Philosophy essay on sollicitudo rei socialis

A. Summary of Sollicitudo rei socialis rump Paul IIs message entitled Sollicitudo rei socialis speaks to the Catholic church services role in helping make better pressing social issues of the day, primarily poverty. He breaks this subject field d witness into six parts an Introduction, Originality of the encyclical Populorum Progressio, Survey of the coeval World, accredited Human maturation, A Theological Reading of Modern Problems, Some circumstance Guidelines, and a Conclusion.In the Introduction, the Pope tells the reader that this piece was compose to pay applaud to Paul VIs encyclical Populorum Progressio, also called The Development of Peoples, which had been written twenty days earlier in 1967. An encyclical is a earn to members and priests of the church written by the Pope. In the Populorum Progressio, Paul VI says that unless rightness and morality rule, the despicable will never get the help they need. Now twenty historic period later, Pope throne Paul II se nt a letter out to churches to get feedback on how best to celebrate the anniversary of the encyclical. Sollicitudo rei socialis be his findings. He also wants to pay honor to the original document and to submit the hold dear of church teachings because of the continuity and renewal of the ideas in the encyclical.In the Originality of the encyclical Populorum Progressio portion, rear end Paul II says that the encyclical is a how-to guide for the church to happen and it is establish on the teachings of the second Vati gouge Ecumenical Council of 1965, which talks about brusque commonwealth and what the church should do about the development and underdevelopment of peoples. Peoples development is found in moral and educational solutions provided by the church. He believes that development is a global issue. Rich countries have a responsibility to slimy countries to non be greedy with resources, because poor countries do not have as much access to the things they need to liv e. The 1967 document concludes by saying that Development is the new name for peace. The logic behind this is that the poor want justice. For them, justice is getting their fair shargon of the supplies needed to live, and if they do not, it leads to violence.In his Survey of the Contemporary World, John Paul II cites that poverty still exists because the Northern cerebral hemisphere has easy access to supplies, while the Southern Hemisphere has slow access, heretofore though this is where most of the worlds population lives. Poverty is a result of a lack of educational opportunities, jobs, as well as economic and racial discrimination, all of which go along with underdevelopment.He believes that Authentic Human Development unavoidably to be guided by a moral understanding. A soul must be developed morally, not just economically, in consecrate for the growth to be authentic. The church has a responsibility to aid in human development.His Theological Reading of Modern Problems tel ls that even though people can develop through science and technology, it must be grounded in morality as taught by the church. Certain Guidelines should be followed, so that the church can do its work and people are treated with dignity. The poor should be treated with preference, notwithstanding they also have to contribute to their own development. John Paul II, in his Conclusion, states that the church, as part of its moral requirement, can work together to help the poor develop into more amply human beings.B. ReflectionJohn Paul IIs main point is the place of morality as taught by the church to help get rid of human poverty. I would agree that what a person or country values is based in their morality, and this helps motivate a person or group to action. I also agree that rich countries have an obligation to assist poor countries so that their citizens have enough food, clothing, shelter, health care and education to do more than just survive, but to thrive. However, I do not deem that the Catholic Church has the corner on the morality market, especially in light of all the child molestation charges against priests. Also, the only woman who is not marginalized in the Catholic Church is Mary, which is a problem if you are seek to bring your morality to a culture that may or may not have your sense of morality and may actually value women.How moral can a group be that considers women to be essentially chattel who should not have control over their own bodies, but instead should put their spiritual and health care in the pass on of their husbands and child-molesting priests? How moral is a group that demands that a woman who has been raped, even by a male member of her family, should be required to carry the fertilized egg to term in order to remain moral? The Pope himself may indeed be a moral man, but there are several in his church who cannot say the same, and who provide a reprobate compass to guide people who really want to help the poor.Work C itedPope John Paul II. Sollicitudo rei socialis. (Vatican City Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1986).URLhttp//www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jpii_enc _30121987_sollicitudo-rei-socialis_en.html Accessed 23 May 2007.