Catholic Commission for Social Justice
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI
“Violence is not the cure for our broken world“—Pope Francis.
Let’s pray for members of the recently appointed committee that is leading the Community Recovery Programme. I am sure they will adopt a multifaceted approach to the work in hand. There is no quick fix in building an inclusive society. For decades all of us have failed to address the deep-seated structural problems that exist.
On Wednesday September 5, the world will observe the International Day of Charity. The UN states: “Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection. It assists the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. It also promotes the rights of the marginalised and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations.”
“…a society unable to accept its suffering members and incapable of helping to share their suffering and to bear it inwardly through ‘compassion’ is a cruel and inhuman society.” (Saved in Hope, Pope Benedict XVI, 2007)
How long will it take before we become a compassionate society/world? At a recent Heads of Department meeting, Fr Joe Harris challenged me to “dream”. I was bemoaning the fact that at the end of 2010, progress in making a dent in building a just society/world this year has been slow.