Poverty and Injustice as Challenges to Ethics and Cultures - Responsibility of Christian Professionals
"Poverty and Injustice as Challenges to Ethics and Cultures - Responsibility of Christian Professionals" was the theme of the study session of the 29th Plenary Assembly of ICMICA/MIIC from 24 to 26 July 2004 in Warsaw, Poland. About 130 participants from all the continents gathered at the Assembly. The Assembly was hosted by the Klub Inteligencji Katolickiej(KIK), the ICMICA-affiliated Federation in Poland.
Pax Romana ICMICA / MIIC
29th Plenary Assembly
Warsaw and Krakow, Poland
July 24 to 29, 2004
Final Statement
Introduction
1. "Poverty and Injustice as Challenges to Ethics and Cultures - Responsibility of Christian Professionals" was the theme of the study session of the 29th Plenary Assembly of ICMICA[1] from 24 to 26 July 2004 in Warsaw, Poland. About 130 participants from all the continents gathered at the Assembly. The Assembly was hosted by the Klub Inteligencji Katolickiej (KIK), the ICMICA-affiliated Federation in Poland.
2. Key inputs by experts, extended discussions and prayers during the three days' conference deepened participants' understanding on today's global poverty which causes grave injustice and poses a serious challenge to cultures and ethics. Experiences of people of different social and cultural experiences also enabled participants to develop inter-cultural perspectives on the issue of poverty and injustice.
3. A one-day visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau, the scene of Holocaust, Europe's worst example of 20th century institutionalized injustice was a painful reminder to all participants that at the outset of new 21st century, genocide of similar nature has recently occurred and continue to occur in many parts of the world today. The visit was also an important collective experience to recall the historical background of the birth of ICMICA in 1947 soon after the World War II and to reaffirm our commitment to social justice and human rights as a way to promote peace and prevent conflicts.
Journey from Dobogoko, to Paris and to Warsaw
4. The Warsaw Conference was a culmination of a decade-long reflections by ICMICA at its various forums. Starting from the 27th Plenary Assembly on "Christian Responsibilities in a Fractured World" (Dobogoko, Hungary, July 28 to Aug. 3, 1996), a series of ICMICA conferences across the globe have helped members grasp a deeper understanding of poverty and injustice in an increasingly globalised world which demands proactive global responses of Catholic professionals and intellectuals.
5. Among the high points of our journey of reflection are the International Colloquium on "Globalisation and Poverty" (Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 25 to 29 1998), the International Colloquium on "Global Economy and Continental Synods: Dialogue with the Financial Institutions" (Washington D.C. October 18 to 23, 1999) and the 28thPlenary Assembly on "A New Partnership for Solidarity : A Source of Hope." (Paris, France, September 17-24, 2000), the Inter-Continental Workshop on Racial Discrimination on "People's Struggle for Global Racial Justice", (Chennai, India, July 21 to 25, 2001), the International Seminar on "Sustainable Development : on the Road to Rio+10" (Lima, Peru, July 7 to 9, 2002) and the Christian Forum for Global Solidarity on "Christian Solidarity for Global Justice and Peace" (Mumbai, India on Jan. 15, 2004)[2]
6. The Warsaw Conference was ICMICA's effort to sum up new experiences and insights on the phenomenon of poverty and injustices at the global level, especially in light of the deep challenges they pose to ethics and cultures as articulated in several speeches. They are, to name a few among many others, wide-spreading effects of terrorism and counter-terrorism that continues to threaten human security and peace; the unilateral invasion of Iraq which weakened the international rule of law and the UN as the central organ of multi-lateral institutions to preserve global security and peace; imminent global energy and economic crisis, etc.
7. At the same time, we have witnessed several signs of hope in many parts of the world, in particularly the emerging civil society such as the World Social Forum (WSF) under the motto of "another world is possible",[3] and the civil society-initiated global campaign for the reform of the UN and other global institutions.[4] On the front of inter-governmental cooperation, there were important initiatives such as global conferences on racism and racial discrimination, sustainable development and financing for development besides the Millennium Summit in 2000 in which Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted as globally agreed time-bound goals.[5]
Multiple-dimensions of poverty
8. Already in 1998, ICMICA had defined poverty in Africa as 'a new form of slavery'. [6]Poverty is a denial of human rights. Poverty prevents people from exercising their legitimate rights. Without access to education and health services and with insufficient monetary resources, future prospects for the majority of the poor in the world are indeed bleak. Poverty limits choices; it deprives children and young people of a future. Poverty is a daily struggle for survival, a life under the tyranny of staying alive, just for the moment. Saying 'tomorrow' is becoming a luxury for millions of people. Being excluded from future possibilities is at the heart of poverty.
