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The Catholic Church, Farmers and Farmworkers
In proclaiming the Kingdom of
God, the Catholic Church has continually supported and spoke on behalf
of farmers and farmworkers. Here in the United States, this was no
better portrayed than the support by the Untied States Catholic Church
during the 1970's by supporting the grape and lettuce boycotts of the
United Farm Workers.
As examples of the ongoing support of the Church for farmers, their
families and farmworkers, the Catholic-Labor Network have gathered the
following quotes from Church magisterium as examples of that support:
Mater
et Magistra: On
Christianity and Social Progress (An Encyclical of Pope John XXIII
[1961])
- 138. On this subject it must
not be forgotten that the price of agricultural
produce represents, for the most part, the reward of the farmer's labor
rather
than a return on invested capital.
- 144. We are convinced that the
farming community must take an active part in
its own economic advancement, social progress and cultural betterment.
Those who
live on the land can hardly fail to appreciate the nobility of the work
they are
called upon to do. They are living in close harmony with Nature - the
majestic temple of Creation. Their work has to do with the life of
plants and
animals, a life that is inexhaustible in its expression, inflexible in
its laws,
rich in allusions to God the Creator and Provider. They produce food
for the
support of human life, and the raw materials of industry in ever richer
supply.
- 145. Theirs is a work which
carries with it a dignity all its own. It brings
into its service many branches of engineering, chemistry and biology,
and is
itself a cause of the continued practical development of these sciences
in view
of the repercussions of scientific and technical progress on the
business of
farming. It is a work which demands a capacity for orientation and
adaptation,
patient waiting, a sense of responsibility, and a spirit of
perseverance and
enterprise.
Solidarity and
Co-operation
- 146. It is important also to
bear in mind that in agriculture, as in other
sectors of production, association is a vital need today - especially
in
the
case of family farms. Rural workers should feel a sense of solidarity
with one
another, and should unite to form co-operatives and professional
associations.
These are very necessary if farm workers are to benefit from scientific
and
technical methods of production and protect the prices of their
products. They
are necessary, too, if they are to attain an equal footing with other
professional classes who, in most cases, have joined together in
associations.
They are necessary, finally, if farm workers are to have their proper
voice in
political circles and in public administration. The lone voice is not
likely to
command much of a hearing in times such as ours.
Guadium et Spes: The Pastoral Constitution: On the Church
in the Modern World (December 7, 1065)
- 60. Everything must be done to make everyone conscious of
the right to culture and the duty he has of developing himself
culturally and of helping others. Sometimes there exist conditions of
life and of work which impede the cultural striving of men and destroy
in them the eagerness for culture. This is especially true of farmers
and workers. It is necessary to provide for them those working
conditions which will not impede their human culture but rather favour
it. Women now work in almost all spheres. It is fitting that they are
able to assume their proper role in accordance with their own nature.
It will belong to all to acknowledge and favour the proper and
necessary participation of women in the cultural life.
- 66. To satisfy the demands of justice and equity,
strenuous efforts must be made, without disregarding the rights of
persons or the natural qualities of each country, to remove as quickly
as possible the immense economic inequalities, which now exist and in
many cases are growing and which are connected with individual and
social discrimination. Likewise, in many areas, in view of the special
difficulties of agriculture relative to the raising and selling of
produce, country people must be helped both to increase and to market
what they produce, and to introduce the necessary development and
renewal and also obtain a fair income. Otherwise, as too often happens,
they will remain in the condition of lower-class citizens. Let farmers
themselves, especially young ones, apply themselves to perfecting their
professional skill, for without it, there can be no agricultural
advance.
Popularum Progressio: On the Development of Peoples (An
Encyclical of Pope Paul VI [March 26, 1967])
-
9. At the same time, social
unrest has gradually spread throughout the
world. The acute restlessness engulfing the poorer classes in countries
that are
now being industrialized has spread to other regions where agriculture
is the
mainstay of the economy. The farmer is painfully aware of his "wretched
lot."
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