Catholic business leaders should see their work as a vocation and be guided by Gospel morals, values and principles for the benefit of their company, employees and the wider society.
This was a key point made during the three presentations at a July 7 workshop on Vocation of the Business Leader: A Reflection, a practical handbook for Catholic businessmen and women published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The council is led by Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson.
The Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) organised the three and a half hour- long session at the Assumption Parish Centre, Maraval. Among those in attendance were Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith, and a few well-known leaders in the world of business including Phillip Hamel-Smith, Angela Lee Loy, Dr Terrence Farrell, Mary King, Derek Hudson, Nigel Romano, Dale Laughlin, Ronald Lazzari, Norman Tang and Nestor Lambert.
Fr Garfield Rochard located the handbook in a local context; Fr Clyde Harvey highlighted key principles in the handbook; and Fr Adolfo Bueno, of the Prelature of Opus Dei, spoke on morals in business.
Fr Rochard explained the importance and role of business in Jesus’ time and cited some well-known parables that had a work or business context. Two examples were Mt 25:14-30 (parable of the talents) and Mt 20:1-16 (parable of the vineyard labourers).
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He said Christ chose tax collectors to be apostles for a reason. Tax collectors were not liked by the Jews because they worked for the occupyingRoman Empireand took a cut from the taxes they collected. The Assumption parish priest explained that Judas, a tax collector, was symbolic, as Christ was saying that there would always be members of the Church who would be dishonest “and the community has to deal with it”. He surmised that Judas saw his betrayal of Christ purely as a business deal and had expected Jesus to “bamboozle” the Pharisees and continue his ministry. “Judas wanted Jesus alive…but it was a business deal that eventually brought redemption and life.” Fr Rochard ended by urging Catholic business leaders to contribute towards an honest society by rejecting corruption and recognising the importance of business integrity and responsibility.
Fr Harvey, acting Vicar General, highlighted the foundational ethical principles for business identified in the handbook: respect for human dignity and the common good. He also spoke of four factors that have fundamentally changed the context of business: globalisation, cultural changes, communication technology, and the “financialisation” of the economy. He said businesses should also reflect on real needs versus wants, creating sustainable wealth and distributing it justly, and organising good and productive work.
Fr Harvey raised some other issues, wondering about the role of credit unions and cooperatives, and the capitalistic understanding of work, economy and business. He told the gathering that there was a need for creative thinking to face the economic challenges of today’s world.
Venezuelan Fr Bueno used the parable of the prodigal son in his presentation to discuss the consequences of original sin in relation to work and the unintended corruption and extortion in the business world. Fr Bueno’s talk came after a period for group discussion on specific topics and principles in the handbook.
Delivering closing remarks, CCSJ chair Leela Ramdeen said a similar workshop was being planned for Central Trinidad, and discussions were being held with theTrinidad and TobagoChamber of Industry and Commerce for an inter-faith session. – RS
This report appeared in Catholic News July 15 issue.
