Page 18 - HQ May June July 2020

Reflections on the post-coronavirus era in the

light of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Most Rev. Giampaolo Crep- it causes systemic damage. On a
aldi, the Archbishop of Trieste, Italy global level that is difficult to cor-
since 2009, explained how Covid-19 rect. When lower social forms are
is underlining the great mistakes of removed all will be swept away
our time, including a rejection of the under globalization.
principle of subsidiarity in favour of On the other hand, the corona-
supranational globalism. The bish- virus has highlighted an inability
op is a specialist in the Social Doc- for effective cooperation among
trine of the Catholic Church, having member states of the supranation-
served as secretary of the Vatican’s al system, in this case, Italy and
Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace from 2001 until 2009. In 2003, the European Union. Finally, the
he founded (and remains) president epidemic has raised concerns re-
of the Cardinal Van Thuan Inter- garding the relationship of the com-
national Observatory on the Social mon good and the Catholic Church
Doctrine. Excerpts are included and the relationship between the
from an article written by him dated state and the Church generally.
March 19, 2020, and adapted from a The suspension of Masses and the
translation by Jeanne Smits, which closure of churches are some fea-
was published on lifesitenews.com Most Rev. Giampaolo Crepaldi tures of this problem.
This, then, seems to be the
by Archbishop Giampaolo Crepaldi complex picture posed by the coronavirus epidemic.

Nothing will be the same These are subjects that challenge the Social Doctrine
of the Church, and this is why our Observatory feels
The epidemic linked to the spread of COVID-19 called to this reflection.
has an impact on many aspects of human coexist-
ence and for this reason it requires analysis from the The end of ideological naturalism
point of view of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Societies continue to be driven by ideological
Contagion is above all a matter of public health and forms of naturalism that the epidemic can correct.
this is enough to link it directly to the goal of achiev- Even more so during this experience, the exaltation
ing the common good. of a pure and originally uncontaminated nature with
The financing of health care, a problem that the humankind as the polluter is untenable.
coronavirus clearly highlights is a central moral issue The idea of a Mother Earth endowed with a har-
in the pursuit of the common good. There is an ur- monious equilibrium with whose spirit man would
gent need to reflect both on the objectives of the have to connect in order to find the right relation-
health system, and on its management and use of ship with things and with himself is absurd. Nature
resources. must be governed by man. Pantheistic, postmodern
[Additionally] the epidemic is threatening the ideologies are misaligned. Nature has imbalances
functionality of productive and economic sectors, and therefore must become subject to human be-
and if it continues will lead to bankruptcy, unemploy- ing’s control, ‘humanized’ as it were. It is not man
ment, poverty, social difficulties and conflicts. The who must be in accord with nature but nature which
world of work will be subject to major upheavals. must be subdued.
New forms of support and solidarity will be needed Revelation teaches us that creation is entrusted
and drastic choices will have to be made. The eco- to man’s care and governance and for the ultimate
nomic fallout relates to credit and monetary mat- goal which is God. Man has the right, because he has
ters, and therefore, to Italy’s relations with the the duty, to manage the material creation, to govern
European Union, on which the final decisions in it and to derive from it what is necessary and useful
these two areas [public health and the economy] for the common good. Creation is entrusted by God
depend. to man, to his intervention according to reason and
This again raises the issue of national sover- to his capacity for wise dominion. Man is the regula-
eignty and globalization, highlighting the need to tor of creation, not the other way around.
re-examine globalization...When a nerve centre is hit

18 MICHAEL May/June/July 2020 www.michaeljournal.org