by Rev. Drew Christiansen,S.J. Rev. Drew Christiansen, S.J. is a senior fellow at the
Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in "Solidarity" is a fighting word. It conjures up images
of men and women on the barricades. For the oppressed it is a bracing
appeal to unity in the face of injustice. For the privileged it can be
a chilling notice of an impending change of social order. The Recent History of "Solidarity" in Catholic Social Teaching In church documents, "solidarity" is a somewhat
sanitized concept lacking the revolutionary overtones of radical political
rhetoric. It is informed by the biblical vision of the table of fellowship
where, in the words of the late Pope Paul VI, the poor man Lazarus can
sit down at the same table with the rich man. (PP 47) It is also tempered
by the restraints of Christian charity and the principled acceptance of
a variety of political options in service of the same ends which may seem
naive in a purely political calculus. The term is radical, not in the
sense of overturning social order, but in calling us back to the original
order intended by God in creation. Paul VI understood solidarity as a principle of extraordinary
justice, requiring the restructuring of society to correct systemic imbalances
between rich and poor. "Solidarity" functioned in Paul's social
teaching as a moral principle which operated across class distinctions.
(PP 44-55) For that reason, writing at the beginning of the second UN
development decade, he proposed a massive transfer of aid from rich nations
to poor to serve as a basis for a just world order. Such a transfer, in
his view, would be the first installment for a more equitable social order
which would make possible what he called "a civilization of love." Pope Paul's successor, Pope John Paul II, with his roots
in Communist Poland, first wrote of "solidarity" as a class-rooted
concept in his 1981 encyclical Laborem exercens urging "solidarity"
among workers, and in other writings he proposed solidarity among the
poor. No doubt, his usage had much to do with his ties to the Polish labor
movement, "Solidarity", in whose support Laborem exercens
was written. At the same time, he maintained the Catholic preference for
the non-violent resolution of conflicts and strong reservations against
class conflict rooted in the universal love found Christians call "charity". Only in 1988/89, in the encyclical letter Solicitudo
rei socialis, did Pope John Paul return to the trans-class, internationalist
understanding of solidarity found in the writings of Paul VI. There he
defined the virtue of "solidarity" as "a firm and persevering
determination to commit oneself to the common good . . ." (SRS 38)
He further explained that this virtue is one of service to the point of
self-sacrifice. As he writes elsewhere in the same letter, solidarity
"demands a readiness to accept sacrifices for the good of the whole
world community." (no. 45) Thus, some ten years before the Synod for America, Pope
John Paul II had already signaled that like Pope Paul VI, he accepted
an internationalist conception of solidarity in which peoples and nations
were called upon to make sacrifices for the universal common good, especially
for the poor and oppressed. The Synod and Solidarity All the same, his call for the Synod for America was
something of a welcome surprise. It was a surprise, for North Americans,
at least, in that for the first time two geographically distinguishable
areas North and South America were linked together. For Latins, whether
Spanish, Portuguese or French-speaking, the designation of the Synod was
less a surprise than for Anglophone Americans, for those Latinate languages
speak of "el Continente" and "le Continent", the Continent
of America, by which they mean the western hemisphere or as political
scientists say, "the Americas". The convocations of the Synod, which met in November
and December, 1997, was a welcome surprise in that it suggested that the
Holy Father gave practical importance to promoting solidarity between
North and South, particularly to overcoming the growing inequality between
the two regions. A synod is a meeting of bishops to review the life of
the Church and to deliberate on its governance. Since the Second Vatican
Council, there have been regular synods of bishops every four years as
well as several extraordinary synods, including some to deal with regional
problems, like integration of Eastern Europe into the post-Cold War European
order and the healing of Lebanon after its seventeen-year-long civil war.
Some commentators believe that the Vatican's intervention, the Synod,
to which Muslim and Orthodox observers were invited, and the pope's visit
and concluding exhortation were decisive in promoting social and political
healing in that divided society. The Synod of America was one of several regional synods
which the Holy Father called to renew the Church in preparation for the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. In a talk at the Catholic University of America last
month, Archbishop Oscar Rodriguez, the President of the Council
of Episcopal Conferences of Latin America, usually known by its acronym
CELAM, stated the goals of the Synod for America this way: Increase cooperation between the various particular
churches of the continent, in order to face together--within the framework
of the new evangelization and as an expression of episcopal communion--the
problems relating to justice and solidarity among the nations of America.
