Sollicitudo rei socialis
Rei Socialis sollicitudo ( German: concern about social affairs ) is a social encyclical of Pope John Paul II in 1987 It developed the Pope Catholic social teaching and turns to problems of the North-South conflict to. .
Populorum Progressio 20 years
The second social encyclical of the Pope bears the date of December 30, 1987, even though she could be released on February 20, 1988, so even from the date forth its subtitle to meet " Twenty years after Populorum Progressio the ". To commemorate this anniversary of the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI. was published on March 26, 1967 under the slogan " Global dimensions of the social question ", the theme of solidarity-based development of individuals and peoples should be brought into the public consciousness again.
The situation in developing countries
The comprehensive development of man and the building just societies are further highlights in the thinking and preaching of John Paul II on his pastoral visits - and these experiences he can be part of this social encyclical - which led him all over the world, he was always new to the economic, social, cultural and political circumstances faced, under which men and nations live. He had an eye for the many poor and needy persons in developing countries, and for all the people to whom their rights are denied and the living often under inhumane conditions and have to work, especially for the plight of families in which the mothers often enough on their own, must care for their children. The Pope reminded and warned - this is a Exhortation same - the rich people of their responsibility to effective assistance, at the same time he sits down for a profound reform of social structures in developing countries.
By defining development
Especially the Pope wants to counteract narrowing of the concept of development as if it refers mainly RELATES to the economic, social and political development. In view of some one-sided positions, it means that economic development is not able to liberate the people; on the contrary, they enslave the people eventually even more. As for the " development status " in the world, the Pope lamented the " gap between rich and poor, both between the countries of the North and the South as well as within many developing countries and industrialized countries ." The main obstacle to the political opposition of the " blocks " and their ideological roots is seen, which can be found in the " principles of liberal capitalism " and the " Marxist collectivism ". With these statements remains of Pope under the traditional boundaries as she has the social teaching of the Church since Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo drawn anno. However, he set new accents when he demanded that the "right to economic initiative " should not be suppressed. Experience teaches that the denial of this right, or its limitation in the name of an alleged equality crippling or even destroy it. The result was not so much a true equality as a " race to the bottom ". Finally, the Pope designed the model of a " caring society ".
The Pope recognizes the positive achievements of science, technology, business and politics, but insisted on the design of progress in accordance with moral convictions.
Counter misinterpretations in the Social Doctrine
The Pope was obviously aware that there are both within the church except as church are misconceptions and misinterpretations regarding the social teaching. In several places he goes to these threats, and was there no effort ecclesiastical excesses of committing. But he was also aware that neither the church nor the Christians and the faithful alone could solve the problems.
Ecological issues
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis discusses the progress and development problems in view of the ecological question. The crisis of development thinking sees John Paul not only in the underdevelopment of many regions of the world, but also in the " over-development " of individual states, their general habits of life " as many waste 'and' waste ' brings with it " ( Zf 28.2 of encyclical ). Man should not align on economic criteria alone its relationship to the environment; Rather, he must " take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system, the cosmos bill." Also in need of a sharper awareness of the " scarcity of natural resources, some of which [ ... ] do not regenerate " ( Zf 34.2 et seq.) In regard to the responsibility before moving up generations of the Pope draws on individual motifs of the sustainability principle without mentioning this explicitly.