Personal Reflection: Challenges of Familiaris Consortio

Personal Reflection: Challenges of Familiaris Consortio

The Challenges of Familiaris Consortio to American Society

By Br. Maximilian Mary Hallenius, OP

For Fr. Luke Buckles, OP

SPST2750 - Encyclicals of John Paul II

Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology

Fall, 2000

The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio presents a number of challenges to the culture of America. I believe that Pope John Paul II has presented a vision of society and interpersonal relationships that stands at odds with the American understanding of these topics. At the core of the difference is the true definition of freedom. "At the root of the negative phenomena there frequently lies a corruption of the idea and the experience of freedom, conceived not as a capacity for realizing the truth of God's plan for marriage and the family, but as an autonomous power of self-affirmation, often against others, for one's own selfish well-being" (n. 6).

This document was composed early in the pontificate of Pope John Paul, in 1980-81. From the outset of the document, he affirms the primary role of the family in handing on the Faith and in being a "domestic Church". "[M]arriage and the family constitute one of the most precious of human values" (n. 1). This is why the Holy Father focuses on both the "bright spots and shadows" (n. 4) that surround the institution of the family in the modern world. In a pointed reference to the media-rich culture of America and the West, he speaks of the denigration of human dignity that is committed by "the powerful and pervasive organization of the means of social communication, which subtly endangers freedom and the means of objective judgement" (n. 4).

Taking up his guiding principle, the need for a "new humanism" (n. 8), Pope John Paul asserts that what our age needs is a recovery of the authentic values that help guide society and science. This is most important where the influence of the society is great; America, as the sole superpower and major producer of the media and scientific achievements, has a special responsibility to recover these authentic values. These values are: love; indivisible unity between one woman and one man; indissolubility of the bond; communion between members of the family. The protection of these valies is the raison d ?tre of the society. These values are protected by the rights of the family, enumerated as:

The right to exist and progress as a family, that is to say, the right of every human being, even if he or she is poor, to found a family and to have adequate means to support it;

The right to exercise its responsibility regarding the transmission of life and to educate children;

The right to the stability of the bond and of the institution of marriage;

The right to believe in and profess one's faith and to propagate it;

The right to bring up children in accordance with the family's own traditions and religious and cultural values, with the necessary instruments, means and institutions;

The right, especially of the poor and the sick, to obtain physical, social, political and economic security;

The right to housing suitable for living family life in a proper way;

The right to expression and representation, either directly or through associations, before the economic, social and cultural public authorities and lower authorities;

The right to form associations with other families and institutions in order to fulfill the family's role suitably and expeditiously;

The right to protect minors by adequate institutions and legislation from harmful drugs, pornography, alcoholism, etc;

The right to wholesome recreation of a kind that also fosters family values;

The right of the elderly to a worthy life and a worthy death;

The right to emigrate as a family in search of a better life (n. 46).

Some of these rights are seriously undercut by aspects of American society and government. For example, protection of minors from pornography is often prevented by a judicial activism that sees pornography as "freedom of speech" which the American Constitution protects. The right to raise children in accord with religious and cultural values is seriously hampered by the public educational system which has monopolized the responsibility that parents rightly hold in being the primary educators of children. The "no-fault divorce" laws which many states have serve to undermine the right to a stable marriage bond which the Holy Father holds as a primary right of the family.

Other rights are misinterpreted within our society. The right of the elderly to "a worthy death" is construed as the right to euthanasia, which is proclaimed to be an act of "mercy". The right to suitable housing for families is given as the basis for construction of public housing projects that are oftentimes breeding grounds for gangs and unsanitary living conditions.

In the area of human love and sexuality, Pope John Paul has very definite pastoral experience that leads him to a personalist interpretation. Human love is a truly a commitment of self to another, a total gift of self to the other. This leads the Holy Father into discussion of the true meaning of why Pope Paul VI was correct in Humanae Vitae, the document that led to widespread dissent and began the breakdown of cultural respect for the Catholic Church in America (cf. R. McInerny, What Went Wrong With Vatican II).

