A crisis ofsolidarity

IN CONFRONTINGTHE CRISIS

SOLIDARITY

Reflections and proposals of the Society of Jesus in Spain to strengthen solidarityin confronting the crisis

In these times of profound and prolonged crisis,those of us working in the different sectors through which the Society of Jesus in Spain develops its activities seek to share our reflections, our concerns, our questions, our proposals. We believe that they should be heard in a pluralist society like Spain’s. We do not desire to imposethem on anybody but simply offer them to promote publicdebate. We do so inspired by Gospel values and a Christianperspective which we think can be understood by everyone,even those who do not share it.

For too many years now, we have seen the suffering of our people. In our urban landscape it is now customary to see long lines of people seeking jobs at the employment offices and seeking food at the soup kitchens. We often alsosee images of migrants who die attempting to reach our European shores orwho live miserably in our midst. Almost daily we observe the poor looking forfood or clothing in the waste bins of our neighborhoods. Their faces are engraved on our eyes.

From those faces we have heard coming the painful cries of many people. We have heard shouts of indignation, fearful murmurings, heart-rending laments, unsettling noises, and impotent silences. We have also heard government decisions, street protests, media slogans, scholarly studies, andcorporate deceptions.

Our experience of these years has also led us to touch the harshness of crisisand the tenderness of solidarity. We know the meaning of a consoling embrace, a raised fist, an outstretched hand, a shoulder for support, a pointing finger, athumb signaling hope, an elbow bent to study, arms linked together to stop aneviction...

In the midst of all this, we have been able to smell the anguish and the fear,the desperation and the impotence, the sweat and the longings of our fellow citizens. Male and female, young and old... the crisis has restored to us a“sense of family” even as it has increased inequalities to alarming levels. Thewhole thing smells funny.

In all humility we must admit that we speak with our stomachs satisfied, but wedo not forget that there are millions of people on this planet who suffer hungerand thirst. In our parishes and our social centers we have “tasted” with distaste the bitterness of those who have nothing to eat or who cannot survivetill the end of the month. In our educational centers we have seen the importance and the difficulty of providing a school breakfast. In our streets andcommunities we have learned to share bread and scarcity. Most certainly, wehave tasted the bitterness of the crisis, along with its flashes of sweetness.

We contemplate the reality

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The drama of this reality has provoked many reactions that we must not ignore.They range from the responses of social service agencies and the governmentgenerally, which despite the cutbacks have helped to make the crisis less inhumane, to the countless initiatives that have spontaneously arisen to show that solidarity is still alive among us.

1/ We want to analyze the situation from the perspective of solidarity. The crisis has generated a great many solidarity projects, but it has also produced behaviorsand attitudes quite lacking in solidarity. We speak of solidarity in confronting the crisis because we recognize that many are responding this way, and we encourage people to strengthen that response. But we also speak of a crisis of solidarity because some of the reactions are not only lacking in solidarity but are using the crisis tojustify personal attitudes and behaviors that are quite opposed to solidarity.

2/ We do not believe that solidarity is something new. It has been expressed and is still expressed in our societies at three levels: 1) the most immediate level is personalsolidarity, which spontaneous and voluntary; 2) then there are group initiatives, whichtranslate solidarity into organized practices and make it more systematic and efficient; 3)finally, there are the forms of solidarity that are institutionalized within the framework of the government and the public agencies.

3/ The social welfare state, as it developed in the 20th century, has been the main institutional means for achieving solidarity. The social state strives to temper thelogic of the market with the logic of people’s rights. It moderates between political decisions, moral values, and juridical rights. To that end it uses, among other instruments,a progressive fiscal system to finance social policies that guarantee those rights.

4/ We realize that in our days the social state is going through a serious crisis, with the paradoxical result that institutionalized solidarity has been able to deactivate voluntary solidarity. Moreover, it appears that the social-state model as wehave known it is no longer viable in the context of globalization. In any case, the present

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We interpretwhat is happening

After contemplating the reality,we offer some simple words to express our commitment andshine light on our situation.

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crisis makes it impossible to return to the earlier situation; it generates a huge demandfor imagination and creativity.

