The Social Teaching of the Church in the Context of the Catholic University

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1 The Social Teaching of the Church in the Context of the Catholic University Prof. Johan Verstraeten, K.U.Leuven Catholic social thought is more than merely a papal doctrine. It is a complex and rich tradition of practice and thought, a continuing learning process at the point of intersection of gospel with life. Catholic social teaching, or Catholic social doctrine, is the official interpretation of it and in so far as it is connected with the broader tradition as on- going interpretation it contributes to its further development. It is often called the Church s best kept secret but actually it is not a secret at all, because encyclicals are available in many languages on the website of the Vatican and the positive resonance of Laudato si in the media is a clear sign that the catholic social tradition is more than ever perceived as relevant for the global world. At the grassroots Catholics social movements are in many ways acting for justice and peace, but, as an international expert seminar in Leuven has demonstrated, it is very often not the official social teaching that inspires the movements at the grassroots, but a contextual reading of the gospel. The question now is, what role do Catholic universities play in the development of the Catholic social tradition of practice and thought? What is the impact of official social teaching, and action at the grassroots, on research and education, in departments of economics, business, law, medicine, agriculture or social science? I fear that, if certain conditions are not met, that there is not much to tell about it. Why do Catholic universities not play a more active role as mediators between the magisterium and the grassroots? Perhaps two observations made by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si can shed a light on the question. First of all he observes that many members of the academia, opinion makers, media and power centers, operate at great distance from the real people and have no direct contact with reality: the lack of physical contact and encounter, leads to a fragmentation of conscience and to the denial of reality in tendentious analyses. Research must be based on the standards of modern academia, but when it is not rooted in an encounter with real people it runs the risk of becoming an ivory tower producing abstract theory disconnected from the lifeworld. In this perspective Pope Francis reminds us in Evangelii Gaudium that conceptual tools exist to heighten contact with realities they seek to explain, not to distance from them (EG, 182), and in Laudato si he argues that direct contact is a conditio sine qua non for being able to hear the complaints of the poor and the earth (LS, 110). The conscienticizing direct encounter with human suffering or the consequences of and natural disasters can generate new insights and innovative projects when students or researchers get the opportunity to make well prepared exposure trips, when they can go for their internship to field hospitals or refugee camps, when bio- engineers are confronted with farmers whose source of income is threatened by land grabbing or manipulation of markets by the agro- industry, when students of law or social science are confronted with the consequences of poverty and exclusion in the suburbs of big cities, when engineers can see with their own eyes how indigenous people are treated by mine, oil or gas companies. Such experience is not a threat to scientific excellence, but an enrichment of it and it can enable career oriented brilliant students to transform their professional skills into an adequate service to others.

2 A second observation concerns hyper- specialization and the disconnection between scientific disciplines, which monsignor Philippe Bordeyne mentioned yesterday: the subdivision of knowledge risks to become irrelevant when it loses its sense of the whole, when it does not pay attention to the relationships between things, when it disregards the wider horizon (LS, 110). Against this tendency, Pope Francis exhorts Catholic universities to pay more attention to the broader perspective and to the interconnection between the manifold aspects of reality. His warning against the negative consequence of fragmentation directly concerns Catholic social teaching in so far as it becomes a theological discipline disconnected from other disciplines. Programming a course on Catholic social teaching is a step in the right direction, but when it remains limited to one department, or when its insights are not connected to the issues and methods of other disciplines, the social teaching becomes self- referential, church- centred or incapable of raising critical questions about economics, business, law, international politics or agriculture. But when universities create in their study programs and their research centers space for the broader moral horizon articulated in catholic social thought, it becomes a forceful source of inspiration for what Pope Francis describes as the necessary resistance against (111) and liberation from (112) the technocratic paradigm which shrinks our understanding of the world. With these two critical observations in mind, I will now focus on Catholic social teaching as such, more precisely its basic methodology and subsequently its most relevant basic principles. I admit that this is a selective interpretation, but in only 30 minutes it is not possible to articulate the full content and the many nuances of a more than 100 Years old tradition. My consciously selective reading starts from Ex corde ecclesiae nr. 32 according to which Catholic Universities are called to render service to the society and to promote research in areas such as the dignity of human life, the promotion of justice for all, the quality of personal and family life, the protection of nature, the search for peace and political stability, a more just sharing of the world s resources, and a new economic and political order that will better serve the human community at a national and international level (ECE 32). Indeed, catholic universities are called to be catalysts of change. Their transformative role is an integral part of their identity and authenticity as institutions rooted in the Christian faith: An authentic faith- which is never comfortable or completely personal- always implies a deep desire to change the world. (EN 183). With these words from Evangelii gaudium pope Francis re- affirms the final text of the general synod of bishops on justice of 1971 which proclaimed that participation in the transformation of the world and liberation from every form of oppression are constitutive for a credible evangelization. Because of this transformative perspective, catholic social teaching can t be merely a abstract doctrinal propositions which remain mere generalities that challenge no one (EG 182). Catholic social teaching is indeed not a doctrine in the sense of a particular Catholic ideology, but a dynamic and open framework of discernment for action in view of shaping a more just world in which every person can live a dignified life. Even Pope John Paul II has admitted in his encyclical Centesimus annus that the witness of action is more important than the consistency of the doctrine (CA). The social framework of discernment is, moreover, based on a crystal clear methodology: the triad of see, judge, act (MM 236).