Respect for the dignity and vocation of women appears in Familiaris Consortio, and is also the topic of a Papal document published in 1988. What makes the teaching in this document on the family so important is that John Paul emphasizes the importance of the role of the mother as a worker within the home. He challenges societies to value the work of the woman who cares for the domestic responsibilities, and not to overemphasize work done outside the home as if it were of greater value (cf. n. 23). This is certainly a message that American society needs to hear and heed.

In the area of international relations, America is being challenged when the Holy Father says that foreign financial aid should not be tied to "population control" programs (cf. n. 30). This became obvious when America intervened in Bosnian and various African conflicts by sponsoring Planned Parenthood programs among the ethnic populations, while war raged all around.

Perhaps the most important teaching within the document is located in paragraph 45, when the Pope revisits the concept of subsidiarity. This is the teaching that the most local capable entity should undertake to address its own issues, and that whatever can be done at a local level should never be usurped by a higher social or governmental entity. Thus, the family, if it is capable, should be the primary educators of its children. If this is too burdensome, then it is the right of families to band together to share the responsibility. It can never be the responsibility of solely the state to educate, nor to take care of the elderly, nor any of a raft of activities that are best performed at the local level. The responsibility of the wider society is "to ensure that families have all those aids -- economic, social, educational, political and cultural assistance -- that they need in order to face all their responsibilities in a human way" (n. 45).

The family is the core unit upon which all major societies are built. Because of this, there are family values that can cross cultural and societal lines. The Church, which is a supra-cultural institution, takes these many values that she encounters in the many cultures and discerns what is good and holy in each one, making the best and most authentically Christian values her own. Then these values are taught and modeled within the Church as a sign and witness of the Christian faith to the whole world. Where these cultural values are in accordance with the Christian faith, the Church views them as "seeds of the Gospel", which can be incorporated into the evangelization of that culture.

Where cultural values are weak or are not in accordance with the Gospel, the Church's role is to serve as a teacher rather than as one who merely affirms. This is the role that John Paul is assuming in Familiaris Consortio. The breakdown of values in the West, often led by American society, has put the Holy Father in the unenviable position of having to speak hard words about the true meaning of love, the essential role of the family and the responsibilities of society to respect the family's autonomy. In this document, the Pope performs this task well; it is up to the faithful in America to make ourselves familiar with these powerful teachings and then to transform our society from within.