(Cited in Quigley) This reading of the purposes of the Synod corresponds
to the Holy Father's original intention as stipulated in Tertio Millennio
Adveniente, the letter opening preparation for the Great Jubilee,
"to address problems of the new evangelization in both parts of the
same continent, so different in origins and history, and of issues of
justice and international economic relations among the nations of America,
considering the enormous imbalances among the North, Central and South
of the Continent." (TMA) Struggle over a Word and a Program In focusing on cooperation having to do with justice
and solidarity, Archbishop Rodriguez reflects the pragmatic attitude of
many of the Synod's members and certainly of the leaders of the American
episcopal conferences. He does not fully reflect, however, the actual
distribution of topics in all phases of the Synod as arranged repeatedly
by the Vatican office of the Synod of Bishops. These were the Encounter
with Jesus Christ, Conversion, Communion, Solidarity and Evangelization. In theory, at least, this arrangement of topics was intended
to lay theological foundations for practical recommendations in the field
of solidarity and evangelization and to help the Synod Fathers review
a range of pastoral activities in the local churches. In the subterranean
politics of the Synod, some observers feared, the broader taxonomy of
topics became a way to reduce the number of solidarity issues on the agenda
and to diffuse the Synod's purpose. There was quiet debate over solidarity during the interventions
in the first days of the Synod. One could say it was a dispute between
the mystics and the activists, or perhaps between metaphysicians and pastoral
theologians. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, for example, offered a plea
for the mystical understanding of the Church as "communion"
to be the primary affirmation of the Synod. Archbishop, now Cardinal,
Cordes, overlooking the history of solidarity in Catholic social thinking
and the pope's personal commitment to the theme, argued that "solidarity"
owed its origins to the French nineteenth century anti-clerical left,
and that the continued use of the concept would take the Church down the
road of materialism and atheism. Organizing for Solidarity Among the bishops of America themselves the issue really
was how to organize solidarity among the local Churches. The concept of
"solidarity" had considerable weight in Catholic social teaching.
The Holy Father had made repeated and sometimes decisive use of the idea,
especially in support of the Polish labor union of the dame name. To most
of the bishops, moreover, the need for solidarity in response to the social,
economic and political context of regional inequality was clear. Some proposed a super-CELAM, joining all the churches
of the hemisphere; others proposed expanding the existing Inter-American
Bishops' Meeting, perhaps with the addition of special ad-hoc inter-conference
commissions on urgent pastoral issues, like migration. Some, like Cardinal
O'Connor, favored collaboration on a bishop-to-bishop, diocese-to-diocese
basis. The Super-CELAM idea was always suspect, because it would
produce another bureaucracy which many bishops feared would be quickly
coopted by Vatican. The bishop-to-bishop option never received wide support.
So, it was the expansion of existing ties which became the choice of the
bishops. Accordingly, Ecclesia in America, the Holy Father's
Apostolic Exhortation concluding the synod, underscored "the benefit
of inter-American gatherings . . . as an expression of practical solidarity
and a chance to study common challenges to evangelization in America."
The exhortation also supported the notion of "special commissions
(to) explore more deeply issues which concern America as a whole."
