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The economical thought at Caritas in veritate
with Markus Krienke
CHARITY, DONATION AND RECIPROCITY
The question of fraternity and gratuity,
inside the social doctrine
of the Church,
constitutes from the publication
of the actual encyclical
of Benedict XVI Caritas in veritate,
a nice challenge,
a nice moment of discussion
inside all the experts
of social doctrine of the Church,
the same Church,
and also longer,
because on one hand
it’s out of discussion,
this principles sign
the authentically Christian
social thought,
but on the other hand,
there is the doubt because
this principles may also count
as universal principles of coordination
and must then count also
for the non Christians.
We remember that the encyclical
is directed to all the people
of goodwill and must give
directives to the society
because as this
and not only as groups,
maybe also closed,
of Christians inside the society.
At this point the question,
exactly,
because this ideas may
maybe be ideas of a great value
but maybe valid only
for a group of Christians
and non applicable to the hole society.
Benedict XVI,
like we know in his encyclical,
he undertakes a great attempt
to apply this principles in the society.
And we ask our self
with which right?
First of all I would like
to remind that the title
Caritas in veritate
alludes exactly to that
the concept of truth
in the concept of truth,
Benedict XVI refer to
universal social structures,
of social justice,
valid for everyone,
but reflects the fact that
only this structures
and without a reflection
on the moral bases,
on the bases and relations,
on the interpersonal bases
which are cultivated
in the concepts of fraternity of reciprocity,
of donation, charity,
do not succeed to bear.
This same prospective,
I want to remember,
is not new.
We observe it already
in the encyclical Quadragesimo year
of Pius 11th of 1931,
when it spoke,
thematized for the first time,
the concept of social justice,
but associated to the social justice
the concept of social charity.
So the awareness is living
in the social doctrine of the Church,
that in the moment
when we have functional structures
of social justice,
this structures are not enough
to realize a society
really correct.
Only this principles are valid,
have only a prospective of future,
only may be handed down
to the future and
do not risk to fail
only if in the society
keeps alive the consciousness
for a dimension
that this same principles,
that the State based
on this principles
may not in first person produce.
So we need a dynamic
which we often intend today,
a certain civic dynamic,
but still more in depth
is a sense of reciprocity,
of donation, of fraternity.
Why this connection?
Because the relation between
the principle of
a correct society
is the consciousness of a gratuity
and a donation
at the basis of the society?
That’s my second part
of the answer.
We remember only that
the Christianity in the antiquity
has spread especially
because it has brought
in a socially cold world
a sense of social warmth,
which has brought
in the roman society,
Greek,
in which very high principles
of justice where carried forward,
a dimension that this society
had not produced,
or this sense of donation,
of reciprocity an charity.
Starting from this dimension
it has been created
a value that this antique
society did not have,
that means the human dignity.
The human dignity
is not base simply
on the principles of justice,
because the justice
is based on the thought
of a certain social balance
that one is recognized only
also for what he correctly
may give to the society.
The dignity, on the contrary,
is borned from the idea
of Christian charity
that one gives without
expecting to receive.
In this sense of donation,
I recognize the dignity
of the other person.
Through a process of centuries
of this dynamic,
the idea of human dignity is developed
which today stand
at the fundamental,
which has revolutionized
deeply our ideas of justice.
That’s why in our systems
based on rights,
based on the human dignity,
it’s inside not simply
the dimension of justice,
but also the charity.
And that’s why these structures
may be kept alive,
only if in the society
also a sense of charity
is kept alive,
for the donation,
for the reciprocity.
So that’s this dimension,
which the actual encyclical
underlines and recommends.