The development isn’t just a rightful aspiration but a right for peoples. Because of that, when we look at reality through the eyes of impoverished people we can perceive the urgency on transforming the society model because there exists a great contrast between wealth, the big scientific and technical possibilities and the impoverishment of billions of people.
Countries and peoples on earth are not isolated. They all shape what we call the international community. The Catholic church says that this is an essential dimension of both political and social reality. The human vocation to build a unified human family implies a new way to conceive relations between people around the world.
When we take a look globally to our planet, we realize that the impoverishment problem is the very first and essential problem on Earth. Because of that, the responsibility for working on international development becomes more and more urgent. That is the most important political problem in the world.
The social doctrine deems that international relations should be presided over by four essential criteria: truth, justice, solidarity, and liberty. All peoples have the same dignity and they own to the others the mutual recognition of responsibilities and duties. But the only way to reach the previous is to put on practice the solidarity in order to achieve a development for all and to have a pacific coexistence. No nation has the right to exercise any kind of domination over no other, neither economical nor another kind.
The current situation on earth is demanding justice very loud. The major part of people on our time is living precariously day by day. The joy of living frequently fades, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise, and inequality is increasingly evident. Today, we have to say: No to an economy of exclusion. Such an economy kills. Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a “throw away” culture which is now spreading.
That very reality shows that there not exists a truly international community, so we need to reorient it. International relationships are lead by injustice, violence, and primacy of particular interests over the common good. There exist positive elements of cooperation and solidarity, of course, but we are truly far away from making a unique human family.
The Catholic church considers that the united nations and their agencies have contributed and are still contributing a lot. But the social doctrine understands that we need to go further and to tend to the creation of a real World authority being an effective tool for approaching world defies. The international community needs a worldwide democratic authority and a social citizenship actively cooperating with it.
We need to realize that the approaching to this defy, two things are needed: a better conception of the meaning of development and a suitable understanding of the obstructions opposing to it.
DSI sentence
The development cannot be restricted to economic growth alone. To be authentic, it must be well rounded; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man.
Paul VI, Populorum proressio n.14
Act
What are we going to do, personally or as a community to:
a) growing on solidarity?
b) helping some organization to better think about international solidarity?
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