Pope Francis on just wages and peace

The Pope is coming and the nation is waiting to hear what message he will bring to the Philippines. I have heard many Filipinos express the hope that the pope’s visit will become a moral turning point for our people.

For those, however, who have been truly listening to the different speeches and sermons of Pope Francis, his message to the Filipino people will not be a surprise. All his messages have been closely aligned to the 288-paragraph document he issued in November 2013 which is called the Apostolic Exhortation. In paragraph 185 he writes:

“In what follows I intend to concentrate on two great issues which strike me as fundamental in this time of history. I will treat them more fully because I believe that they will shape the future f humanity. These issues are first, the inclusion of the poor in society, and second, peace and social dialogue.

It is his first message of “inclusion of the poor in society” which is expected to be the core of his messages when he comes to the Philippines. Many priests and bishops have been reminding the public that Pope Francis principal interest is to help the poor.

But I sometimes wonder why the specific messages of Pope Francis on how to help the poor are not being discussed. Instead we hear the usual generalization of loving the poor and being charitable. Perhaps it is because the leaders and  biggest donors of the Catholic Church are not ready to follow the steps that the Pope has enumerated in his Exhortation on how to really help the poor.

In paragraph 187 of his Exhortation  Pope Francis writes: “ Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society. This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid. A mere glance at the Scriptures is enough to make us see how our gracious Father wants to hear the cry of the poor.”

Nowhere in the Apostolic Exhortations  do I read that the Pope wants us to give more alms and that charity is the way to help the poor. I have heard priests publicly praise rich persons who give large donations and who treat poor children to free food and drinks on Christmas. But this is not what I hear as praiseworthy from the Pope.

Instead, this is what he said: “The Church has realized that the need to heed this plea is itself born of the liberating action of grace within each of us, and thus it is not a question of a mission reserved only to a few.” To the Pope helping the poor is not a matter of charity but an obligation. He writes: “The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by love for mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to respond to it with all her might.”

Pope Francis is very clear what  is the meaning of responding to the pleas of the poor. In paragraph 188 he writes: “It means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor.”

Just wages

It is in paragraph 192 that Pope Francis makes it clear what is the real solution. He writes: “Yet we desire even more than this, our dreams soars higher. We are not simply talking about ensuring nourishment or a “dignified sustenance” for all people, but also their general temporal welfare and prosperity. This means education, access to health care, and above all employment, for it is through free, creative, participatory and mutually supportive labor that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives. A just wage enables them to have adequate access to all the goods which are destined for our common use.”

This is actually not a new call for the Church. In 1991, Pope John Paul II issued the Centessimus  Annus ([One Hundred Years) which was a papal encyclical which reaffirmed the major principles of the first papal encyclical – Rerum Novarum ( On the Condition of Labor)- issued in 1891 by Pope Leo Xlll.

In his encyclical, Pope Leo Xlll affirmed the dignity of work. He also affirmed the rights of labor to form associations or labor unions, limited working hours, legitimate rest, a family wage, and to discharge religious duties.

After  122 years, Pope Francis has seen the need to once again raise the cry for just wages and for the poor to have the opportunity to a life of human dignity.

Dangers of capitalism

In his Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Francis warns the world of the dangers of a free market economy. In paragraph 204, he writes: “ We can no longer trust in the unseen forces and the invisible hand of of the market. Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth; it requires decisions, programmes, mechanisms and processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality.”

This is again not a new message of the Church. In 1991, after the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, in his encyclical , Pope John Paul ll warned that the collapse of the communist system risked the rise of a radical capitalist ideology which would entrust everything to the free development of market forces.

Peace and Social Dialogue

In his focus on “peace and social dialogue”, Pope Francis has so far achieved little successes. In his visit to Turkey and his Christmas message, he has pleaded for an end to the violence in the Middle East especially the vicious executions and enslaving  of members of religious minorities like the Christians and  Yazidis. Unfortunately, the violence has continued unabated.

The Pope seems to have also recognized the potential violence of Muslim minorities that are now the subject of debates in Europe and the United States. In paragraph 252 of his Exhortation, he said: “ Our relationship with the followers of Islam has taken on great importance, since they are now significantly present in many traditional Christian countries, where they can freely worship and become fully a part of society.”

In paragraph 253, the Pope also wrote: “ We Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants t our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received and respected in countries of Islamic tradition, I ask and I humbly entreat those countries to grant Christians freedom to worship and practice their faith, in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in Western countries!”

There are those who believe that the appointment of the Bishop of Cotobato City as a Cardinal was a recognition of this country’s achievement in trying to attain permanent peace between Christians and Muslims in the Southern Philippines. I am referring to the Bangsamoro Peace Agreement which is one PNoy’s greatest legacy to future Filipino generations.

Just wages and peace among all peoples have been an integral part of Catholic Social Teachings since it begun in 1891. It is our hope that Pope Francis will find a way to convince the world, especially the rich and the powerful, to truly embrace these messages.