Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
~ Bridge Made of String: Solidarity ~
Lesson 7

Question & Answer || Church Teaching || Thinking About Justice
 

Introduction

THE BRIDGE MADE OF STRING

When the bridge of "Lonely Lotus Village" collapsed, the children could no longer go to school. The village was poor. To my surprise, the villagers began collecting string. I laughed and said, "How can you make a bridge out of string?" But when the villagers had a mountain of string, they weaved the string into rope and made a rope bridge. When the children graduated and became wealthy, they built a steel bridge.

Lesson:   Challenge explains how it was possible to make a sturdy bridge out of string.
 
Question & Answer
Question:   Why does the Catholic Church at this time in history attach such importance to the "principle of solidarity?"
Answer:   The Church understands that only in solidarity among many peoples in the world will we be able to create a more just society.
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"The principle of solidarity...is a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood. ...Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all the forms of solidarity; solidarity of the poor among themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples." Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Mission Hills: Benziger Publishing Co, 1994), #1939-1942.
 

Thinking About Justice

  1. Describe a present day "hopeless" situation of injustice.
  2. Describe a personal experience or an incident in contemporary history in which the principle of solidarity was applied successfully.
  3. How can the principle of solidarity be applied to our relations with the Protestants and non-Christians of Cheung Chau?
 

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