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	Personal Reflection: Challenges of Familiaris Consortio The Challenges of Familiaris Consortio to American Society By Br. Maximilian Mary Hallenius, OP For Fr. Luke Buckles, OP SPST2750 - Encyclicals of John Paul II Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology Fall, 2000 The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio presents a number of challenges to the culture of America. I believe that Pope John Paul II has presented a vision of society and interpersonal relationships that stands at odds with the American understanding of these topics. At the core of the difference is the true definition of freedom. "At the root of the negative phenomena there frequently lies a corruption of the idea and the experience of freedom, conceived not as a capacity for realizing the truth of God's plan for marriage and the family, but as an autonomous power of self-affirmation, often against others, for one's own selfish well-being" (n. 6). This document was composed early in the pontificate of Pope John Paul, in 1980-81. From the outset of the document, he affirms the primary role of the family in handing on the Faith and in being a "domestic Church". "[M]arriage and the family constitute one of the most precious of human values" (n. 1). This is why the Holy Father focuses on both the "bright spots and shadows" (n. 4) that surround the institution of the family in the modern world. In a pointed reference to the media-rich culture of America and the West, he speaks of the denigration of human dignity that is committed by "the powerful and pervasive organization of the means of social communication, which subtly endangers freedom and the means of objective judgement" (n. 4). Taking up his guiding principle, the need for a "new humanism" (n. 8), Pope John Paul asserts that what our age needs is a recovery of the authentic values that help guide society and science. This is most important where the influence of the society is great; America, as the sole superpower and major producer of the media and scientific achievements, has a special responsibility to recover these authentic values. These values are: love; indivisible unity between one woman and one man; indissolubility of the bond; communion between members of the family. The protection of these valies is the raison d ?tre of the society. These values are protected by the rights of the family, enumerated as: The right to exist and progress as a family, that is to say, the right of every human being, even if he or she is poor, to found a family and to have adequate means to support it; The right to exercise its responsibility regarding the transmission of life and to educate children; The right to the stability of the bond and of the institution of marriage; The right to believe in and profess one's faith and to propagate it; The right to bring up children in accordance with the family's own traditions and religious and cultural values, with the necessary instruments, means and institutions; The right, especially of the poor and the sick, to obtain physical, social, political and economic security; The right to housing suitable for living family life in a proper way; The right to expression and representation, either directly or through associations, before the economic, social and cultural public authorities and lower authorities; The right to form associations with other families and institutions in order to fulfill the family's role suitably and expeditiously; The right to protect minors by adequate institutions and legislation from harmful drugs, pornography, alcoholism, etc; The right to wholesome recreation of a kind that also fosters family values; The right of the elderly to a worthy life and a worthy death; The right to emigrate as a family in search of a better life (n. 46). Some of these rights are seriously undercut by aspects of American society and government. For example, protection of minors from pornography is often prevented by a judicial activism that sees pornography as "freedom of speech" which the American Constitution protects. The right to raise children in accord with religious and cultural values is seriously hampered by the public educational system which has monopolized the responsibility that parents rightly hold in being the primary educators of children. The "no-fault divorce" laws which many states have serve to undermine the right to a stable marriage bond which the Holy Father holds as a primary right of the family. Other rights are misinterpreted within our society. The right of the elderly to "a worthy death" is construed as the right to euthanasia, which is proclaimed to be an act of "mercy". The right to suitable housing for families is given as the basis for construction of public housing projects that are oftentimes breeding grounds for gangs and unsanitary living conditions. In the area of human love and sexuality, Pope John Paul has very definite pastoral experience that leads him to a personalist interpretation. Human love is a truly a commitment of self to another, a total gift of self to the other. This leads the Holy Father into discussion of the true meaning of why Pope Paul VI was correct in Humanae Vitae, the document that led to widespread dissent and began the breakdown of cultural respect for the Catholic Church in America (cf. R. McInerny, What Went Wrong With Vatican II). Respect for the dignity and vocation of women appears in Familiaris Consortio, and is also the topic of a Papal document published in 1988. What makes the teaching in this document on the family so important is that John Paul emphasizes the importance of the role of the mother as a worker within the home. He challenges societies to value the work of the woman who cares for the domestic responsibilities, and not to overemphasize work done outside the home as if it were of greater value (cf. n. 23). This is certainly a message that American society needs to hear and heed. In the area of international relations, America is being challenged when the Holy Father says that foreign financial aid should not be tied to "population control" programs (cf. n. 30). This became obvious when America intervened in Bosnian and various African conflicts by sponsoring Planned Parenthood programs among the ethnic populations, while war raged all around. Perhaps the most important teaching within the document is located in paragraph 45, when the Pope revisits the concept of subsidiarity. This is the teaching that the most local capable entity should undertake to address its own issues, and that whatever can be done at a local level should never be usurped by a higher social or governmental entity. Thus, the family, if it is capable, should be the primary educators of its children. If this is too burdensome, then it is the right of families to band together to share the responsibility. It can never be the responsibility of solely the state to educate, nor to take care of the elderly, nor any of a raft of activities that are best performed at the local level. The responsibility of the wider society is "to ensure that families have all those aids -- economic, social, educational, political and cultural assistance -- that they need in order to face all their responsibilities in a human way" (n. 45). The family is the core unit upon which all major societies are built. Because of this, there are family values that can cross cultural and societal lines. The Church, which is a supra-cultural institution, takes these many values that she encounters in the many cultures and discerns what is good and holy in each one, making the best and most authentically Christian values her own. Then these values are taught and modeled within the Church as a sign and witness of the Christian faith to the whole world. Where these cultural values are in accordance with the Christian faith, the Church views them as "seeds of the Gospel", which can be incorporated into the evangelization of that culture. Where cultural values are weak or are not in accordance with the Gospel, the Church's role is to serve as a teacher rather than as one who merely affirms. This is the role that John Paul is assuming in Familiaris Consortio. The breakdown of values in the West, often led by American society, has put the Holy Father in the unenviable position of having to speak hard words about the true meaning of love, the essential role of the family and the responsibilities of society to respect the family's autonomy. In this document, the Pope performs this task well; it is up to the faithful in America to make ourselves familiar with these powerful teachings and then to transform our society from within.