5/ It has once again become abundantly clear that the financial sector, when it is allowed to function without controls, ends up producing distortions that do damage toeveryone. The financialization of the economy has become a serious obstacle to theproduction of goods and services, and it contributes significantly to the problem of growing inequality.

6/ The many cases of abuse and corruption are in turn both a cause and an expression of the crisis. They include illegalities that are both economic (fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, etc.) and political (corruption, favoritism, prevarication, use of power for personal benefit, etc.).

7/ At the continental level, the suspicion grows that the “Europe of the merchants” is more important than the “Europe of the citizens.” The imbalance of power in European institutions becomes more evident, and the citizens of Europe become increasingly disillusioned with the project of the Union. The crisis has also affected the structures of solidarity in Europe.

8/ Solidarity today cannot ignore its global dimension because, in a world as interdependent as ours, it makes no sense to reinforce borders and build walls. As long as there is no form of world government which can serve as a counterweight to controlthe might of the major economic powers, which in fact govern the planet, we can expectthe globalization of indifference but certainly not that of solidarity.

9/We are aware that any vision of the future requires serious consideration of ecological and environmental factors. At both the local and the global level, environmental challenges are presenting us with an eco-social crisis. Even when the impact seems to affect only a particular locality, the cumulative consequences assume global dimensions. Since all ecosystems are interconnected, the effects are multipliedboth in time and in space. Therefore, the solidarity for which we aim must assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future.

10/ Our daily experience definitely teaches us that we live in a society that is lesshospitable, less welcoming, less secure, and more threatening. We have the diffuse butunsettling feeling that our ties of solidarity are growing ever weaker.

Since opportunities are not offered to everyone equally, it becomes evident that globalization is a selective process. Globalization is also ambiguous: even as it expands opportunities, it increases threats; even though it limits the ability of governments to intervene, it makes it easier for other powerful forces to do so. Onceagain, the most vulnerable persons become the preferred victims of globalization.

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-- The human person, at the center

“The beginning, the subject, and the goal of all social institutions is and must be thehuman person, which for its part and by its very nature stands completely in need of social life” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 25).

-- Human development, human rights

Human dignity means that all persons should be able to develop in accord with the rightsthey have as persons, but also in accord with their own aspirations to be the principal protagonists in their own development of who they are and who they hope to be (development of abilities).

-- Common good of society

The common good is the set of conditions that society should offer all persons so thatthey can follow their vocation and realize their legitimate aspirations.

-- Solidarity

Solidarity, as we have said, implies that we are all responsible for one another. Solidarityshould therefore exist in balance and in healthy tension with responsible citizenship.

-- Subsidiarity

Each level of a well-balanced, organized society (person, family, intermediate institutions,government) should be granted its own proper margin of action. Higher levels should notimpose on lower ones except when the latter are unable to act effectively.

-- Social rights

Social rights are a decisive component of the common good because they guaranteeeveryone equality of opportunity, as well as protection and security.

We proposeviable solutions

To face these challenges, we return to some principles thatwe consider indispensable because they are the ones that inspired the social state from its origins.

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A citizenry committed to solidarity

-- Promoting a culture of solidarity

A society committed to solidarity is founded on a culture in which citizens view themselvesas co-responsible for the needs of all, especially of those who have fewer opportunities.We encourage people to engage in sincere personal, familial, and community reflection inorder to 1) review our lifestyles and move toward greater austerity (“living more simply so thatothers can simply live”); 2) practice daily gestures of solidarity that bring us closer to thosein need; 3) seek out means to participate in public life and contribute to the common good.

A social fabric that promotes solidarity

-- Strengthening civil society

It becomes more evident every day that a third element needs to incorporated into the debate about market vs. government, namely, civil society with its institutions and the citizenry in general. We refuse to identify the public realm with government, for such a perspective impoverishes society and is harmful for everyone.

One of the essential elements for escaping from the crisis through solidarity is strengthening civil society and promoting its integration with the government and with themarket so that together they pursue the common good. In this way the structures and thefunctioning of civil society can be revitalized so that they become true channels for citizenparticipation in the public realm. However, this requires that citizens become aware of theenormous capacity they have for bringing about social change when they work closely together and act as a counter-force to other real powers. It is truly dangerous to ignore the negative effects that result from the passivity of citizens.

