A Tribute to Blessed Pope Paul VI

Blessed Pope Paul VI and the Development of Peoples

“Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” (Luke 12: 13-21)

The Gospel passage for today was a constant inspiration to the thought of Blessed Pope Paul VI in his development of the Church’s social doctrine.  This passage reminds us of three fundamental themes of Paul VI in his social encyclicals – the universal destination of goods, integral human development, and solidarity.  Today we will present three passages from his landmark encyclical “Populorum Progressio” (1967) that highlight these three themes:

1. Universal Destination of Goods:  “If the world is made to fashion each individual with the means of livelihood and the instruments of his growth and progress, each man has therefore the right to find in this world what is necessary for himself.  The recent Council reminded us of this:  ‘God intended the earth and all that it contains for the use of every human being and people.  Thus, as all men follow justice and unite in charity, created goods should abound for them on a reasonable basis.’ (Gaudium et Spes #69)  All other rights whatsoever, including those of property and of free commerce, are to be subordinated to this principle.  They should not hinder but on the contrary favor its application.  It is a grave and urgent social duty to redirect them to their primary finality….

“To quote St. Ambrose: ‘You are not making a gift of your possession to the poor person.  You are handing over to him what is his.  For what has been given in common for the use of all, you have arrogated to yourself.  The world is given to all, and not only to the rich.’ (Da Nabuthe, c. 12, n. 53 P.L. 14, 747) Cf. J.R. Palanque, Saint Ambroise et l’empire romain, Paris:  de Boccard, 1933, pp. 336f.)  That is, private property does not constitute for anyone an absolute and unconditioned right.  No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.  In a word, ‘according to the traditional doctrine as found in the Fathers of the Church and the great theologians, the right to property must never be exercised to the detriment of the common good.’  If there should arise a conflict ‘between acquired private rights and primary community exigencies,’ it is the responsibility of public authorities ‘to look for a solution, with the active participation of individuals and social groups.’” (Populorum Progressio #22-23)

2. Integral Human Development:  “But neither all this nor the private and public funds that have been invested, nor the gifts and loans that have been made, can suffice.  It is not just a matter of eliminating hunger, or even of reducing poverty.  The struggle against destitution, though urgent and necessary, is not enough.  It is a question, rather, of building a world where every man, no matter what his race, religion, or nationality, can live a fully human life, freed from servitude imposed on him by other men or by natural forces over which he has not sufficient control; a world where freedom is not an empty word and where the poor man Lazarus can sit down at the same table with the rich man.  This demands great generosity, much sacrifice, and unceasing effort on the part of the rich man.  Let each one examine his conscience, a conscience that conveys a new message for our times.  Is he prepared to support out of his own pocket works and undertakings organized in favor of the most destitute?  Is he ready to pay higher taxes so that the public authorities can intensify their efforts in favor of development?  Is he ready to pay a higher price for imported goods so that the producer may be more justly rewarded?  Or to leave this country, if necessary and if he is young, in order to assist in this development of the young nations?”  (Populorum Progressio #47)
3. Solidarity:  “To wage war on misery and to struggle against injustice is to promote, along with improved conditions, the human and spiritual progress of all men, and therefore the common good of humanity.  Peace cannot be limited to a mere absence of war, the result of an ever precarious balance of forces.  No, peace is something that is built up day after day, in the pursuit of an order intended by God, which implies a more perfect form of justice among men….This road toward a greater humanity requires effort and sacrifice; but suffering itself, accepted for the love of our brethren, favors the progress of the entire human family.  Christians know that union with the sacrifice of our Savior contributes to the building up of the body of Christ in its plenitude:  the assembled people of God.

“We are all united in this progress toward God.  We have desired to remind all men how crucial is the present moment, how urgent the work to be done.  The hour for action has now sounded.  At stake are the survival of so many innocent children and, for so many families overcome by misery, the access to conditions fit for human beings; at stake are the peace of the world and the future of civilization.  It is time for all men and all peoples to face up to their responsibilities.”  (Populorum Progressio #76, 79-80)