The economic crisis must be
overcome by defending the primary and central value that is human
dignity, writes Benedict XVI to the President of Korea, host of the
G20summit and not at the expense of some countries more than others, but
respecting man.
AsiaNews
obtained a copy of the letter, which is a strong reaffirmation of the
key points expressed by the Pope in his social encyclical, "Caritas in
Veritate," reemphasised several times during his everyday teaching.
"The Summit seeks solutions to
quite complex questions, on which the future of upcoming generations
depends and which therefore require the cooperation of the entire
international community," writes Benedict XVI.
This cooperation, however, "must be based on the acknowledgement —
which is shared and agreed by all peoples — of the primary and central
value of human dignity, the final objective of the choices themselves".
The Catholic Church, because of its specific nature, is
concerned, and shares the concerns of the leaders taking part in the
summit in Seoul, writes the pope.
"I therefore encourage you to tackle
the numerous serious problems facing you — and which, in a sense, face
every human person today — bearing in mind the deeper reasons for the
economic and financial crisis and giving due consideration to the
consequences of the measures adopted to overcome the crisis itself, and
to seek lasting, sustainable and just solutions"
Several times in the
recent past, speaking of the crisis, the pope emphasized the moral and
ethical nature of the roots that caused it.
In line with the social doctrine of the Church and its teaching, Benedict XVI reminded the G20 of his hope: "there
will be a keen awareness that the solutions adopted, as such, will work
only if, in the final analysis, they are aimed at reaching the same
goal: the authentic and integral development of man."
And they must be fair, underlined the Pope: "The
world's attention focuses on you and it expects that appropriate
solutions will be adopted to overcome the crisis, with common agreements
which will not favor some countries at the expense of others. History,
furthermore, reminds us that, no matter how difficult it is to reconcile
the different socio-cultural, economic and political identities
coexisting today, these solutions, to be effective, must be applied
through combined action which, above all, respects the nature of man."
SIC: AN/INT'L