As Catholics we should strive for subsidiarity tempered with solidarity. The idea of incorporating the City of St. George coincides perfectly with this philosophy. Subsidiarity is defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1883): Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.” In other words, the responsibility for addressing social and economic problems belongs to the closest community or authority that can handle those problems. More simply stated, problems should be solved at the smallest and most intimate levels possible. Solidarity is the notion that were connected with our neighbors: down the street, throughout the country, and around the world. We cant, as Christians, just say “Ill take care of myself, I dont care about my poor next-door neighbor.” Subsidiarity and Solidartity must coincide fort he good of society. Benedict XVI in his encyclical, Caritas in veritate (2009) emphasizes the duty of governments to provide for the social welfare of citizens when non-governmental means do not rise to the level of needs. The principle of subsidiarity must remain closely linked to the principle of solidarity and vice versa, since the former without the latter gives way to social privatism, while the latter without the former gives way to paternalist social assistance that is demeaning to those in need. Pope John Paul II said in his May 1, 1991 encyclical entitiled Centesimus Annus: In recent years the range of such intervention has vastly expanded, to the point of creating a new type of State, the so-called Welfare State. This has happened in some countries in order to respond better to many needs and demands, by remedying forms of poverty and deprivation unworthy of the human person. However, excesses and abuses, especially in recent years, have provoked very harsh criticisms of the Welfare State, dubbed the Social Assistance State. Malfunctions and defects in the Social Assistance State are the result of an inadequate understanding of the tasks proper to the State. Here again the principle of subsidiarity must be respected: a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good. By forming the City of St. George, we are indeed attempting to address our problems with education, the economy, and government at the smallest most intimate level possible, at the same time we are committed to the growth of East Baton Rouge Parish by continuing to honor our obligations to help the parish run its affairs, as well as setting an example of how an efficient government operates. It is up to us as Catholics to form our consciences through prayer so that our actions, especially how we exercise our rights in a free society, coincide with the teachings of our Church.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 17:43:44 +0000
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