We do not have ready solutions for the challenges we havementioned. What we want to do is explore new possibilitiesand formulate questions that will give rise to creativity. We refuse to be carried away by a sterile pessimism that urgesus to resign ourselves to a society without solidarity. Nordo we want to embrace an idealistic obstinacy that clingsto models that worked in the past but that fails to realizehow different the situation is today and how serious theproblems are. We present here a Decalogue of proposalsfor strengthening solidarity and reinforcing the means formaking it reality. These proposals address the three ways inwhich solidarity can be expressed: the spontaneous solidarity of citizenship, the organized solidarity of civil society, and the institutionalized solidarity of government.

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-- Developing the civil economy

Nowadays new ways are opening up for developing the civil economy, which is based onan anthropological vision that takes into account all the dimensions of human reality, notjust the economic. Worthy of mention here are a great diversity of creative initiatives in consuming, financing, and production that devise new forms of property or new models of organization. Even though they are only in their initial stages, they should be encouraged for they are the embryo of a new economic logic that is finely tuned to theideal of solidarity.

Renewed public policies for strengthening solidarity

We believe that profound dialogue is necessary in order to reach broad agreement aboutkey social and political questions. Today it is essential to have basic accord regarding long-term policies which will serve to promote public action independently of the politicaltendency of the government in power. We propose seven major areas of agreement:four refer to national policies, and three to broader horizons of solidarity(environment, Europe, and global responsibility).

-- Renew and strengthen the social state

The social state should be maintained and reorganized so as to make it more transparent,more efficient, and more participatory. Debate should be carried on, not to dismantle thesocial state but to strengthen it, revisit it, and replenish it, all the while keeping in mindthe following: a) social rights are a crucial conquest of our societies, and we need to provide the resources necessary to make them an effective reality; b) a basic frameworkshould be established which allows the logic of both government and market to counterbalance one another; c) while taking care to distinguish between the publicsphere (what serves the general interest or the common good) and the sphere of government (what is done by the state), it is necessary to reinforce the role of government as the guarantor of fundamental rights (including social rights) and to establish mechanisms which will facilitate the participation of society in the task of creating solidarity; d) we need an equitable, efficient, and adequate fiscal system to sustain the social state.

-- Universal, high-quality education

Solidarity demands that education be available to everyone and that it not be anothersource of inequality and discrimination. Moreover, solidarity should be one of the principal aims of education; it should be seen as a central value of the kind of person wewish to form. This implies a critique of the individualistic view of the human person. Thisdouble aspect of solidarity should be the principal focus for achieving an educationalpact among all the social and political forces, a pact which comprises: a) public recognition of education as a pillar of development and democracy; b) social esteem of

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educators as key contributors to that end; d) due attention paid to the differenteducational stages (especially early childhood education, with the complementary formation of the parents, but also university education and professional training); d) improvement of the quality of education so that it fosters the formation of persons whoare competent, conscientious, compassionate, and committed; e) formation of childrenand young people in solidarity.

-- Social policies in the fight against poverty

It is imperative that we achieve a Social Pact that promotes inclusion and combats poverty. To this end it is necessary to unify the efforts of the public sphere and civil society. This means strengthening the mechanisms of social cohesion and the networksof support by focusing our efforts on the victims of social exclusion and on the most vulnerable families. Special attention should be given to migrants so that they are able tocontribute to our society and become well integrated into it. Also, the debate should continue about a minimum basic income for all.

-- Regeneration of public life, institutional quality, and social leadership

We believe in the need to recover a social consensus that promotes revitalization of our public life. It is necessary to inspire new leadership in the different spheres of public life,leadership that has a vision that is inclusive and cohesive. Every form of abuse should beprosecuted, clarified, and punished so that people will feel confident that justice is beingdone.

