Analysis of Centesimus Annus Document of John Paul II - Term Paper Example

Centesimus Annus John Paul II Being written nearly 20 years ago it would be easy to think of this document as being out of especially as it frequently refers to a much older paper, but the points made, if followed, remain valid as gospel truths in a world where injustice is common. As is traditional the document takes its name from the Latin for the first words. In this case they can be translated as ‘100 years’ or ‘The centenary’, because the paper refers back to something that occurred 100 years earlier. However, despite frequently looking back to the past, and the lessons it can teach, in particular about the way that neither Communism nor Capitalism has worked to really help the poor, the pontiff also looks to the future and the challenges of a new millennium. (62) John Paul II, born in 1920 as Karol Józef Wojtyła, and ordained in 1946, he was elected to the papacy in October 1978, taking the name of his immediate predecessor. He remained in that position for 27 years before his death in 2005. The intention in this document is that the Church will be better prepared to face the new century. He describes how new things will always occur, but places them in the context of God’s eternal plan – Revelations 21 v 5 , Behold I make all things new.’ That verse of course refers to the age to come, but the pope gives thanks even for the future, thanking God ‘who has granted his Church the light and strength to accompany humanity on its earthly journey towards its eternal destiny.’(62) Centesimus Annus can be described as a challenge to take action for all Roman Catholics, both laity and the priestly hierarchy, addressed in the greeting as brothers and sons and daughters. The pontiff asks them to affirm and then develop their individual and collective efforts in social and political areas. He seeks to provide Christians with purpose and reasons for hope in the modern world which fits in to the social teachings of the Church. It is believed that John Paul deliberately wrote his encyclical in the style of an earlier one from 100 years ago. ‘Rerum Novarum’ by Leo XIII which took as its subject capital and labor. There is one very important difference between the two documents and it is presented in the first few words. Leo wrote to ‘Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops,’ i.e. only the hierarchy, but John Paul not only addresses these, but also widens his audience considerably to all ‘priests and deacons, families of men and women religious, all the Christian Faithful and to all men and women of good will’. This of course includes not only lower clergy and laity, but also all other Christians and even those who do not believe, but who have good intentions. He is issuing this the challenge not to an elite of the church hierarchy, the management if you like, but to each and every worker in the divine vineyard of the modern world. John Paul acknowledges the long term value of the earlier document. ( 1) The Church in the modern age has the task of teaching its members the positive virtues of good citizenship and must instill in them the need to take the initiative in order to meet social and therefore human needs, a need as expressed ( 2) as ‘to achieve so much good and to radiate so much light.’ Although the world and society on it has moved on considerably over the century that had passed, the pontiff feels that there are essential values and principles described in the earlier paper which are still valid. He proposes (3) looking back at the paper to see all its richness, to look at our surroundings and the people in our world, and then to look forward into the new millennium with all its promise, but also its uncertainties. In (4) in is pointed out that progress, described as ‘new freedoms’ can also lead to ‘new forms of injustice and servitude’. In (5) the pope tells his readers that the church has something to say about specific human situations, both individual and communal, as well as national and international. He describes a doctrine designed to deal with these situations, one which enables the church to see clearly the realities of society, and then to make appropriate judgments. From this point it can then come up with directions and solutions for the particular problems discovered. This however, this ‘social doctrine’ is not an isolated one, but is part of the wider concept of ‘new evangelism’ which the pontiff had discussed many times already. It includes (6) a repetition of the stress on the dignity of both work and worker. The document is not all vague waffle, but can be quite precise as in (7) where John Paul defends the rights of workers to form unions and also covers such matters as reasonable working hours, and special care being given to women and children. In (8) this is extended to the right to a just payment for work done. He points out how, despite numerous national and international agreements, injustice in this area persists. Paragraph ( 9) deals with religious freedom. Although it is generally considered that a person’s religious life is a private matter the pope points out how it can fit in alongside other rights. He talks in particular about the right to time for worship saying that ‘no man may with impunity violate that human dignity which God himself treats with great reverence.’ He questions whether existing laws in industrial societies are effective in ensuring that such rights are upheld. Paragraph (10) is concerned with the relationship between state and citizen. The state itself cannot be seen to be favoring one part of society i.e. the rich, over another poorer part. The rich, he says, have resources to fall back upon in difficult times whereas the poor are denied this. The poorer they are the more they require what is described as ‘social charity’ whether from individuals, groups or government. In (11) it is pointed out that the church has always felt its responsibility for the same kind of people that Jesus cared for as described by the evangelists. The pontiff backs up his argument with scripture and describes how in Genesis 1 v 26 God created man in his own image – and that this gives each individual an innate dignity which is in danger in modern society. The Church’s social gospel is based upon this view of a person and therefore of his special value. In (12) there is stress on the need to see clearly the actual condition of workers, ‘a correct picture of society’ in order that solutions may be found. Leo XIII wrote before the rise of extreme socialism in the form of the Communist Revolution and atheism. This of course led to class struggle, an attempt to reverse roles and situations. This however leads to resentment and aggression. This is the wrong solution according to the pontiff. Instead there should be an honest consideration of perceived differences as a way forward towards social justice.( 14) This means that it is against total state control i.e. Communism.