I have been trying
to think through the differences between Christian and labor/socialist
imaginaries of solidarity. Solidarity is a core Christian value,
generally interpreted not as a unity of interests or common cause, as per the
more labor or socialist take on solidarity, but instead as a sense of
connection and mutual responsibility of all for all as the children of or
expressions of God, or the light within, as Quakers would put it.
In the process of thinking
about Christian imaginaries of solidarity I ran
across this description of solidarity and geopolitics by none other
than Pope John Paul II. It starts out sounding like charity to me, and I'm not
sure that wealthier nations 'surmount imperialism' by having a sense of
responsibility for other nations, but I'll admit, I love the idea of peace as
the fruit of solidarity. Of course, his idea of peace and mine are
probably different, but the full quote is below. More later on Francis's
visions of solidarity.
"The exercise of solidarity within each society is
valid when its members recognize one another as persons. Those who are more
influential, because they have a greater share of goods and common services,
should feel responsible for the weaker and be ready to share with them all they
possess. Those who are weaker, for their part, in the same spirit of
solidarity, should not adopt a purely passive attitude or one that is
destructive of the social fabric, but, while claiming their legitimate rights,
should do what they can for the good of all. The intermediate groups, in their
turn, should not selfishly insist on their particular interests, but respect
the interests of others.
"Positive signs in the contemporary world are the
growing awareness of the solidarity of the poor among themselves, their efforts
to support one another, and their public demonstrations on the social scene
which, without recourse to violence, present their own needs and rights in the
face of the inefficiency or corruption of the public authorities. By virtue of
her own evangelical duty the Church feels called to take her stand beside the
poor, to discern the justice of their requests, and to help satisfy them,
without losing sight of the good of groups in the context of the common
good.
"The same criterion is applied by analogy in
international relationships. Interdependence must be transformed into
solidarity, based upon the principle that the goods of creation are meant for
all. That which human industry produces through the processing of raw
materials, with the contribution of work, must serve equally for the good of
all.
"Surmounting
every type of imperialism and determination to preserve their own hegemony, the
stronger and richer nations must have a sense of moral responsibility for the
other nations, so that a real international system may be established which
will rest on the foundation of the equality of all peoples and on the necessary
respect for their legitimate differences. The economically weaker countries, or
those still at subsistence level, must be enabled, with the assistance of other
peoples and of the international community, to make a contribution of their own
to the common good with their treasures of humanity and culture, which
otherwise would be lost for ever.
"Solidarity
helps us to see the "other"-whether a person, people or nation-not
just as some kind of instrument, with a work capacity and physical strength to
be exploited at low cost and then discarded when no longer useful, but as our
"neighbor," a "helper" (cf. Gen 2:18-20), to be made a
sharer, on a par with ourselves, in the banquet of life to which all are
equally invited by God. Hence the importance of reawakening the religious
awareness of individuals and peoples. Thus the exploitation, oppression and
annihilation of others are excluded. These facts, in the present division of
the world into opposing blocs, combine to produce the danger of war and an
excessive preoccupation with personal security, often to the detriment of the
autonomy, freedom of decision, and even the territorial integrity of the weaker
nations situated within the so-called "areas of influence" or
"safety belts."
"The
"structures of sin" and the sins which they produce are likewise radically
opposed to peace and development, for development, in the familiar expression
Pope Paul's Encyclical, is "the new name for peace."68 "In this
way, the solidarity which we propose is the path to peace and at the same time
to development. For world peace is inconceivable unless the world's leaders
come to recognize that interdependence in itself demands the abandonment of the
politics of blocs, the sacrifice of all forms of economic, military or
political imperialism, and the transformation of mutual distrust into
collaboration. This is precisely the act proper to solidarity among individuals
and nations.
"The
motto of the pontificate of my esteemed predecessor Pius XII was Opus iustitiae
pax, peace as the fruit of justice. Today one could say, with the same
exactness and the same power of biblical inspiration (cf. Is 32:17; Jas 3:18):
Opus solidaritatis pax, peace as the fruit of solidarity.
"The
goal of peace, so desired by everyone, will certainly be achieved through the
putting into effect of social and international justice, but also through the
practice of the virtues which favor togetherness, and which teach us to live in
unity, so as to build in unity, by giving and receiving, a new society and a
better world." (SRS, 39) - See more here