Francis on the Preferential Option for the Poor

395...The preferential option for the poor demands that we devote special attention to those Catholic professional people who are responsible for the finances of nations, those who promote employment, and politicians who must create conditions for the economic development of countries, so as to give them ethical guidelines consistent with their faith. From the CELAM Aparecida Document

Concern for the poor has been the most persistent theme of Francis' young papacy and it is evident in the Aparecida document. References aren't just sprinkled throughout, the work is laced with them. I can see why. Far more than any other modern pope, Francis has literally lived among the poor. By all accounts he has been a regular visitor to the slums of Argentina throughout his priesthood.

Francis doesn't just commiserate with the poor, he looks for ways to help them lift themselves out of poverty. He doesn't call for massive wealth transfers but nor does he hesitate to lambast corporate officials and others who put greed and profit ahead of the common good. These people have fiscal responsibilities to more than faceless stockholders and their own selfish interests. The poor are stake holders too!

But the CELAM Bishops are careful to offer credit where it is due. They make it a point complement officials and business owners on the work they do in creating jobs and promoting the dignity of workers.

Francis sees the concentration of land ownership among a wealthy few, so common in parts of Latin America, as a moral outrage.  Private property rights must be respected but where they are used as obstacles to the common progress, then the rights of the poor must be represented. Governments must step in with needed land reforms.

Not all development is rapacious. Based on the Aparecida Document, our new pope wants to see natural resources, including the mighty Amazon, developed to the benefit of all, especially in the creation of jobs and new wealth for people who live near and are dependent on them. The church has a role to play in spelling out the common good, and the needs of the poor. So do Catholic lay men and women with well formed consciences working within respective development agencies.

Same thing with international trade. The CELAM Bishops want more of it and they want to be sure the benefits accrue to the common good. As with development of natural resources they see prominent roles for themselves and lay Catholics in making that happen.

It isn't just the CELAM Bishops. The heads of the national conferences of Catholic Bishops from the Group of 8 Nations have sent a joint letter to G8 heads of state urging them to consider issues of special interest at their upcoming meeting in Ireland. The Bishops voice concerns about agriculture, nutrition, trade, transparency, and tax evasion. Did you know citizens have a moral obligation to pay their fair share of taxes for the common good? The letter cites concerns and commitments for the poor voiced by Pope Francis in both his inaugural homily and in his Easter message.

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/poverty/global/upload/2013-G8-Letter.pdf

Popes at least since Leo XIII have expressed special concern for the poor. John Paul II expropriated the term Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable from Liberation Theology. Not everything about Liberation Theology was bad. But I get the sense that Francis is different. He is more intense, more willing to speak out on sometimes controversial issues, more willing to get in the face of powerful politicians and demand justice. The more I hear from him the more encouraged I am.