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ufiny 5overty today must be defined not simply in terms of a lack of economic income, t more in terms of an inability to realise fully that God-given human potential, with which every person, man or woman, is endowed Countless billions of dollars have been and are still being poured into development aid throughout the world - with what impact and effect? Fifteen years ago, in 1987, our Holy Father Pope John Paul II wrote in his Encylical “On Social Concern’ : “It should be noted that in spite o f the praiseworthy efforts made in the last two dec ades by the more developed or developing nations and the inter national organizations to find a way out o f the situation, or at least to remedy some o f its symp toms, the conditions have become notably worse.” That situation, it appears, from the numerous news reports and features that appear almost daily, has not improved even in our new century.
oped nations, which have not always, at least in due measure, felt the duty to help countries separated from the affluent world to which they themselves belong. Moreover, one must denounce the existence o f economic, financial and social mechanisms which, although they are manipulated by people, often function alm ost automatically, thus accentuating the situation o f wealth for some and poverty for the rest. These m ech an ism s, w hich are maneuvered directly or indirectly by the more developed countries, by their very functioning favour the in te re s ts o f the p e o p le manipulating them and in the end they suffocate or condition the economies o f the less developed countries. ”
As for developing nations who are recipients of aid he pointed out that there were grave omis sions on their part, especially on the part of those holding eco nomic and political power.
A glimmer of hope that things might change, that could amelio rate the situation of widespread poverty in the world has begun to flicker last month at an Internatinal Conference which was held at Monterrey in Mexico under the auspices of the United Nations. It was a conference that brought together world leaders and experts in the fields of financing and development to discuss issues that could lead to realistic and workable ways to address the elimination of poverty in the world and the development of the whole human family.
As for the aid givers, he said: “Nor can we pretend not to see the responsibility o f the devel
At Monterrey, the head of the Vatican delegation, Archbishop Renato Raffaele Martino, who is
Two main causes were identi fied by the Pope in his encyclical, and it would seem that his diag nosis still remains correct. He pointed a finger of blame both on countries that were the benefici aries of aid as well as the donor countries or rather the whole system through which aid is given.
also Vatican Ambassador to the United Nations and was formerly the first Vatican Ambassador to Singapore, highlighted the situa tion in the world today: “Too many families in today's world are forced to be concerned with survival and do n o t have the lu x u ry o f participating as actors in their development; too many people are forced to migrate, too many people continue to be burdened by absolute poverty and live in countries where debt burdens make it impossible to gain access to basic social services and social safeguards. ” Archbishop Martino empha sized that the dignity of the human person must be at the centre of all d e v e lo p m e n t and aid p ro grammes. Quoting the great social encyclical “On the condition o f the W orking C lassses - (Rerum Novarum)" of Pope Leo XII in 1891, he said: Every program geared to increased production must have no other end in view than to serve the human person, namely: to lessen inequalities, to remove discrimination, to free men from the bonds o f servitude and to enable them to improve their condition in the temporal order, achieve moral development, and perfect their spiritual endowments. Concurrently with the Con ference of Monterrey, another very significant meeting was in progress, in Geneva - the 58th session o f the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
A r c h d i o c e s e of S i n g a p o r e h o m e p ag e , V e rita s : h t t p : / / w w w . c a t h o l i c . o r g . s g .
At that meeting too, the Vati can Permanet Representative to the United Nations Office in Ge neva, Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, in very strong terms, emphasized the centrality of the human person in all development endeavours. A “ know ledge-based, g lo balized economy” has become much touted jargon these days. Quoting our Holy Father's Encyc lical “Centesimus Annus’ he said: “many people, perhaps the major ity today, do not have the means which would enable them to take their place in an effective and humanly dignified way within a productive system in which work is truly essential. They have no possibility o f acquiring the basic knowledge which would enable them to express their creativity and develop their potential” And, he added: Poverty today must be defined not simply in terms o f a lack o f economic in come, but more in terms o f an inability to realise fully that Godgiven human potential, with which each person, man or woman, is endowed. Fighting poverty, which has now been recognized as an essential overarching dimension o f all developmental policy, must therefore be about enabling peo ple to realise their God-given potential. It is about enhancing human potential.” As for globalization, he had this to say: “It is a paradox to have to speak in the same breath
o f g lo b a lis a tio n a nd m a r ginalization and exclusion. Global should mean inclusive. A global economic system that leaves large sectors of society on its margins is not what it claims to be: global. ’ Referring to the concurrent meeting in Monterey he con cluded: ‘As we deliberate, the community o f nations has just adopted in Monterrey a strategy for financing development. Once again, the success o f that strat egy will depend on how it places human persons at the centre o f co n c e rn s fo r s u s ta in a b le development, on how it directs the use o f financing, traditional and additional, to ensure that people can realise their potential, and fully exercise the rights as the protagonists o f sustainable development. ” We may not be in a position to influence world opinion and still less, international policies in the field of developmental aid, but as Catholics we need to be informed of what is going on in the world, we need to know how the Church views the situation of people and tries to intervene in the shaping of the world. Salvation is not just about saving “souls”, it is about saving “people”. It is about empowering people to realize their full potential as human beings created unto the image and likeness of God their Creator.
I n t e r n e t e d it io n of T h e C a t h o l ic N e w s : h t t p : / / w w w . c a t h o l i c . o r g . s g / C N .
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