(no. 37) During the annual Inter-American Bishops' Meeting last
February, the heads of episcopal conferences and chairmen of key conference
committees laid out a new structure for their collaboration. The bishops changed
the name of the meeting to the Meeting of the Bishops of the Church
in America (MBCA). The national members of the ad-hoc committee will
have responsibility to report on the progress of their respective
conferences in implementing the tasks identified in the Apostolic
Exhortation Ecclesia in America. Works of Solidarity What are the issues on which the Synod and the Exhortation
call for collaboration among the Churches of America? Allow me first to
do just a quick topical review. The issues you will see treated, if still
only rudimentarily in Ecclesia in America are: Catholic social
teaching, globalization, human rights, love of the poor, the international
debt, corruption, drugs, the arms race, the culture of death, discrimination,
and immigrants. (nos. 52-65) To these we might add urbanization and the environment,
two issues treated in the early pages of the Exhortation but overlooked
in the final list of issues requiring action in solidarity. We must also
include "neo-liberalism", what we in the United States might
call the ideology of the market, democracy and the rule of law. These
three issues, though the neo-liberalism is interpreted negatively and
democracy and the rule of law are treated positively, are tucked away
under the subtitle, "Social sins which cry to heaven" in the
section of the exhortation devoted to solidarity. For reasons of brevity, I would like to touch in the
time remaining on just four of the principal topics addressed by the Synod
and the concluding Exhortation: (1) globalization, (2) international debt,
(3) discrimination, and (4) the care of immigrants. Globalization and "Neo-liberalism" Talk of globalization was very common during the Synod,
and much of that talk was negative in tone. There was as much concern
about globalization of culture as there was of the negative impact of
globalization on weaker economies and the poor. For many, the media and
advertising were as much a concern as the deleterious effects of the unregulated
movement of capital, or the deleterious impact of technology on traditional
cultures. Ecclesia in America, the post-synodal exhortation, takes
an evenhanded view of the phenomenon as such. It notes the positive values
of efficiency, productivity, and the unity of peoples brought about by
the process. (no. 20) At the same time, it cites as negative impacts,
the absolutizing of the economy, unemployment, neglect of public services,
destruction of the environment and enlargement of the gap between the
rich and the poor. According to Ecclesia in America, the response
of the Church in America to globalization should be threefold: (1) to
provide resources for moral analysis and judgment on the globalized economy,
(2) to encourage the integration of nations so as to create an authentic
globalized culture of solidarity, and (3) to cooperate to limit the negative
effects of globalization, especially the domination of the weak and the
loss of local culture. (no. 55) While the Apostolic Exhortation does not draw a connection
between globalization and neo-liberalism, the connection was repeatedly
made during the Synod meeting itself. As defined in the Exhortation, drawing
on the Synod's Proposition number 73, "neo-liberalism" is a
system "based on a purely economic conception of man (which) considers
profit and the law of the market as its only parameters, to the detriment
of the dignity of and the respect due to individuals and peoples."
(no. 56) As remedies for the unbridled greed fostered by this
ideology, the Exhortation recommends support for honesty in public administration
and the rule of law. (no. 56) Just as important it seems to me are the
general recommendations for improving distribution of the Church's social
teaching and the preparation of a Catechism of Social Teaching as a supplement
to the Universal Catechism. (no. 54) International Debt Relief of the Third World debt was perhaps the hottest
issue on the floor of the Synod. It is a key item in the Holy Father's
agenda for the Jubilee. Archbishop Rodriguez had made it a special concern
of CELAM in a series of discussions with the International Financial Institutions,
and the American bishops' conference had been heavily involved in lobbying
the World Bank and the IMF on the same issues and in preparing the international
Catholic campaign on the debt. The Holy Father in his exhortation, took note of all
this effort, and urged Vatican offices to continue to push for debt relief.
He went on to propose "a critical analysis of the world economic
order, in its positive and negative aspects, so as to correct the present
order and . . . propose a system and mechanisms capable of ensuring an
integral and concerted development of individuals and peoples." (no.
59) Ten months after the close of the Synod, the U.S. Catholic Conference
in cooperation with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace held
a major conference on the debt for representatives of the international
financial institutions, U.S. government officials, and church leaders
at Seton Hall University. Discrimination One of the more encouraging portions of the Holy Father's
closing exhortation was the subsection entitled "Discrimination against
Indigenous peoples and Americans of African descent". Many of the
more moving speeches or "interventions" during the Synod's first
weeks addressed the problems of aboriginal peoples and African Americans.
