These last couple of days we have seen the news hogged by two things. The first is the death of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope and the second is the incessant increase in the prices of oil products, which in turn has resulted in the clamor for an increase in wages and fares.
A lot of people know and love Pope John Paul II for reasons that these people themselves could not easily put into words. It is more an emotional attachment based primarily on the Pope’s charisma than love based on his deeds and actions. Yes, he did inspire the solidarity movement in Poland and he spoke against the evils of both communism and unrestricted capitalism but people don’t really have an idea what he said. I had no idea as well that the Pope actually had written commentaries on social issues until I was required to read Laborem Excercens (On Human Work) for a graduate school class.
Laborem Excercens was written on the 90th anniversary of the publication of Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor), which was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. Rerum Novarum expressed the Catholic Church’s stand on the plight of Industrial workers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. On the other hand Laborem Excercens talked about the "social question" and the meaning of work. It stated that the meaning of work can only be properly understood when the dignity of labor is taken as an underlying premise.
Here was a Pope laying down Catholic dogma through an encyclical that states that work exists for man and not the other way around. This was at a time when capitalist generally viewed labor merely as a component of production, whose standing is secondary to that of the interests of the business. He also talked about the need for a "just wage" that would provide for the needs of the worker and his family. This was to be the measure that would indicate whether the whole socioeconomic system was functioning justly.
I was reminded of these things upon seeing the clamor of labor for an increase in the minimum wage. I am sure John Paul II would have sympathized with them especially with those who are earning minimum wage, while working for companies who find every loophole they can find in order to avoid abiding by what is prescribed by the Labor Code.
A lot of people know and love Pope John Paul II for reasons that these people themselves could not easily put into words. It is more an emotional attachment based primarily on the Pope’s charisma than love based on his deeds and actions. Yes, he did inspire the solidarity movement in Poland and he spoke against the evils of both communism and unrestricted capitalism but people don’t really have an idea what he said. I had no idea as well that the Pope actually had written commentaries on social issues until I was required to read Laborem Excercens (On Human Work) for a graduate school class.
Laborem Excercens was written on the 90th anniversary of the publication of Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor), which was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. Rerum Novarum expressed the Catholic Church’s stand on the plight of Industrial workers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. On the other hand Laborem Excercens talked about the "social question" and the meaning of work. It stated that the meaning of work can only be properly understood when the dignity of labor is taken as an underlying premise.
Here was a Pope laying down Catholic dogma through an encyclical that states that work exists for man and not the other way around. This was at a time when capitalist generally viewed labor merely as a component of production, whose standing is secondary to that of the interests of the business. He also talked about the need for a "just wage" that would provide for the needs of the worker and his family. This was to be the measure that would indicate whether the whole socioeconomic system was functioning justly.
I was reminded of these things upon seeing the clamor of labor for an increase in the minimum wage. I am sure John Paul II would have sympathized with them especially with those who are earning minimum wage, while working for companies who find every loophole they can find in order to avoid abiding by what is prescribed by the Labor Code.
Pope John Paul II was given credit for his contribution in the fight against Communism especially in his homeland Poland. He however lamented that he did not succeed as much in the struggle to check the injustices caused by Capitalism. I guess Pope Benedict XVI has his work cut out for him.
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