Transparency, technical skill, and democracy must be indispensable qualities of our public institutions. In particular, it is necessary to revise the way the political parties function. The excessive weight of party influence must be lessened by means of an electoral reform that encourages citizen participation, reduces the power of party machines, and confers greater protagonism on parliamentary life. There is also an urgent need to create an effective and real separation of the public powers. Finally, freedom of expression and information should be guaranteed, but it should also be exercised responsibly. In order to regain their function as a valuable social service, themedia should adopt a system of self-control that corresponds to the best acceptable practices.

-- Solidarity with the environment

It is becoming steadily more evident that a truly sustainable system (one that makes a dignified life possible for everybody) needs to seek out paths where consumption is not the only motor driving the economy and where encouragement is given to activities and products with low environmental impact. It is essential that we make immediately effectivethe recommendation of the International Panel on Climate Change to limit the emission of greenhouse gases so that the average increase in global temperature is kept below 2 degrees Centigrade.

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-- A Europe with greater solidarity

Europe should once again become a space for promoting solidarity, just as it was in thefinal decades of the 20th century. This means “more Europe and a better Europe.” Weneed “more Europe” because political structures need to be kept as strong as economicinstitutions: a unified market demands an instance of political power at the same level.We need a “better Europe” in order to strengthen the social market economy and responsible fiscal policies. The yielding of sovereignty that characterizes the Union requires that we apply the principle of subsidiarity more effectively. Only then will solidarity between countries, regions, and citizens be guaranteed. Solidarity cannot existif people are not conscious of a shared identity. In order to have that we need a civil society that is conscientious and active, organized and creative.

-- Planetary solidarity, citizens of the world

Globalization cannot be simply a unified global market. The most urgent task for solidarity continues to be the well-being of each and every person on our planet. Wemust recognize the responsibility we have for creating global solidarity, as difficult as ourimmediate circumstances may be. To that end we should highlight the role that both governments and the worldwide civil society should play in promoting mechanisms ofinstitutionalized solidarity in a global world, mechanisms that will facilitate the regulationand redistribution of the benefits of globalization.

In speaking of the role of governments, we refer to the possibility of reaching agreementsthat are related to the general needs of human beings and not limited only to the particular interests of certain sectors. A much greater effort is needed to develop international institutions that contribute to a globalization that benefits all humankind. Atanother level, there is also a need to recover a spirit of cooperative development by devoting more resources to it and by pursuing better and more coherent policies.

This document therefore seeks to be an instrument for making both a personal and a communal examination of conscience; it provides an occasion for us to evaluate the functioning and the operation of our institutions; it urges us to keep deepening our analysis of the situation and its underlying causes.

We make a commitment

As Jesuits, as works of the Society of Jesus, andas collaborators in these works, we make a firmcommitment, inspired by Ignatian spirituality, tostrengthen solidarity.

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This document commits us to reviewing the social presence of our institutions and ourdiverse other ministries, such as personal accompaniment, pastoral work, education, research, advocacy initiatives, or direct contact with the marginalized.

Given our concrete reality, we want to formulate certain concrete commitmentswhich will guide our activities as institutions of the Society of Jesus:

We need to provide our students at different levels with an education in solidarity as a central focus of our project. We need to develop in our studentssensitivity to social problems and inspire in them commitment to the commongood both generally and in specific actions so that they grow to be persons whoare conscientious, competent, compassionate, and committed.

We need to make service of the common good more present in our academic research and our intellectual activity, paying special attention to the problems of the most disadvantaged.

We need to promote inclusive practices in all our educational activity, evaluating the social relevance of our schools, universities, and training centers.

We need to intensify our work of accompanying, serving, and defendingthe most vulnerable persons and groups of our society and our world, especially when they have no way of making their voice heard or of defendingtheir most basic rights.

We need to promote Christian community in general and the Ignatian family in particular, engaging in reflection on this document that will lead us torenewed commitment and greater devotion to the common good.

Also, as individuals and as communities, as Jesuits and lay persons who feel part of theIgnatian family, we make the following commitments:

To promote true communities of hospitality and to foster solidarity in ourcommunities.

To encourage dynamics of collaboration and solidarity within our variousLocal Apostolic Platforms.

To form alliances with other groups and sectors working for a solution to thecrisis through solidarity.

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