3 1. Analysis The first stage of the social discernment is a careful observation and analysis of the actual situation, both locally and globally. According to Pope Paul VI, in Octogesima adveniens nr. 4 such an analysis is the task of local church communities: It is up to the Christian communities to analyze with objectivity the situation which is proper to their own country to discern the options and commitments which are called for in order to bring about the social, political and economic changes seen in many cases to be urgently needed (OA, 4). Simultaneously action and reflection on global issues such as climate change, inequality and migration, are more than ever necessary. But such a global discernment is, as Pope Francis contends not the exclusive task of the pope, nor of an elite speaking for the people. It is, according to him rather the task of the entire people of God: all the communities, thus also universities, are meant to participate in this discernment (EG 51). This means that universities are not simply receivers of a papal doctrine, or obliged to propagate it, but also active participants in the discernment process as such. The scientific and transversal quality of their participation in the analysis of global issues is co- constitutive for the adequacy and relevance of the universal social discernment process. The Church, and thus also its Catholic universities as members of it, are moreover not outsiders or distant observers of the world, because their action and reflection is an integral part of the historical evolution of the society itself, or, in other words of the history of humankind as a complex interaction in which the future emerges. Being co- responsible for what the world tomorrow will be, neither Catholic universities, nor the Church community can act on their own. Particularly global issues require a common search and a common dialogue with all people, movements and institutions that share in the responsibility for the humanization of the world. Hence Pope Francis repeated exhortation to dialogue beyond the catholic community. Dialogue with other Christians, with other religions, with non- religious people who care for the future generations and the earth, and with the secular world of science. Catholic universities as spaces of critical conversation can and must accompany and when necessary anticipate the magisterium in organizing and guaranteeing an open and transparent dialogue. 2. Moral Discernment and Principles The next step in the discernment process is moral reasoning as mediation between analysis and action, between moral indignation and seeking constructive solutions taking into account the real dilemmas of life. In the e Catholic social tradition this moral reasoning is done on the basis of a series of criteria and principles. I will mention some of them in so far as they are directly relevant to our topic. Human Dignity As we have already heard yesterday, the Pastoral Constitution GS has put the human person and his or her dignity at the center of the Church social teaching: the subject and the goal

4 of all social institutions is and must be the human person (GS, 25, 26). This person is not a monadic individual, but a social being, even to such an extent that the progress of the human person and the advance of society itself depend on one another (GS, 25). In recent years the popes have broadened the principle of human dignity in order to include the future generations. In Laudato si the commandment not to kill is interpret as related to the prohibition to use the natural resources so that that the poor or the future generations are deprived of it (LS 95). Hence Pope Francis unambiguous option for a new economy, a new lifestyle, and for the precautionary principle as moral criterion for new technological and biotechnological developments (LS, 186). The principle of the dignity of the actual and future generations is in many ways a challenge to Catholic Universities. It urges them more than ever to care for the integral formation of persons and to focus not only on the development of technical or economic competences, but also human competences. Respecting the dignity of the human persons raises also questions about the working conditions of employees at our universities: do we manage our faculty and administrative personal humanely? Do we create, even in a highly competitive environment, enough space for a healthy work/life balance? What do we do to guarantee living wages human working conditions for our cleaning personal, which often work for outsource companies who treat them unjustly. Do we create equal opportunities for people with disabilities? Are programs and buildings sufficiently accessible to them? The Common Good The second basic principle in moral reasoning about social issues is the principle of the common good, which, according to Laudato si plays a central and unity shaping role in the social ethics (156). Yesterday we have heard, that according to Gaudium et spes it refers to shaping the conditions of social life which allow people, either as groups or as individuals to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily (GS 26). Today I wish to highlight another and not sufficiently known aspect of it, with direct consequences for our purpose: its radicalization in the light of two other principles: the universal destination of the goods and the preferential option for the poor. First the Universal Destination of the Goods Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis refer to the universal destination of the goods as the fundamental principle of the whole socio- ethical order (LE, 19, LS 93). According to this principle every person must have access to the level of well- being necessary for his full development (Comp 172). That implies that private property, as cornerstone the capitalistic society, can never be a reason to exclude people from the community of work (CA 32). Hence the extremely critical judgment by Pope John Paul II on the property of the means of production, especially the ownership of shares of stocks. In Centesimus annus he wrote: ownership of the means of production, whether in industry or agriculture, is just and

