Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
~ Principle of Subsidiarity ~
Lesson 14

Question & Answer || Church Teaching || Thinking About Justice || Facilitators' Notes
 

Introduction

BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU STEP

Cheung Chau is a beautiful island as long as you are careful where you walk. Mrs. Sandy Lee takes her children to school each day. Dogs often leave "unpleasant items" at the entrance to the Catholic School. Not only are these "items" unsightly, they are slippery and soil footwear. Mrs. Lee angrily wrote a letter to the Governor of Hong Kong and asked him to do something about it.
 
Question & Answer
Question:   If you were Governor of Hong Kong, how would you respond to Mrs. Lee's request?
     
Answer:  
  1. Step A:
  2. Step B:
  3. Step C:
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"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." [Pius XI, Quadragesimo anno I, 184-186 quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Mission Hills: Benziger Publishing Co, 1994), #1883, p. 460.]
 

Thinking About Justice

  1. Apply the principle of subsidiarity to the issue of the "unpleasant items" left in front of school.
  2. Apply the principle of subsidiarity to a recent action of the Hong Kong government that might have been better addressed by a "community of the lower order."
  3. Apply the principle of subsidiarity to a situation in parish or Hong Kong Diocese.
 
Facilitators' Notes

You may wish to give out the case study "Be Careful Where You Step" to the members of the Social Concerns group separately from the rest of the text.

Principle of Subsidiarity: Decisions affecting the local people should first be resolved at the local level by the people most affected by the decision. Only when a problem cannot be resolved at the local level should the next level of community take action.

CHURCH TEACHING

The concept of "subsidiarity" mentioned for the first time in a papal encyclical, "Reconstruction of the Social Order" or "Quadragesimo anno" in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. Unfortunately the principle is too often ignored by leadership at all levels of society. At the same time, those most affected by a decision often do not wish to participate in the solution.

ILLUSTRATION: "BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU STEP"
(This is a fictional case to illustrate the principle of subsidiarity.)

  1. Applying the principle of subsidiarity, initially the governor should not do anything. He should ask Mrs. Lee to discuss the issue with several of the other mothers who also bring their children to school and suggest the best way to approach this problem.

  2. Mrs. Lee and her friends discuss several responses:

  1. Ask the governor to order the destruction of all dogs on Cheung Chau. However, many Hong Kong residents love their dogs. Old people need them for protection.

  2. Ask the Legislative Councilor to pass a law requiring all dogs to be leashed and accompanied by the owner with a "scupper". Require the owner to remove all dog deposits. Might cause hostility in community.

  3. Inaugurate a poster campaign encouraging owners to be more thoughtful.

  4. Mothers will take turns cleaning up "items" before classes begin.

THE SUBSIDIARITY SOLUTION
(This is just a sample of the type of analytical thinking that is expected of members of a Social Concerns Group. There are many possible responses to this issue)

Mothers conclude that solutions one and two would divide the community and create lasting animosity between dog owners and their neighbors. Solution four would be too much of a personal commitment. Based on past experience, the poster campaign would probably not be effective.

Therefore the mothers started a society for "Considerate Dog Owners of Cheung Chau." Members solemnly promise to wear an orange scarf when they walk their dogs and to carry a "scupper". The "scupper" is employed whenever need arises.

Because some of the dogs are abandoned by construction site operators, the mothers met with the Heung Yee Kuk (a community of the higher order.)" The Heung Yee Kuk in turn asked the police (a community of the higher order) to vigorously enforce the licensing of all dogs used in construction sites. Furthermore, after consulting the local residents and meeting with the representative on the Legislative Council (a community of a higher order), the ladies formed a signature campaign advocating a law punishing any company which abandons such an animal with a fine of HK$10,000 and an imprisonment of 90 days.
 

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