9. We recognise that the poor themselves are the main agents of their liberation from hunger, illiteracy and from many oppressions that bind them. In collaboration with men and women of all forms of religious persuasions, our Christian responsibility leads us to perceive all processes of development and democracy as "people-centered" and as "poor-centered". Against powerful views of human progress that evaluate development merely in terms of creation of wealth, we stress the "freedom of all men and the whole man" as the true final goal of economic and political progress.
10. The poor themselves have a wide range of aspirations and struggles against poverty. On many fronts of fighting against poverty there has been much progress, yet, many old forms of oppression remain and new ones emerge. The global system that makes the poor insignificant, neglects their aspirations and needs, is indeed a challenge for us Christians to evermore recognize the depth of their suffering and their sense of impotence and frustration when the lives they cherish are shortened before time.
11. We are aware that even in richer and economically more developed countries, a certain degree of poverty remains. But the absolute poverty of a large percentage of populations in the poorer countries which curtails their basic access to education, health services and a decent human living challenges us ever more strongly.
Growing inequalities and systemic poverty : scandal of the humanity
12. Great inequalities within the poorer countries and increasing inequalities between the poor and rich countries are linked with the absolute lack of solidarity with the poor.
13. Growing difference in per capita incomes and increasing inequalities of access to productive assets are inherently unjust because they reflect deeper inequalities in opportunities, restricting the scope for the poor to develop personally and follow the call of God according to each one's particular vocation. Most national efforts to overcome poverty and injustice become more difficult because of growing economic inequalities at the global level which imply growing differences in the capacity to compete globally in the "free market".
14. We recognise that we need to evermore grasp the inherent link between modern poverty and global systems of injustices and their complex and multidimensional nature. We recognize the scandalous way in which wealth is distributed in the world today. Today, there is greater wealth than ever before, but so is poverty. Wealth is not being used to eliminate poverty. It is a paradox that some human beings remain rich, while many others have to be kept poor.
15. Often the elitist anti-poor policies of political leaders and governments and the wide-spread systemic corruption in most of countries lead to the increaseof wealth of a few individuals at the expense of the majority. "Free Trade" and "Free Market", far from being free or fair are biased to the advantage of the already rich and powerful. We see a need to increase political will to adopt policies that are to the advantage of the poor. This has led to a global crisis of politics, wherein people have lost trust in politicians and political parities, because they do not see a true ethical concern for the common good. At the international level too, there is little political will for action to effectively reduce poverty, injustice and discrimination.
16. Recent research has confirmed our own experiences that global poverty, far from being merely an economic or political issue, is increasingly becoming a cultural and inter-cultural issue. Hence the need to link closely ethics and cultures to the experience of poverty.
Poverty and culture : cultural dimension of poverty
17. Poverty is often the result of cultural, ethnic, religious or sexual discriminations. The economic causes of poverty are linked to and built on cultural causes. Cultural exclusion is often the underlying fact affecting the majority of the poor in many parts of the world.
18. Therefore, the fight for human and cultural development involves, more than ever, the defence of cultural liberties. The possibilities and the efforts to pursue economic progress, necessary for fighting poverty, need to be compatible with one's own cultural roots. Cultural liberty is the basis for the enlarging of freedom of choice which promote and sustain cultural diversity and cultural development.
19. Cultural liberty is an essential element for human development. This liberty is the faculty given to individuals to live and to be what they choose to be. Human development cannot be limited to merely health, education, political freedom and a decent standard of life. Cultural identities of individuals should be recognised and Governments of the world need to give adequate protection to these identities. Human persons should be free to express their identities without being victims of discrimination. Cultural liberty is at the same time a human right that has to be respected and observed universally irrespective of cultures.
Ethical and spiritual dimension of the struggle against poverty
20. The present scandalous state of widespread poverty and injustices challenge our ethical and cultural criteria and demand a critical evaluation, in the light of given and new experiences in the field. Our cultures, as they interact with the globalisation process have become ambiguous. The new understanding of cultural liberty should not be turned into an apology for conservatism and traditions which exclude sections of people, nor for a cultural relativism which is, in fact, a hidden indifference towards the poor and suppressed. Resisting the temptation to defend and justify our own cultures, we need to examine the aspects of our cultures that tend to marginalize certain groups of people and deny their basic human rights. Assertion of cultural identities must not be rigid or lead to the exclusion of identities, but ought to be lived as resources of values and respect for universal human rights.
