University Celebrates Anniversary of Pastoral Document

Boston College's Center for Human Rights and International Justice hosted a panel on Tuesday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a Pastoral document that addressed the issues of economic justice, human dignity, and personal responsibility.

The event, which was held in the Murray Room in the Yawkey Center, featured biblical scholar Rev. John Donahue, S.J., and Harvard professor, Mary Jo Bane, to discuss the relevance of the Pastoral letter, "Economic Justice for All," in today's economy.

Donahue, a contributor in the drafting of the document, discussed the piece's history throughout the past century, explaining the Church's progress in forming its own standpoint on the issues of social justice and economic equality.

"The Church has always had the responsibility to scrutinize in light of the times," said Donahue. "[The economy] must be judged based on how it protects the human dignity of the people."

Donahue recounted the different forms that the document took over a six-year period, including the addition, per his own suggestion, to feature a chapter on the Biblical application to these socio-economic issues.

Consultants, economists, and even political leaders looked over these different drafts until the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a final form in 1986.

"[The document] really put forth in a strong way that Church teachings require that the dignity of the human person should be at the center of economic affairs," said Tim Karcz, assistant director of BC's Center for Human Rights and International Justice. "This was contrary to what they saw in the world."

"Economic Justice for All" clarified the importance of social equality in economic decisions, especially during a Reagan administration that relied on the ideals of laissez-faire economics.

"It [the document] really took on the dominant economic paradigm, especially as embodied by U.S. policy at the time, and offered both a strong critique of it and a normative ethical groundwork to build on in the future,"Karcz said.

The letter stirred a wave of attention, landing on the front page of The New York Times shortly after the document was released.

In a day and age where U.S. unemployment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, has risen over 2 percent since its 1986 publication, this document continues to hold relevance.

Professor Bane followed up Donahue's presentation with an analysis of the letter with respect to today's economy.

"Much of it strikes me as timeless," she began. "However, there's a lot that is different."

Bane stressed the weight of affordable education in today's society, forcing households to save their money, and thus eventually promoting job recovery.

"We cannot repeal the laws of arithmetic," she joked. "Balancing the budget will mean reforming spending."

Her ideas reiterated the principles of Catholic social teaching that are key to this document's core themes. Only this, she believed, would allow economic justice to be attained.

"What we need is to commit to the poor in a global context," she said. "By doing this we may recognize and address the dangers of a broken social contract." ♦