http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4972VGehSBg
Address given by Archbishop Edward J Gilbert, CSsR in Port of Spain, Trinidad, at the Sir Ellis Clarke Memorial Conference, 12 November 2011
One of the serious pastoral responsibilities of the Catholic Church is to help individuals and groups of individuals form their consciences. The Church fulfils this responsibility in many ways e.g. by teaching during liturgies, through catechetical programmes, through value formation programmes on the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, through diplomatic contacts with representatives of Nations and through the involvement of the Church in the written and electronic media.
The experience of the Church is that if conscience formation is not done regularly, people tend either not to think about important issues or they begin to absorb uncritically secular values about the important issues of life.
Respect for Life Week is an example of a regularly scheduled pastoral effort to keep important justice issues before the hearts and minds of the people. I commend the Chairperson of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, Ms. Leela Ramdeen, along with the members of the Commission for their persevering efforts in the Archdiocese and the Region.
Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World
One of the major documents of the II Vatican Council, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, which was issued in 1965, linked proper conscience formation to a number of life issues. I want to mention just three points from the Constitution regarding life:
1)Because we have been created in the image and likeness of God, we have the capacity to search for truth and understand the truth. The process of searching for truth can be rooted in reason or in faith or in both reason and faith. The Council taught that the future of the world is in danger unless provision is made for people of greater wisdom. Wisdom is a technical term which has little to do with academics. It means that people know how to live their lives. How do they know? Through the response already mentioned: reason, faith or the combination of both.
It is clear that legislation and judicial decisions throughout the world since 1965 have affected life issues. These developments have certainly proved the teaching of the Council to be true. The world needs people of wisdom.
2)Human beings have in their hearts a law inscribed by God. Their dignity lies in observing this law and by it they will be judged. Their conscience is their most secret core and their sanctuary. There they are alone with God.
The principle concerning conscience sounds simple but it is not. If conscience is not properly formed, it has little influence on a person’s values and actions. Is the issue of poorly formed conscience a growing problem in international society? Absolutely! Why is the pattern of poorly formed conscience such a growing problem? The reason is because there is so little spiritual formation being given anywhere but especially in the family. Consequently, many nice people grow without any knowledge of God or God’s values.
The result of a lack of religious education/formation is that many people make important judgements, in good faith, without any reference to God. As the Holy Father frequently says ‘too many people live their lives as if God did not exist.’ Religious education/formation must become a priority if we want and expect the patterns of behaviour in society to change.
The education of conscience is a lifelong task. It teaches virtue, identifies vice, facilitates healing and contributes to personal peace. There is no period of a person’s life when qualitative growth in conscience formation is not necessary.
3)The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons become guided by the objective standards of moral conduct. Therefore, even when people are initially inculpably ignorant of their obligation regarding conscience formation, they cannot remain in that condition permanently. The Church must help them to grow spiritually. They must do their best to respond.
The Gospel of Life
In 1995, Pope John Paul II issued an Encyclical Letter, The Gospel of Life, in which he referred to the unfortunate developments that had appeared in the world since 1965. He returned to the issue of conscience. He made two important points about conscience, societal trends and conscience itself. He wrote:
1)Choices once unanimously considered criminal and rejected by the common moral sense are gradually becoming socially acceptable;
2)No less disturbing is the fact that conscience itself, darkened as it were by such widespread conditioning, is finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and evil in what concerns the basic value of human life.
The Holy Father then repeats the list of crimes against life issued by the II Vatican Council. (Confer Gaudium et Spes n. 27) Listen to the list:
“The varieties of crime are numerous:
– all offenses against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia and wilful suicide;
– all violations of the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, physical and mental torture, undue psychological pressures;
– All offenses against human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children, degrading working conditions where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than free and responsible persons.
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All these and the like are criminal: they poison civilization and they debase the perpetrators more than the victims and militate against the honour of the creator.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
In 1997, the time of the publication of the definitive edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catechism provided a substantive treatment of the 5th commandment which speaks in detail of the various issues of life including the issues of war and peace.
This section of the Catechism offers extensive material for the proper formation of conscience on life issues. It is very well footnoted which enables catechists to study the Catholic tradition on life issues and to become confident as the serve the needs of the people.
The 1971 Roman Synod
The theme of this Conference ‘Respect Life: Promote Justice’ also reflects the theology of the Justice in the World teaching of the 1971 Roman Synod of Bishops. I want to mention just 6 points from that document and the ask you to reflect on whether, in your opinion, what the document taught in 1971 has become reality or not. The paragraph numbers of the 1971 document are identified in my text through an asterisk and parentheses. The Justice in the World called for:
1)Scrutinizing the signs of the times and discerning the meaning of emerging history. *(2)
Reflection question: Do you think the people of the Church and the world have responded to that call of the Roman Synod?
2)There is a new awareness of justice developing which is motivating people to reject any fatalistic resignation about their present condition and which spurs them on to liberate themselves and to become responsible for their own destiny. *(4)
Reflection question: Do you see any signs throughout the world that this dynamic is in fact taking place?
3)In the perspective of the unity of nations, the forces of division seem to be increasing. *(9)
Reflection question: Do you see any progress on the theme that the world is moving from tribalism to international unity?
4)Economic injustice and a lack of social participation keep people from attaining their basic human rights. *(9)
Reflection question: Granting the difficulty that is intrinsic to this call of the Roman Synod, do you see any signs of hope?
5)Persecution on tribal grounds can take on the characteristics of genocide. *(22)
Reflection question: This particular challenge has resulted in countless violent deaths of innocent people. Do you see the world as more aware of the problem and more disposed to help?
6)Education makes people decidedly more human. It will help them to be no longer the object of manipulation by communications media or political forces. *(52)
Reflection question: Have you seen the hope in this call being verified throughout the world?
Conclusion
The reason why Justice and Social Justice ministry experiences such opposition is that its theory inevitably and sometimes very quickly leads to action. The call to action in whatever the justice issue may be, generally if not always, is met with opposition by those with very powerful vested interests. We must never forget that Justice and Social Justice ministry can be very dangerous and that at times it can lead to death.
I thank God for the many examples of Justice/Social Justice ministry in the Archdiocese and for the people who are committed to those ministries. I remind everyone that the underlying pastoral foundation for all Justice/Social Justice ministries is conscience formation. Without ongoing conscience formation during the various stages of life very little will happen.
*The numbers refer to the paragraph numbers of the document.
November 11, 2011.
