Toward a Globalization of Solidarity
by Pax Christi USA
A Pax Christi USA Interim Position Paper On Globalization
To Promote Dialogue
….. While Pax Christi USA recognizes the promise of globalization, it is becoming clear to us that the current direction and forms of globalization are at odds with the vision of global harmony and peace articulated by Jesus and embodied in Catholic Social Teaching. At the heart of any critique of the current direction of globalization must be a concern for the dignity of the human person and the well being of all creation. In order to properly evaluate the process of globalization we believe that four questions need to be raised. What does globalization do for people? What does globalization do to people, especially to people made poor and marginalized? How do people participate in the development and direction of globalization? What does globalization do to Earth’s many ecosystems and how does it reverence creation as God’s primary revelation?…..
Pax Christi USA believes that true and lasting peace is the fruit of justice. We reject global militarism, which maintains the position of the strong over the weak…….
Pax Christi USA believes that the promise inherent in a more humane globalization makes the work of transforming, replacing and, when necessary abolishing the current financial institutional carriers of globalization an imperative. We call for financial institutions with new priorities and values that include ensuring full participation of all community members in all aspects of the development enterprise, as well as setting the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable at the top of development agendas.
We bring to this commitment our strong belief in the transformative power of nonviolent struggle in solidarity with communities of the poor and marginalized. We bring to this struggle our commitment to disarmament, demilitarization and reconciliation with justice; we bring our commitment to economic and interracial justice and human rights and global restoration. We also bring with us the wisdom of Sacred Scripture and the wealth of Catholic Social Teaching, which calls us to stand with the powerless, to protect human dignity, to uphold the principle of subsidiarity and to care for all of God’s creation. Finally, we bring to this struggle our communion in the Roman Catholic Church, which is at the same time a local and global reality…
-
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, THE PATH TO PEACE
by Pope Benedict XVI
Message for the
WORLD DAY OF PEACE January 1, 2011
Peace is a gift of God and at the same time a task which is never fully completed.
A society reconciled with God is closer to peace, which is not the mere absence of war or the result of military or economic supremacy, much less deceptive ploys or clever manipulation. Rather, peace is the result of a process of purification and of cultural, moral and spiritual elevation involving each individual and people, a process in which human dignity is fully respected. I invite all those who wish to be peacemakers, especially the young, to heed the voice speaking within their hearts and thus to find in God the stable point of reference for attaining authentic freedom, the inexhaustible force which can give the world a new direction and spirit, and overcome the mistakes of the past.
read the whole message here
-
IF YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE PEACE, PROTECT CREATION
by Pope Benedict XVI
Message for
WORLD DAY OF PEACE, JANUARY 1, 2010
Protecting the natural environment in order to build a world of peace is thus a duty incumbent upon each and all. It is an urgent challenge, one to be faced with renewed and concerted commitment; it is also a providential opportunity to hand down to coming generations the prospect of a better future for all. May this be clear to world leaders and to those at every level who are concerned for the future of humanity: the protection of creation and peacemaking are profoundly linked!
read the whole message here
-
FIGHTING POVERTY TO BUILD PEACE
by Pope Benedict XVI
Message for World Peace Day, January 1, 2009
Once again, as the new year begins, I want to extend good wishes for peace to people everywhere. With this Message I would like to propose a reflection on the theme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace. Back in 1993, my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World Day of Peace that year, drew attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty.
Poverty is often a contributory factor ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world”, he wrote, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty. The gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed nations. This is a problem which the conscience of humanity cannot ignore, since the conditions in which a great number of people are living are an insult to their innate dignity and as a result are a threat to the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community”
