(Vatican Radio) The fight against poverty and the inclusion of the marginalized in
a new vision of social solidarity is a key theme in the first major document of Pope
Francis’ pontificate – the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium that was published
at the end of November. To take a closer look at how the new Pope contributes to
the longstanding social teaching of the Church – often described as “its best kept
secret” - Philippa Hitchen spoke with Fr Augusto Zampini Davies, a moral theologian
from the diocese of San Isidro in the Argentinian capital. He’s currently doing research
in the UK on linking theology to economic development and he took part in a recent
Vatican workshop at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences entitled ‘The Emergency of
the Socially Excluded’…..
Listen
It was fascinating
listening to different voices in the Vatican, representatives of social movements
from Argentina and Brazil (‘Cartoneras’ who make a living by recycling materials from
the streets)…economists…politicians, theologians, philosophers…..the whole point was
an initiative from the Pope to start studying issues around the excluded and the marginalized
– not exclusion and marginalization, but the focus should be on (listening to) the
people themselves…
I think the new emphasis is when the Pope says he like a
Church in the margins and we should go to the margins and think from there….the final
reality of human beings cannot be poverty and exclusion and the Church is willing
to offer a place where different voices can come and create new alternatives to the
present model…
Charity, broadly understood, is about justice, about creating
structures where people can flourish ….Benedict in Caritas in Veritate was very clear
on this…..but with Francis, with these signs of embracing the children and (disabled)
people, the awareness of the Catholic world about our attitude to the poor is changing…..they
are our brothers and sisters….we have to embrace them and they can teach us too…
One
of the core things that Evangelii Gaudium says is firstly, we cannot be indifferent
and secondly, some of the media in the US have criticized the Pope…I think they have
misunderstood the document….he is provocative on purpose, like Jesus was, but he is
highly respectful of entrepreneurs who want to create wealth…..but his whole point
is that if our business generates unprecedented levels of inequality, then we should
do something about it….I study the relation between economics and theology and you
have Nobel prizes in economics, such as Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz, who have
overtly criticized the trickle-down effect….