In Solidarity with the Past: Paul VI’s influence on JPII and Catholic Social Teaching

The past 80 years of Church history have been incredibly tumultuous, and fraught with abuse, neglect, and attempts to throw off tradition in order to “get with the times.”  Understandably, more traditionally minded Catholics have often responded to these tragic and erroneous movement in the Church by unilaterally rejecting the Second Vatican Council and anything judged to be in its spirit.  Unfortunately, this almost always directly includes many things from Pope Saint John Paul II.  Because of this, JPII has at times been accused of introducing new doctrinal precepts or schools of theology which break from the tradition of the Church.  

The dismissing of JPII as a dissenter from tradition is, in my opinion, one of the greatest tragedies to be born from the abuses following Vatican II.  The truth is, nothing could be further from the truth.  JPII was profoundly aware of the tradition he and the whole Church had inherited, and was keenly attuned to the debt he owed his predecessors.  He frequently began his own encyclicals by directly establishing continuity with the papal documents published before him, and took great care to carry on the work that prior pontiffs had done to address the rapid changes in the modern world.  

One of the encyclicals by JPII which directly continues the works of previous pontiffs is Sollicitudo rei Socialis.  This encyclical was written specifically to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s Populorum Progressio.  It is Paul VI’s encyclical, and its influence on the thought of JPII, that we will examine today.

Populorum Progressio was published on March 26, 1967 by Pope Paul VI, and took up one of the main themes of Vatican II: evangelization to all nations.  He does so, however, by a more roundabout way than has been done by most of Church history.  Rather than mapping out a plan or the importance of bringing Christ to all nations, Paul VI points out one of the ramifications of Christian theology - that there is a shared humanity of all peoples.  He writes, “Today it is most important for people to understand and appreciate that the social question ties all men together, in every part of the world.  John XXIII stated this clearly, and Vatican II confirmed it in its Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the World of Today.  The seriousness and urgency of these teachings must be recognized without delay.The hungry nations of the world cry out to the peoples blessed with abundance.  And the Church, cut to the quick by this cry, asks each and every man to hear his brother's plea and answer it lovingly (paragraph 3).”  In emphasizing this call to the Church, he establishes one of the main themes that would inform the papacy of JPII, namely, that of Solidarity.   

The encyclical is split into two main parts.  In part one, “Man’s complete development,” Paul VI outlines what he means by development.  Here, he acknowledges the physical afflictions which hinder human flourishing, but posits that addressing Man’s physical needs is only the beginning.  He moves through societal unrest, abject poverty, hunger, lack of shelter, and asserts that these are things which must be addressed with one voice from the more progressed world.  However, mere economic development for economic’s sake misses the point.  In order to truly address the needs of Man, the more developed world must help develop the less fortunate to be authentically developed. “To be authentic [development], it must be well rounded; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man. As an eminent specialist on this question has rightly said: ‘We cannot allow economics to be separated from human realities, nor development from the civilization in which it takes place. What counts for us is man—each individual man, each human group, and humanity as a whole’ (paragraph 14).”  Paul VI moves from this clarification of authentic development to a more in-depth look at the nature of the person within the polis, to include his role within the family.  In this, we can see what would inform JPII’s person-first papacy, and would develop into a more thorough Christian anthropology, or rather the anthropological view towards Salvation.

In part two, “The Common Development of all Mankind,” Paul VI advocates for practical actions to address the needs of Man.  He begins by outlining three major duties, the burden of which falls mostly on the shoulders of wealthier nations: establishing mutual solidarity, increasing social justice (“the rectification of trade relations between strong and weak nations”, and enshrining universal charity (“the effort to build a more humane world community, where all can give and receive, and where the progress of some is not bought at the expense of others (paragraph 44).”  These duties apply in addressing a multitude of Man’s needs: from immigration, to justice, to fair trade agreements, and especially when it comes to food, clothing, and shelter.  Moreover, Paul VI states that this is no longer the task of individuals focusing on individuals, but must be a concerted effort including entire nations.  He advocates for the combined utilization of technical experts, diplomacy, and the financial powers of the developed world, even suggesting a world fund from which the needs of lower nations could be addressed directly by a confederation of developed countries.   By authentically developing other countries through physical means, wealthy countries authentically develop themselves and are in turn authentically developed by poorer countries: addressing the needs of less fortunate nations reminds wealthy nations of their own place in the world and develops in them the necessary virtues of solidarity and subsidiarity, to the benefit of their own cultures. 

It is important to note that Paul VI does not discount fallen human nature.  It can be easy for a wealthy nation to take his words and develop a savior complex relationship to those less well off.  Early on, he addresses a controversial historical issue: colonialism, or better known today as colonization.  He acknowledges that historically speaking, this practice was the actions of wealthy nations for selfish pursuits.  “It is true,” he says, “that colonizing nations were sometimes concerned with nothing save their own interests, their own power and their own prestige... Certain types of colonialism surely caused harm and paved the way for further troubles (paragraph 7).”  In order to avoid the nefarious colonization pursuits of history, Paul VI exhorts those who would travel and settle in developing nations to cultivate a sense of solidarity and common humanity: “We would also say a word to those who travel to newly industrialized nations for business purposes: industrialists, merchants, managers and representatives of large business concerns. It often happens that in their own land they do not lack a social sense. Why is it, then, that they give in to baser motives of self-interest when they set out to do business in the developing countries? Their more favored position should rather spur them on to be initiators of social progress and human betterment in these lands. Their organizational experience should help them to figure out ways to make intelligent use of the labor of the indigenous population, to develop skilled workers, to train engineers and other management men, to foster these people's initiative and prepare them for offices of ever greater responsibility. In this way they will prepare these people to take over the burden of management in the near future (paragraph 70).” 

Paul VI was keenly aware of his own place in Church history, and continued the work begun by those who had come before.  In keeping with the nature of any tradition, JPII considered himself and the Church to be inheritors of Church teaching, not simply those who are bound by it.  This is clearly demonstrated by JPII’s continuity with and indebtedness to the themes and main issues discussed by Paul VI in Populorum Progressio.  The Church continues to develop to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world, and is dependent on the continuous and faithful development of thought held by the pontiffs of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.  Focusing on personhood can be a tricky endeavor and a narrow path: too far to one side is socialism, too far to the right is imposed culture to save a society from themselves.  A study and adherence to Catholic social teaching helps we who would answer the call of our neighbors in need to navigate the treacherous path.