21. Similarly we need to accept the organic link between cultures, ethics and religions, resisting both blind universalistic criteria and relativistic protective efforts towards our own internal complicity with our own capacity to be unjust, and to disempower and abandon the poor, and the oppressed, and to exclusion and intolerance.
Ecological dimension of poverty
22. Most traditional cultures of the rural poor see ecology as central for their cosmologies and spiritualities. The indigenous communities of the world still experience and express the human within the great web of ecological life. Catholic Social Teaching too, as seen in various statements by the Pope John Paul II and in many regional pastoral letters, has effectively shown that concern with poor and concern with the ecology must always be closely connected, and that to address one without the other is in fact to do an injustice to both.
23. All this demands to us Christians a new conversion, as the word of God invites us to repent for those aggressive inroads into our cultures and ethical values that increase our insensitivity towards injustice and poverty as well as to nature.
International Institutions and poverty
24. Although not perfect, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represent a tangible step forward in addressing a number of the world's urgent problems, especially the alleviation of absolute poverty. Sadly, the political will and donor support for the eight MDGs are far behind schedule. Greater political will and donor support must be mobilized to achieve the MDGs.
25. While we strive for critical yet constructive engagement with international institutions, particularly the international financial institutions, they must fulfil their serious global responsibilities. In recent years, we have seen these institutions using the languages of NGOs and co-opting the agenda of the civil society movement. These institutions need to go beyond rhetoric and provide global leadership by a positive impact of their policy implementation to combat poverty. At the same time our nation states must take seriously their responsibilities for these institutions and work to make them more effective and accountable in the struggle for justice on a global scale.
Global governance and global ethic
26. We recognize the urgent need for a new form of global governance. A globalised world needs a new global approach, ethically rooted in common human values shared across cultures and enabling the poor to be the agents of their own liberation. This is not a call for global government but a call for the creation of effective mechanisms at the global level which will empower the poor, the disposed and the marginalized, to move out of their poverty and exercise their rights to participate fully in the human family.
27. Concern for the common good and a new form of global governance will not be possible without a renewal of ethics in our world. Unless the world develops an ethic built on a basic concern for individuals and peoples and for nature, it will not be possible even to have a workable market economy, democracy, the rule of law, or a tolerant and pluralistic society. It is the ethics of societies which determine whether they and their institutions will work adequately. This need is all too often ignored or under-estimated.
28. Financial capital and social capital are not enough for a market, or for any other institution meant for human communities. We need also an ethical cultural tradition. For a long time, we have thought that this store of ethics was there and available. Now it is clear that unless we make decisive efforts to develop stronger ethical bases with the existing resources available, our societies may not be sustainable as communities of peoples and cultures.
29. A global ethic is essential to overcome the false wisdom of the modern mechanistic philosophy underlying the presently unjust global structures which generate massive poverty and ecological degradation. The dominant ethical philosophies created by the modern Western Enlightenment appear increasingly bankrupt before the present interwoven ecological, social and spiritual crises. On the other hand, the communities-oriented ethics of many of the indigenous peoples of the world and the ethical traditions underlying our own Catholic Social Teaching,rooted in the Gospel and humanity's ancient ethical wisdom, offer great insights from the richness of human cultures, and contain precious resources for the renewal of a global ethic.
Ethical alternatives to economic globalisation perpetuating poverty
30. We need an ethic that impels us to be self-critical. The reality of continuing and increasing poverty and injustice is a challenge for our ethic, given the fact that the prevalent dominant ethic of our times is part and parcel of the structural injustice of our world. Specifically, the abject resignation in the face of dehumanising poverty and the lack of political will to deal with it are major ethical shortcomings of our times. We need to develop an ethic and a culture that would prove to be the criteria to critically and self-critically understand, evaluate and respond to the reality of global poverty and injustice.
31. We need an ethic that is coherent both at the political, collective as well as at the personal levels. Our practices need to coincide with our professions and preaching. We need an ethic that will help us to do what we speak and to speak what we do.
32. We need an ethic of alternatives. It is not enough to merely denounce unjust structures. We, as individuals and as a movement, as Christian citizens, need to witness and to show to the world that alternatives do exist, that another world is possible, and that our own efforts to achieve those aims are relevant, globally and locally. Developing concrete alternatives is at the heart of the credibility of our ethic, in that our efforts motivate others to accept their own ethical duty and to join in the struggle against the present unjust structures.