5 legitimate, when it serves useful work. It becomes illegitimate, however, when it is not utilized or when it serves to impede the work of others, in an effort to gain a profit which is not the result of the overall expansion of work and the wealth of society, but rather is the result of ( ) illicit exploitation, speculation or the breaking of solidarity among working people. Ownership of this kind has no justification, and represents an abuse in the sight of God and man (CA 43). Indeed, ownership morally justifies itself (...) in the creation of opportunities for work and human growth for all (Ibid.). Pope Francis makes similar critical remarks with regards to the ownership of land and land grabbing. Again this raises serious questions to Catholic Universities. Knowing that many catholic universities rely substantially on income from endowments that are heavily invested in corporate equities shares of stocks (Dunn, p. 14, article in America), do these universities have an ethical investment policy, which meets the criterion just mentioned? Do our investments lead to the creation of meaningful and useful work, or, are our profits based on policies of downsizing in order to increase profit? Do we invest in companies with sustainable production methods, companies that take care of the safety and rights of the workers and employees, also in the workplaces of the subcontractors in low wage countries? Are we really committed to the principles of CST in this regard? Do we teach the subordination of private property to the universal destination in our law faculties and business schools and does it result in research about changing unjust legal procedures? Will we be teaching the implications of the usus communis rerum, for the question of access to healthy water, patenting, or the more collective rights of indigenous people? The Preferential Option for the Poor. The second radicalization of the common good is the preferential option for the poor, which is a fundamental ethical requirement for its effective realization (LS 158) 1. I have neither the space nor the time here to outline all the nuances or the different interpretations of this option, but I can at least say that Pope Francis has strongly re- confirmed it. Hence his plea for structural change in which the poor are neither only the objects of decisions taken by experts, nor passive objects for the more powerful donor s greater spiritual good 2. They are subjects of their own destiny and actors from whom we have much to learn. In his address to the people of Santa Cruz in Bolivia (July 9, 2015) he said: You the most humble, the exploited, the poor and excluded... the future of the world is to a large extend into your hands, in your capacity to organize yourself, and to promote creative alternatives. Don t underestimate yourself, you are the sowers of change (translated from Le Monde, Friday July 10). But that is not all. Pope Francis also re- interprets the preferential option for the poor from the perspective that only on the basis of this real and sincere closeness can we properly accompany the poor on their path of liberation (199). Personal encounter generates a genuine reciprocity or mutual sharing in which we take the commitment to walk together as Aunty Di said in the beginning of this conference, a reciprocity in which we engage our self in a process of mutual liberation: action responding to poverty is not 1 For a convincing argument about the central role of the option for the poor in Catholic social teaching, see Donal Dorr, Option for the Poor and for the Earth. Catholic Social Teaching, New York, Orbis Books, 2012, Cf. Susan R. Holman, Beholden. Religion, Global Health and Human Rights, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015, p. 6.