They came from Brazil, New Mexico, the Canadian north and Washington,
D.C. The draft Message to the World attempted to address this issue, asking
forgiveness for the offenses of history and pledging to honor the demands
the bishops and observers set out in the names of their peoples. To my
personal disappointment, the specifics of those commitments were rejected
under a broadside of conservative criticism, asserting these were North
American, not "continental" problems. Ecclesia in America restored many of those commitments
and attempted to promote reconciliation between peoples and races. The
Holy Father wrote, Every attempt to marginalize the indigenous peoples
must be eliminated. This means, first of all, respecting their territories
and the pacts made with them; likewise, efforts must be made to satisfy
their legitimate social, health and cultural requirements. And how can
we overlook the need for reconciliation between the indigenous peoples
and the societies in which we are living? Care of Migrants By contrast, the question of immigrants was one on which
a great deal of learning took place in a very short time. Many Latins
came with the hope of improving the welcome their émigrés receive in the
United States. There was little conception of how diverse and complex
demands are in U.S. dioceses for the pastoral care of migrants and refugees,
with Mass being celebrated in Los Angeles, for example, on any given Sunday
for forty-three different language groups. Neither was there any sense of how discrete the needs
of each immigrant group may be. Cubans are unhappy ministry by Puerto
Ricans, and Guatemalans dislike ministry from Mexicans. Each group wants
its liturgical and devotional life exercised and pastoral care given with
the accents of their home region. Furthermore, unlike earlier generations
of immigrants, and even their contemporaries from Asia, such as Vietnamese
or Filipinos, Latin American immigrants do not bring clergy with them
or produce vocations in proportional numbers when they come to the U.S. The result of this learning was a sincere desire to cooperate
in meeting the needs as they are. One proposal which received much attention
but did not make it into the exhortation was the formation of a Latin
American version of the Society of Saint James to send priests north with
their people for a set term. I think we can rightly assume that pastoral
care of migrants will be an item for consideration by the new Meeting
of Bishops of America or one or more of its special commissions or seminars. Finally, Ecclesia in America, citing the bishops'
Proposition 20, affirms the Church's continuing commitment to defend and
safeguard the rights of migrants in America. [T]he Church in America must be a vigilant advocate,
defending against any unjust restriction the natural right of individual
persons to move freely within their own nation and from one nation to
another. Attention must be called to the rights of migrants and their
families and to respect for their human dignity, even in cases of non-legal
immigration. (no. 65) Conclusion I took my title from a proposed 'action' on the question
of migration which the Mexican episcopal conference proposed a couple
of years ago to the U.S. conference. There would have been cross-border
"abrazos" between border bishops from California to Mexico as
part of a common protest of the treatment of migrants. In the end, the
event did not come off, because there were already several other common
initiatives under way. But, there has been increasing collaboration on
several fronts. The USCC has, for example, collaborated with CELAM in
meetings with the international financial institutions on the debt issue
and, as I mentioned organized a highly significant meeting on that topic
at Seton Hall. We have also provided advice and assistance to the Mexican
conference as it re-organized its own justice and peace office. The USCC
is presently engaged with the Colombian episcopal conference in looking
at common responses to the complex and intractable problems faced by that
violence-racked country. Two types of action are required to make this solidarity,
not just between bishops, but between churches. The first is wider understanding
and appropriation of Catholic Social Teaching throughout the Americas.
The Catechism on Catholic Social Teaching proposed by the Synod could
help us here. USCC has prepared on primer for seminaries and lay study
groups in Eastern Europe on the Church's social teaching which could be
easily adapted to use both in the U.S. and in other regions of the hemisphere.
The second step, it seems to me, is to elicit a spirit of generosity
from the American Catholic people. We are tremendously generous in responding
to catastrophes like Hurricane Mitch. We need to harness the same generosity
to collaborating on long term problems with our Latin brothers and sisters.
I for one believe, given the proper leadership, they will respond. There
is, after all, a sense of neighborliness that still adheres to American
Catholic sensibilities toward Latin American. There are already innumerable
parish ties to Haiti, to Central America, to the Peruvian altiplano. We
need to build on them, renew them, and expand from them, to inspire broader
and deeper involvement with the Church in America.
A Talk Presented at Saint Peter's College, Jersey City, N.J.
April 9, 1999
Washington, D.C.
See also