33. Global solidarity needs to become part and parcel of the new global ethics. Even though the process of globalisation, especially with developments in Information and Communication Technologies, has the potential of providing greater interconnectedness of the world, it has contributed to the growth of excessive individualism and the loss of a sense of global interdependence. In this context, a true sense of solidarity becomes even more crucial. Going beyond mere words, global solidarity should lead to concrete and effective action, based on the recognition that all peoples are interdependent[7] and the suffering of one person affects all.[8]
The poor : agents for liberation and source of hope
34. Our human and Christian hope motivates us to celebrate all the achievements of the poor in their struggle for freedom. The hard-won improvements in the quality of life of the poor, however small, give us more reasons for hope than the riches obtained by the already rich. These improvements are indeed a sign of the unfolding of the Good News of Jesus.
35. The poor are not only the central agents of their liberation, but, in spite of their unjust suffering, they are also the source of our hope. The hope of the poor is inspired by the paradox of the Cross which announces the end of the power of injustice and the coming of the Kingdom of God which is of love, justice and peace. The poor are inspired by the Cross because it says that God is on their side in the Crucified one.
36. A global struggle against poverty and injustice demands a unified effort from all sections of mankind. At this level, inter-religious dialogue, should not be limited to an academic dialogue between religious leaders, with the danger of, even unwillingly, providing hidden legitimatisationfor unjust structures,. On the contrary, it should be open and flower forth into a dialogue of life. In the words of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference, it unfolds itself as a triple dialogue: dialogue with the poor, the cultures and with religions.
37. Religion, at least in the West, has for too long been confined to the individual and private sphere. But, enriched by the liberative content of peoples' religions as well as by a rediscovery of the hidden positive potentials of mainstream religions, religion today is becoming a central concern in the struggle for answers to great global issues: peace, development, human rights and environment, for example. Religions are visible today through the emergence of ethical concerns about great world questions and also through implicit or explicit religious references in the conflicts in the present world.
38. The "preferential option for the poor" has been a key element of the teachings of the Churches for quite sometime now. Sadly, the option has many times remained just at the preaching level, with scattered efforts by local communities. Christian communities need to continue to seriously reflect on how they themselves contribute to poverty in the world and how they can better follow the example of Jesus Christ who chose to be present among the poor and the marginalized.
39. While poverty and injustice demand our attention, we recognise too that women and children are among the poorest and most discriminated against persons in the world, as revealed in the key areas that the MDGs try to address. We echo Pope John Paul II who in his Letter to Women points to the "urgent need to achieve real equality in every area."[9] Gender is not only a question of equality but a question of justice too.
Mission and spirituality for lay professionals and intellectuals
40. We, as a global community and network of lay Catholic professionals and intellectuals, feel the callto a spirituality of communion and solidarity, as echoed by our last Paris Assembly, "A new Partnership for Solidarity : A sign of Hope". Echoing the sentiments of Pope John Paul II's letter Novo Milennio Ineunte, we wish to promote such a spirituality, convinced that the quality of such communion is based on the acknowledgement of the variety of the vocations in the Church, including the vocation of laity, and the vocation of the various associations of the faithful.
41. As Christ followers and disciples, we feel challenged to deepen everyday our contemplation of the Lord in the face of the poor, with whom He himself has identified: "I was hungry and you gave me to eat"...(Mt.25). As John Paul II said this is not only an invitation to love, but also"a page of christology, that illuminates the mystery of Christ. And on that page, the Church tests her fidelity as Christ's spouse, not less than in the field of orthodoxy".[10]
42. We feel challenged by "the need of a new imagination for charity" in present times. Each century and each generation offers new avenues to be faithful to the Gospel, in accordance with the challenges of its time and context. Convinced that the ethical and social side of the Christian message is a necessary dimension of the Christian witness', we will 'resist all temptation of an individualist spirituality."[11]
43. We recognize that as Christian professionals and intellectuals, we have the responsibility to help build a more just and peaceful world. Through our professional work and our intellectual reflection, our calling leads us to use all our potential in building justice, peace and solidarity at the local and international levels. A continuous process of formation, an active presence and animation in local and international processes that shape society, andthe exercise of our rightof advocacy on relevant topics in front ofdecision-makers, are the means of our service and witness of the Gospel.
44. We are aware that many of our members are present in the university world. In the new global information society, one of the central cultural institutions is the university. This is the institution within which the dysfunctional global system generating massive poverty and ecological degradation is tragically reproduced across fresh generations of youth. As Pope John Paul II boldly declared in "Ex Corde Ecclesiae", the hundreds of Catholic universities across the world are called to take up across all academic disciplines, the great intellectual challenge of solving the great crises of contemporary global society. This is a challenge also for all our members who teach and work in State or private universities.
