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"Oasis of Prosperity" or Deeper Global Solidarity?

Alan Greenspan has alerted the public about the downward swing of global economics. His conjecture questions whether the United States can remain "an oasis of prosperity" amid the turbulence of global markets.

 A feature in the Wall Street Journal marshaled a number of counterpoint opinions which indicated that the global confusion has been a positive boon for the U. S. economy.

 As fascinating as economic forecasting can be, the global economy has profound implications beyond its economic dimensions. Economic concerns move onto a larger horizon of moral and religious questions.

In turn, since the 1960s, Catholic social teaching has recognized the new state of the social question -  internationalization. The application of social principles has increasingly focused on the new economic and political networks produced in a global context.

 On his arrival in Mexico on January 22, Pope John Paul II signed an apostolic exhortation titled "The Church in America." This post-synodal document has its or origin in the 1997 Synod of Bishops for America. Its thrust envisions a new hemispheric solidarity--North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The Western hemisphere—North and South—is more than a microcosm of the great divide between the rich and poor nations.

The extreme economic disparity between the developed nations and the Third World is still central. But the struggle for survival of the so-called "fourth world"—the pockets of abject poverty within the emerging nations themselves—is becoming more pronounced.

 In "The Church in America" Pope John Paul II offers a firm theological grounding for the solidarity of the churches of the American continent.

 In the first place, there is a christological justification for the service of neighbors in all their needs. "…the face of Christ shines forth in every human being."

 Secondly, human solidarity mirrors the communion within the mystery of the triune God. This Trinitarian orientation of solidarity is supported by a passage from the pastoral letter on the economy of the bishops of the United States. Economic Justice for All  states: "…theological reflection on the very reality of God as a Trinitarian unity of persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—shows that being a person means being united to other persons in mutual love." (EJ n.64)

 Solidarity is likewise grounded in the mystery of the redemptive incarnation of the Son of God, the Word made flesh who died for all. As the economic pastoral points out, Jesus himself is the model of the all-inclusive love flowing from the dual command to love God above all things and to love one’s neighbor as oneself."…(L) ove one another as I have loved you." (Jn 15:12).

 Lastly, by way of inference, solidarity will find expression in "Christian love which seeks the good of others, especially of those most in need."

 Pope John Paul describes the constitutive elements of a culture of solidarity in reference to an international economy. The economic order would be marked by the pursuit of an international common good, by an equitable distribution of goods, and by the promotion of the integral development of peoples.

 In analyzing some of the negative effects of globalization, the Holy Father singles out an emerging model of society wherein the "powerful dominate, setting aside and even eliminating the powerless." Abortion and euthanasia are indisputable embodiments of the "culture of death." Yet the trend towards domination by the powerful over the weak is also exemplified by the marginalization of the disadvantaged by consumerism and materialism.

A culture of life demands unconditional respect for human life from conception to natural death. The post-synodal document adds that promotion of the study of the church’s social doctrine is integral to the upholding of the divine and natural law.

At the 1997 congress on the family, Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard University law professor, made a similar correlation of the culture of life and the imperative for social justice.

Professor Glendon, who had headed the Vatican delegation to the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), framed some weighty criticisms of anti-family initiatives. In her judgment, initiatives advocating abortion, sterilization, and restrictive immigration policies are in reality about power and vested interest. Social control and preservation of privilege, not liberation, appear to inspire these ethically misguided approaches.

 She deplores the fact that mega-dollars can be allocated for "reproductive services" but only "pennies for maternal and infant nutrition, clean water or primary health care." This sort of anti-family mentality views overpopulation as the main source of all the world’s problems. Its tragic solution is the elimination of poor people.

 Solidarity works toward justice and peace by the elimination of impoverishment, an order of deprivation imposed by flawed economic and political decisions. On Nov. 29, 1998, Pope John Paul II signed the document decreeing the beginning of the great Jubilee Year of 2000 on Christmas Eve of 1999.

 One of its themes centers on the redemptive presence of God manifested in the sign of charity "which opens our eyes to the needs of those who are poor and excluded." This section calls for the need "to create a new culture of solidarity and cooperation." Wealthy nations in particular are challenged to develop an "economic model which serves everyone."

The proclamation of the Great Jubilee summons Catholics to a conversion of heart that will be reflected in a change of life.