6 essentially about stuff; it is about how I relate in daily life to everything and everyone who is other. 3 Pope Francis underpins this personal encounter approach with a radical spirituality of following Jesus and this in very bodily terms:... Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. Cardinal Kasper interprets this as mysticism of co- existence and encounter and according to him this is a paradigm shift in method. 4 But does this paradigm shift have a real impact on the way we teach economics, business ethics or political philosophy? Does the option for the poor resonate in the textbooks for business and law schools? Do we conduct research into how the option for the poor can be incarnated in the way cities are transformed from spaces of violence into spaces of good life; do we reflect upon reshaping the workplace, re- organizing healthcare, implementing a just taxation system, or developing new forms of political participation, both locally and globally? Whatever we do or will do, only when we encounter the poor are partners and participants in projects affecting their life and only when their interests and cultural values are taken into account, they will feel respected. Other Principles. So far the option for the poor. If I had more time I would now make similar reflections about other important principles in catholic social teaching, such as justice, solidarity and subsidiarity. Social justice is both the duty to contribute to the common good and the duty of the state and all actors in the civil society to enable people to make their authentic and unique contribution to the wellbeing of all. Social justice also implies a clear no to the increasing inequality between rich and poor, which has been diagnosed by economists such as Thomas Piketty and interpret by pope Francis as the root of social ills. Justice raises questions such as: Are our universities sufficiently accessible to talented poor students, migrants, refugees or minorities? Do we provide poor students with the necessary allowances? Let me remind in this perspective Ex corde ecclesiae: the promotion of social justice requires that one must make education accessible especially to the poor members of minorities who have been deprived of it (ECE,34). I could also have said more about solidarity as indispensable ethical answer to the interconnectedness between individuals and peoples, as well as virtue of citizenship to which universities can educate. An much could have been said about subsidiarity as guarantee for free education, as well as guarantee for a civil economy and political participation at different levels of power. Enabling people to participate is a remedy against exclusion (cf. EG 53). I could have said more about all these principles but I have to respect the limits of time. 3 Ibid. p Walter Cardinal Kasper, art.cit., p. 15

7 This does, however, not prevent me from referring to something that Pope Paul VI has reminded us in Octogesima adveniens nr. 37: the crucial role of imagination. Acquiring knowledge, analyzing facts, and developing strategies of change are indispensable, but not sufficient. We also need a forward looking and creative imagination that enables us to to perceive in the present the disregarded possibility hidden within it and to direct the present towards a fresh future. In other words we need imaginative perspectives, which the dominant discourse(s) do not allow us to perceive. According to Paul VI a forward looking imagination sustains social dynamism by the confidence that it gives to the inventive powers of the human mind and heart and breaks down the mental walls or the horizons within which our understanding likes to find security. If I understand this well, it means that Catholic Universities should not be afraid of leaving beaten paths, to cultivate a spirit of serendipity and to become receptive to the emerging future in which God s spirit makes everything new, or to articulate it with words of JP Lederach inspired by biblical imagination: to imagine responses en initiatives that, while rooted in the challenges of the real world, are by their nature capable of rising above destructive patterns and giving birth to that which does not yet exist 5. Imagination enables us also to develop new social imaginaries that can challenge the dominant social imaginaries (Taylor), or new root- metaphors as part of it, which challenge the metaphors, which determine the perspectives in which we think and act in the contemporary global world. Such change in the social imagination, to which the gospel narratives inspire, will enable us to transform juridical market contracts into covenants of solidarity, to introduce the invisible handshake as alternative to the individualistic and mechanistic invisible hand, to combat ruthless competition with a search for common solutions, to transform the actual empire into a land where justice flows like a river, and to see the earth not as an object of exploitation or conquest but as a planet to heal (Pedro Arrupe). Conclusion Catholic social thought is a fundamental and indispensable source of inspiration for Catholic Universities. It enables them to make a difference: by paying educated attention to real needs of people and to a disciplined sensibility to human suffering, 6. It intensifies our care for the Earth and stimulates us to transform the ego- economy to a sustainable eco- economy. I believe that a better integration of the catholic social tradition in research and education will have a real impact on our students, who are a significant part of the world s future professionals and leaders. Paraphrasing a poem by written by the Indian poet Tagore, I end with the firm conviction that putting Catholic social thought into practice will shape universities where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is authentically free, where the world has not been broken into fragments by narrow mental walls, where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; where the mind is led forward by God into ever- widening thought and action 5 Lederach, John Paul. The Moral Imagination. The Art and Soul of Building Peace. Oxford, 2005, p Michael Buckley, The Search for a New Humanism: The University and the Concern for Justice, in The Catholic University as Promise and Project: Reflections in a Jesit Idiom (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 1998). See also Johan Verstraeten, L enracinement spirituel de la citoyenneté. Un défi pour les universités catholiques, in Vincent Engel, L université européenne, acteur de citoyenneté (Louvain- la- Neuve: Bruylant, 1999), pp

8 for justice and peace, into that spirit let us be dedicated to the ultimate purpose of a Catholic university, to be service to the world.