(15). Instead both society and the governments of the world must take up their proper responsibilities. The Church is not against all struggles for social justice however, and realizes that such struggles can be both justified and successful. In (14) John Paul explains it is wrong however when partisan interest overcomes the good of the ordinary man. He quotes Pius XI in 1931 (Quadragessimo Anno) ‘If the class struggle abstains from enmities and mutual hatred, it gradually changes into an honest discussion of differences founded on a desire for justice.’ To this he might have added another quotation, this time from paragraph 144 of that document:- There is the greatest need now of such valiant soldiers of Christ who will work with all their strength to keep the human family safe from the dire ruin into which it would be plunged were the teachings of the Gospel to be flouted.’ The more that individuals are found to be defenseless within society, the more they have need of the care and concern of other members of that same society, whether this comes from local neighbors, national groups such as charities aimed at specific groups, or from those in authority. A number of ways in which this can be done are outlined e.g. ‘humane’ work hours and being able to express oneself in a work situation. This will lead to true peace, not just the absence of armed conflict, but also true peace in individual hearts. Leo XIII gave this the name of friendship, Pius XI called it rather ‘social charity’ and Paul VI ‘a civilization of love.’ John Paul goes on to give a sort of potted history of the 20th century and its various conflicts. Out of the horrors came the various international agreements from important groups such as the United Nations with their ‘Declaration of Human Rights’. In (3) the pontiff explains that his predecessor had spoken out because he was aware of his responsibility to do so as successor to St Peter, in whose hands Jesus left his ‘sheep’. ( John 21 v 15-19) John Paul did so in 1991 for exactly the same reason. He speaks in the same passage of the ‘old’ tradition, old because it has been handed down carefully from one generation to the next. In the final section of Centesimus Annus (53) John Paul again quotes Pope Leo XIII, from his encyclical Rerum Novarum, (107):- ‘ By keeping silence we would seem to neglect the duty incumbent on us.’ The pope however is not the only one to whom the responsibility has been passed on down the years. It is this old tradition that enables the new and present church to interpret anew the world around them and to act on such revelations. The modern day Church in the late 20th century found herself still having to face new events and fresh challenges. A centenary after the original encyclical any celebration of it therefore needs to reaffirm the commitment of people, and of Christians in particular. Acting either by themselves, or as organized groups, these people who still follow ancient ideas about right and what is truly valuable, these, says the pontiff, ‘ represent a great movement for the defence of the human person and the safeguarding of human dignity.’. In (11) the pope tells how this is proof of the continuity down the centuries of the Church’s care for the poor, which was referred to as ‘a preferential option for the poor.’ Pope Leo was speaking at a time when rapid and widespread industrialization had reduced freedoms and laid terrible burdens on so many millions o f people. John Paul is speaking in a very different world, to some extent post industrial, but, as he points out, economic, political and social changes are still causing great harm. The state has responsibilities to people who suffer as a result, but so too have other agencies and individuals. The final section of the paper is headed ‘Man is the way of the church’. John Paul points out how the church has worked to ‘defend man from economic exploitation and from the tyranny of the totalitarian systems,’ after the First World War. Then came another war and its aftermath. The Church at that time felt she must place the dignity of the individual at the heart of her social gospel. They sought to insist that all should have a fair share of material goods, and that the society must to be free of oppression and instead be based upon a united cooperation and the spirit of solidarity. Now there must continue to be dialogue and cooperation between all people of good will. Faith ( 59), the pope feels, not only aids people in their search for solutions; it also makes difficult situation easier to bear, so that in such perplexing situations people will not loose or forget their either their dignity and their task and vocation. Coupled with the grace of God, faith enables God to act through his people. Psalm 84 v 11 tells how the ‘Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will God withhold from them that walk uprightly.’ This fits in with the love which it is believed that God has for the whole of his creation, whatever their status in life. In particular individuals and groups with who have specific responsibilities, whether at local, national or international level, in the domains of politics, of economics and of society, must put on a united front in order to overcome new 21st century difficulties, making a ‘ unanimous witness of our common convictions regarding the dignity of man.’(60), a dignity created by God himself as described in the earlier encyclical of John Paul , written in 1987 ‘ Sollicitudo Rei Socialis,( 38) , also with the theme of the social concerns of the Church. In his final paragraph the pontiff concludes by quoting Hebrews 13 v 8, describing Christ as ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’. But if Christ is the same, as Christians believe, then so is the task he gave his church , a task of caring which although time passes, does not lessen, only changes in its details, particular needs and the solutions required. In conclusion, although, because it looks to the future, this document does not deal in specific situations, it does however lay down certain principles, based upon scriptural authority, as well as the practices of the Church from ancient times down to the present. These principles, if followed, will serve, whatever new situations emerge, as a way of ensuring that man is held in the position in which God first placed him when he created him in his own image ( Genesis 1 v 26) Works Cited John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1st May 1991, 18th November 2010 http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0214/_INDEX.HTM John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 30th December 1987. Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum’ May 1891, 18th November 2010, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html Paul VI, Homily, 25th December 1975, 18th November 2010 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/homilies/1975/documents/hf_p-vi_hom_19751225_it.html Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno, III, 15th May 1931, 18th November 2010 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19310515_quadragesimo-anno_en.html The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The United Nations 1948, 18th November 2010 http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ Read More