresses the urgent need to of Catholic social thought, he took seriously confront the reality of povertyin the world. He the social science findings regarding the links this concern to the tradition of Catholic appalling and morally unacceptable material social teaching beginning with Leo XIII and conditions in which human beings live around most recently extending to his immediate pre­ the globe. He took the concept of solidarity decessor John XXIIL The reality of poverty, first expressed by Pope John XXIII, invested it the pope affirms, makes a claim on the con­ with richer significance and urgency, and estab­ sciences of all humanity, especially the afflu­ lished it as a fundamental and distinctively ent—a reference to be further developed in the Catholic norm of social and economic justice. document's teaching on solidarity. The appearance of Pope Paul VTs "magna Part 1 consists of thirty-seven numbers carta on development" in 1967 gave renewed (6-42). An overview of the problem of world­ impetus to the strong social justice concerns of wide underdevelopment is provided in numbers Pope John XXHI's pontificate and of Vatican II. 6 to 11. The pope describes the situation in terms Twenty years later Pope John Paul II recognized of various factors affecting it such as education, the importance of this encyclical and revisited it negative and positive influences of colonialism, in his Sollicitudo rei socialis, in which he praised, and the deleterious effects of laissez-faire eco­ updated, and expanded on his predecessor's nomics. There are growing inequalities in wealth, seminal work. Pope Paul VTs analysis and power, and access to food among nations and teachings, his method, and many of his conclu­ entire continents. As a result, there is a growing 292 Commentary on Popubrum progressio (On the Development of Peoples) | 293 sociopolitical unrest exacerbated by generational nations toward those in need are outlined in differences and sharp contrasts between tradi­ numbers 43 to 60. These involve a better distri­ tional and industrialized cultures. This fuels an bution of wealth through aid of various kinds, unhealthy populism that leads only to bloodshed, charity, and more equitable trade relations. totalitarianism, and more misery. Numbers 61 to 70 stress the central role of sol­ Numbers 12 to 21 trace the Church's idarity among nations. This means guarantee­ response to the challenge. The pope recalls the ing more equality of economic opportunity, the historical involvement of the Church in the end to racist and nationalistic policies, and promotion of human progress at various local more international cooperation. levels through humanitarian institutions like Numbers 71 to 84 remind readers about the schools. The dimensions of poverty are so great humanistic underpinnings of the pope's vision of today, however, that progress at the local level is economic justice. The struggle for development not enough. There must be a concerned inter­ must be grounded in the love of persons and of national effort to address the challenges of God. Technological and material advances are underdevelopment, and the Catholic Church is important, but the ultimate grounding must uniquely situated to make a contribution since never be forgotten. Paul VI ends with an appeal it promotes a truly "global vision of man and of in which he directly connects the struggle-for the human race" (13). At the heart of this economic justice with the pursuit of lasting peace vision is the idea that authentic development is in the world. He invites all people to consider not just a matter of economics. It is a matter of what their personal role might be in the attain­ humanity. The purpose of economic develop­ ment of this noble mission. ment is to help people move from less human to more human conditions of life. Numbers 22 to 33 stress a Catholic vision of CONTEXT OF THE DOCUMENT development. The material wealth of the world exists in order to meet the legitimate needs of Pope Paul VTs encyclical PP was published on life such as food, shelter, and access to health March 26, 1967, less than two years after the care and education. The right of private prop­ conclusion of Vatican II, during a time of new erty is subordinate to this higher end. Liberal and exhilarating social, economic, and cultural capitalism goes too far when it fails to respect advances on a global scale. Rapid communica­ the social purpose of private property. Planned tions along with increased travel and interaction economies like the socialist ones are not the among the peoples of the earth were generating answer either. Government must learn to col­ an unprecedented global awareness. The Catholic laborate in the search for appropriate means to Church, no less than governments and peoples advance the human development of all, espe­ throughout the world, were acknowledging, even cially ^the poorest of the earth. This requires celebrating these changes—mostly for the good, creative innovations and an honest assessment it was thought:—brought about by new technolo­ of-means and ends on the part of governments gies and by ever-expanding communications and international organizations. media. The United Nations declared this the Numbers 34 to 42 insist on the need for "Decade of Development," a period of economic economics and technology to serve human expansion, industrialization, and international development. Economic growth and social trade previously unknown in human history with advancement go together, as do availability of repercussions in every corner of the globe. food and access to education. The document The world, however, had become more dan­ seeks to integrate all these factors under the gerous than ever before in history, divided unifying vision of a Christian humanism. between East dnd West along sharp lines set in Part 2 consists of forty-four numbers motion at the end of World War II. This was (43-87). The obligations of the more affluent ominously demonstrated in the early years of 294 | Allan Figueroa Deck, S.J. the 1960s by two cold war confrontations—the futile exercise dictated by cold war logic, began Cuban missile crisis and the Berlin Wall—that in the dawning years of the decade and brought the United States and the Soviet dragged on until the mid-1970s. Union to the brink of nuclear annihilation. Pope John XXIII convened Vatican II, what Never before and never since has the world many have called the greatest ecclesial event of come so close to Armageddon. the twentieth century. His temperament and The United States and its Western allies manner responded ideally to the opportunities were enjoying years of unequaled economic of the times, to the heady changes, and to the expansion. In the West it became clear that the risks of the late 1950s and 1960s. His person­ United States was consolidating as well as ality was in many ways "larger than life."2 He broadening its hegemony in several spheres of opened a new chapter in .Catholic social human endeavor such as industry, science, and thought. His first encyclical, Mater et magistra, technology. The Soviet bloc for its part was also clearly acknowledged the emerging phenome­ enjoying a time of consolidation and showed non of global, social, and economic advance­ signs of being a force to contend with, not only ment and interdependency. His attitude was militarily but in the areas of science and culture one of optimism with regard to the encourag­ as well. The rivalries of the cold war, the arms ing changes and opportunities of the times. and the space races, exciting technological Pope John saw the need to build upon but advances, and competing ideological visions also move beyond the static principles of the characterized the decade of the 1960s. In the Church's social teaching formulated in the United States that decade was truly a time of thought of his predecessors going back to Pope high drama punctuated by the assassinations of Leo XIIL In a hint of what he was to do for the John F. Kennedy in 1963 and of his brother Church itself, Pope John looked at the global Robert and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. socioeconomic, political, and cultural realities In the 1950s the world had been viewed in dialogically and with openness. He acknowl­ terms of allegiances along the lines of eco­ edged the specter of a nuclear holocaust and nomic systems, capitalist or socialist/commu­ seized the occasion to use the Petrine ministry, nist. The so-called iron curtain separating especially its symbolic capital, to play a con­ Eastern Europe from the West was emblematic structive leadership role in world affairs. While of this deep rupture. In the 1960s that chasm clearly building on the insights of his predeces­ widened and spread. The world was divided sors, Pope John's approach to the formulation'of into thirds: the First World made up of West­ teaching tended more toward the inductive. He ern Europe, North America, Australia, and acknowledged the Church's received traditions Japan; the Second World consisting of the but gave much attention to modern realities Soviet Union, its several Eastern European that required new reflections and formulations satellites, and Communist China; and the third of teaching more in accord with social science world, the so-called developing nations of analysis and less dependent on traditional Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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