The Catholic church has, in most of its history, focused on teachings about the church’s internal affairs and issues that deal with the rites and rules of the Catholic doctrine. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII changed the narrative when he wrote the encyclical Rerum Novarum ( of New Things). Rerum Novarum dealt with the world outside the church, focusing on the external affairs of everybody, both Catholics and non-Catholics.
Before then, the industrialization and urbanisation of the 19th century resulted in the growth of slums and the emergence of minority elites who were massively rich, leaving the majority poor in miserable living and working conditions. Pope Leo XIII was aware of this development and condemned it. It was in a bid to advocate the worker’s right to dignity and for their favourable living conditions that he wrote the Rerum Novarum which was praised by many, but criticized by the wealthy few who felt that the church should stay out of politics.
Pope Leo XIII was propelled to make these moves by the compelling weight of truth that needed to be spoken, and as he expected, he won through the message of truth and this was followed by other succeeding popes. It marked the beginning of a whole new teaching in the Catholic church, called Catholic social teaching, which has been maintained to date. Since then, the Catholic church started preaching against social injustice, unbridled capitalism, an all-consuming desire for profit, and a destructive thirst for power. Recently, Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized the need to care for the endangered in society and constantly speaks about the plight of migrants and refugees.
That is the movement of truth and justice, which everyone, young and old, should be part of. It should start from the cradle, instilling the consciousness of what is right and how to live it, for every child to grow and propagate it. It should be seen in the little things we do and the way we protect each other starting from the family, the school, the community and society.
Injustice is bound to happen. How do we face it? What measures do we take to tackle it? Are we constrained by our boundaries to fight it? Should we speak against injustice and unfairness only when we are affected? Or do we pretend it’s not happening, after all, it doesn’t concern us?
The level of decadence in society today has its roots mainly in the fact that the majority keeps quiet in the face of injustice when they should talk or act, and it’s presently affecting everyone. Our silence speaks against us and against life itself. The message of truth and justice knows no bounds, and it’s not restricted by belief, race, religion, or whatever.
Truth and Justice live through us all, so we must fight for it. We are called to stand up for each other, be the voices of each other, and advocate justice and fairness for each other even if it means going against what everyone else is doing. Truth and justice are dismissed each passing day, and someone suffers it. We’re all expected to stand and speak against it. This way, we can be sure of a safe, peaceful, and happy world tomorrow.
Malcolm M says it all as he writes, “I’m for the truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for Justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such, I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.
โ๏ธAmara Ann Unachukwu