Our commitments in the beginnings of the 21st century
45. In the light of the deliberations and discussions during the Conference and based on what has been achieved during the last several years and expressed in the Paris Final Statement of 2000, we are challenged to move forward with a renewed sense of vision and mission. We recognize that the 40th anniversary of the closing of the Vatican Council II, particularly the adoption of the Pastoral Constitution "Gaudium et Spes" : the Church in the modern world : in 2005, and also the 60th anniversary of ICMICA in 2007, present to us two main milestones for our continued journey of faith in our professional commitments in society and the Church.
46. We, all leaders and members of ICMICA, working together and networking with partners and friends, commit ourselves to play a more proactive role as disciples of Jesus in tackling contemporary challenges of global poverty which causes unacceptable injustice to billions of humanity. For this cause we will make good use of our inter-cultural and ethical wisdom and resources in the coming years, as a network of Christians both locally rooted and globally connected.
47. As a means to improve our activities and to strengthen our movement, we commit ourselves to improve our internal communication, among individuals, groups and federations and with the International Council and the International Team, to bring our reflections and experiences from the local to the international leveland from the international to the local within the Movement,and also with our partners, fully utilizing the benefits of the available information and communication technologies.
48. In designing forward-looking strategies based on our experiences over the last four years and taking into account key challenges and priorities identified in the last Plenary Assembly 2000, we consider that the following areas are integral components of the basic framework for action in the period 2004-2008.
Christian service and leadership in civil society
1. We commit ourselves to the leadership capacity-building of young lay leaders building on the experience gained through various programs such as the Human Rights Internship Program in Geneva in conjunction with the UN meetings, in cooperation with the Catholic student and youth movements such as the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) and the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS).
2. We commit ourselves to the development of conceptual and programmatic framework of Christian Social Advocacy (CSA) building on our recent experiences in various continents, as a tool for Christian witness to the Gospel and to build Christian leadership in an emerging global civil society.
3. We commit ourselves to a proactive dialogue of life with people of good-will, from other religions and faiths, and from traditions of secular humanisms, in a spirit of loyalty and discernment, pursuing common objectives such as peace, non-violence, human rights, social justice and solidarity, whose underlying values are shared and recognized universally across the local groups, communities, nations and global institutions.
Christian leadership in global governance
4. We commit ourselves to share in the ongoing efforts aimed at the construction of a more democratic and inclusive global governance whose core values are guided by the ethical principles underlying the Catholic Social Teaching.
5. We commit ourselves to use all our potential for the full implementation of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by animating and advocating in the nations where we are present, as well as at the regional and universal levels. Also, we commit ourselves to mobilize all available resources : cultural, ethical as well as material : within the Church to that end.
6. We continue and double our efforts to support any efforts by all grassroots members of our Movement, in particular in Africa, to empower themselves to combat poverty and injustice, and build peace in a spirit of global solidarity and partnership.
Lay leadership in the Church
7. We commit ourselves to carry on proactive dialogues aiming at a better understanding and communion among various lay movements, the clergy and religious, respecting their different charismas and distinctive missions in the communion of the People of God, as well as sharing our own tradition and spirituality.
8. We commit ourselves to the promotion of lay vocations and lay leadership, particularly women, at the local and universal Church, with an emphasis on the role of lay professionals and intellectuals and their social responsibilities.
9. We commit ourselves to the ongoing process of renewal of the Church in the various continents, in line with the spirit of the Continental Synods which provided legitimate and insightful foundation for a Church of communion and solidarity in the 21st century.
[1]The Plenary Assembly takes place once every four years and is composed of study session and statutory session. The statutory session of the 29th Assembly took place from July 28 to 29, 2004 in Krakow, Poland.
[2] There were many more meetings at the continental level such as the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) People's Forum workshop on 'Globalisation and Spirituality' (Seoul, South Korea / October 16 to 19, 2000), the European Conference on 'Migration in Europe' (Poland, May 10-13, 2001) and the European Conference on 'Ethical and Constitutional Challenges to the European Project" (Luxembourg, Sept. 3 to 6, 2003). The full list of main documents produced at the ICMICA meetings is at the publication "A New Partnership for Solidarity"
[3] World Social Forum : www.worldsocialforum.org
[4] UBUNTU : www.ubuntu.org
[5] ICMICA has participated in those meetings and conferences directly and indirectly and the outcome of our participation is available in the form of statement at the publication "A New Partnership for Solidarity".
[6] Para. 10 of the International Colloquium on Globalisation and Poverty in Africa (Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 25 to 29 1998)
[7] Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 23-24.
[8] Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 39.
[9] Pope John Paul II. Letter to Women, 1995
[10] Novo Millennio Ineunte, No.49
[11] Novo Millennio Ineunte, No. 52
