The bishops: rebuilding hope

The Spanish bishops, who gathered a few days ago for their Plenary Assembly in Madrid, approved a pastoral note on the social reality of Spain, with “a message of encouragement and closeness in these difficult moments that trigger disquiet in many people and even despair, especially among those direly hit by the economic crisis. “A call to solidarity and hope” is the title of the Note. A suffering people. “We have first-hand experience of the suffering of many people in our society as well as the tokens of solidarity of thousands and thousands of volunteers in our dioceses, parishes and communities, serving in many institutions of the Church, especially Caritas, helping and caring for the most vulnerable members of society”, the prelates write. “They are men and women, elderly and children, youth and adults, with names and faces, concrete victims of poverty, social exclusion, of the tragedy of immigration, job insecurity and the scourge of unemployment, especially youth, along with other deficiencies not only material, but also emotional and spiritual”. Persons who “are have not yet had – notwithstanding the glimpse of economic recovery – the necessary respite to reduce the increasingly extensive range of inequalities, as well as the ethical contribution that would neutralize or eliminate perverse behaviours that aggravate this suffering”. To these people, the bishops offer “great closeness and solidarity”. Moral renewal. “The economic crisis and its causes, failed forecasts and inadequate responses, the mistakes made in the political and economic management and their consequences – said the Spanish bishops – make ever more significant the words of Pope Francis” who in his encyclical “Evangelii Gaudium” states that “growth in equality requires something more than economic growth, because it presupposes decisions, programs, mechanisms and processes aimed at a distribution of resources which creates jobs and an integral promotion of the poor that goes beyond an aid-based approach”. Therefore, said the bishops, “along with effective policies of social partnership and sustainable development, we need true moral renewal at personal and social level and, with it, the recovery of greater concern for the common good, that will truly support solidarity with the poor and foster the authentic social cohesion that we direly need”. Moral regeneration, clarify the bishops, “is born from moral and social virtues, and for a Christian it is strengthened by the faith in God and the transcendent vision of life, which involves an indispensable social commitment of love for our neighbour, a true distinctive sign of Christ’s disciples”. Echoing the words of the president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Ricardo Blazquez, in the opening speech of the Assembly, the bishops emphasized: “Without moral conduct, without honesty, without respect for others, without serving the common good, without solidarity towards the needy, our society is deteriorating”. For the bishops, “democratic life, which the Spanish people live in peace and freedom since the political transition, will be reinforced by the respect of the rights that stem from human dignity. The examples of political, social, economic and church leaders will always be an essential element to achieve a just and civil society and a true ecclesial community”. Support to families. The bishops also invited to re-evaluate and strengthen the family institution, “school of humanity and the core of society”. “The unity and love of the spouses, openness to life and its inalienable defence from conception to natural end, education and love for the children, affection and respect for the elderly, will always be one of the major guarantees for a just society and for the peaceful and free coexistence of its citizens”. For the Spanish bishops, “the Church wants to help generate this social climate of hope, which contributes to the common good of our society as a whole, through the work of evangelization of her pastors and faithful and through her many social, educational and charitable institutions, that show others the face of a Church at the service of our people, especially the poor and disadvantaged”.