> SOCIAL CONCERN

The vision of a Pope who tried to chart a way forward, which was to help newly independent countries to progress. The same vision is summarised today in a message: Malawi build on your strength!

'POPULORUM PROGRESSIO': THE PROGRESS
OF THE PEOPLE

In the late sixties there were many changes. It was a time of ferment. There was an atmosphere of potential and of optimism. It seemed possible to have a church able to respond to the signs of the times (after Vatican II). It was possible to create an international climate where the newly independent states could fare well. It was possible for students, workers and academics to work together. It seemed possible too at that moment in time to create a new world.
Paul VI who took the reigns of the Catholic Church from the charismatic John XXIII injected into this climate the church’s own contribution. Like his predecessor, who spoke about the church as mother and teacher and about peace on earth, Paul spoke to all people of good will. He worked on the basis of previous documents and advanced catholic thinking a little further. In his letter “Populorum Progressio”, the Pope tried to chart a way forward, which was to help newly independent countries to progress without falling into the trap of first world countries where progress did not always bring greater happiness or contentment. He continued to elaborate on the principle of subsidiarity allowing for a balance between central planning and lower level initiatives, in other words planning in a way, which encourages initiative at grassroots level. He spoke to the countries on the way to development and progress as well as to the international community. He warned that an equitable and just international system of trade was required so that a just world can be constructed on solid foundations. Coming from a colonial regime where extraction of products needed for the industries of the global north was the order of the day, this was very insightful.
These days the realisation has gained ground that it is the unjust global system of trade, which has been responsible for the debt crisis of the eighties and which has only recently been partly resolved for some countries. Partly because the underlying cause, namely the unjust trading system has continued to flourish. Agreements and organisations like the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) and its successor the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were supposed to remedy this. Instead the unjust trade system got more entrenched and is loaded against the interests of the countries on whose behalf the encyclical (papal letter) speaks. The letter addresses itself also to people on the way to development, those peoples trying to progress and develop. It speaks about them as source, creators of a new world.
Assuring (international) conditions is necessary and this includes a just and balanced trading system, which protects the weaker economies and so helps them to build the strength to enter the fray of international competition. But, even when and if these conditions exist, which promote development, it will in final analysis be up to the peoples on the way to development to make it happen. In the last part of the letter, the pope says the famous words: ‘development, the new name for peace’.

The Poster of Strength
The Centre For Social Concern (CFSC), developing a poster to commemorate the forty years since the first publication of this letter featured these words prominently. More than twenty five years ago a book was published with the title: “Our Best Kept Secret”. It poses the thesis that had the Catholic Social Teaching been better known and implemented, the world would have been a different place. Commemorating forty years since Populorum Progressio was published, this exclamation and thesis still seem to be true.
One cannot help but think had the suggestions made in this document been acted upon, implemented, the world would have been a different place. This is what prompted the CFSC to use the occasion of this ‘jubilee’ to pause and reflect. What does this mean for us here? Can we still draw lessons from this document? In how far is faith reflection contributing to Malawi’s progress? To help this reflection it has reprinted an abridged version of the letter, which is also available through Montfort Bookshops. It has developed a poster, which is included in this copy of The Lamp magazine and which invites Malawi to build on its strength.
The poster addresses people in all walks of life and at different levels in society from the poor to the rich, from faith communities to politicians. It says: wouldn’t Malawi progress building on its strength? In other words wouldn’t Malawi progress if the poor take charge of their life, while the rich live more simply in order for others to simply live; politicians are truly interested in the common good, while educators do not only impart knowledge, but also commitment.
Strength means that traditional leaders know how to embrace the new without dismissing tradition, while at the same time not making tradition a handicap to progress.
Strength is found when we are able to see where we can contribute to transformation, a better world and concentrate our efforts there.
Strength is in good analysis, which shows us the causes of underdevelopment and injustice and helps us to forge alliances with all those concerned so as to move to that elusive goal: poverty eradication.
At the occasion of this commemoration, we are asking the question: would Malawi too have been quite different from what it is now, had we listened to the message of Paul VI? In the second half of the year, the CFSC will organise debates and broadcast them, looking at some topics like the tax regime and how it affects the poor, how it affects the rich, if it is equitable and how it relates to the international scene, e.g. Economic Partnership Agreements etc. Another possible topic is the way in which development is planned in Malawi. Referring to the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy we will ask the question: is this more of ‘technocrats planning for the poor’ or did the poor get a chance to input in this strategy? In the pages of The Lamp we hope to report on this.The CFSC has also started a small think tank on faith based social teaching. As part of this it hosted an international meeting on how the Catholic Social Teaching relates to Islamic Social Teaching. While this think tank will draw from catholic social teaching, it also wants to remain open to other denominations and faiths. Since poverty is so entrenched, deep and wide, it does need the contribution of many to even start impacting on it. Those who have indicated their interest in faith social teaching are meeting locally and continue to link internationally, in order to both divulge and help develop Catholic Ecumenical and Interfaith based social thought.

The CFSC through this poster in the last phrase joins all who believe that
“Another Malawi Is Possible”.


Jos Kuppens