Human rights, human needs : an unfinished agenda


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HUMAN RIGHTS
HUMAN NEEDS
AN UNFINISHED AGENDA

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https://archive.org/details/humanrightshumanOOunse



HUMAN RIGHTS
HUMAN NEEDS

—AN UNFINISHED AGENDA

CONTENTS
Introduction 2

I. What Are Human Rights? 3

The Catholic Tradition 3
The United Nations Tradition 6

II. Why Is The Church Involved? 19

III. What Can You Do? 25

Be Informed 25

Be Involved 27

Resources/Organizations 31



INTRODUCTION

The tradition of Catholic social teaching is clear and em-
phatic in calling the community to do justice. It is also
consistent in linking justice to the protection of human
rights and the satisfaction of human needs on the local,
national and international level.

To do justice, the Christian community must be both
informed and effective. This study booklet is designed to

assist persons and groups
• to expand their understanding of human rights;
• to identify themselves with the Catholic tradition;

• to focus more effectively on the promotion and pro-
tection of those rights in the local, national and inter-

national community.

The study plan focuses on three questions:
• What are human rights?
— uses the Catholic and United Nations human rights

traditions

• Why is the Church involved?
— explores the concept and implications of the min-

istry for justice

• What can you do?
— suggests issue areas and organizations that will
involve you in the work for justice.

Patricia L. Rengel

Coordinator of Human Rights Issues

Deactdftfed 2



WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?

The Catholic Tradition

The following list of rights and duties is taken from the
encyclical on the social order issued by Pope John XXIII in
1963. The encyclical is entitled Pacem in Terris (Peace on
Earth). Catholic social teaching perceives the human rights
enumerated here as flowing from the nature of the human
person, who is created in the image and likeness of God,
and therefore possesses a dignity and a destiny which
transcends his or her earthly life.

The right to life and a worthy standard of living

1 1 . Beginning our discussion of the rights of the human
person, we see that every person has the right to life, to
bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for
the proper development of life; these are primarily food,
clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and finally the neces-
sary social services. Therefore a human being also has the
right to security in cases of sickness, inability to work,

widowhood, old age, unemployment, or in any other case
in which he/she* is deprived of the means of subsistence
through no fault of his/her own.

Rights pertaining to moral and cultural values

12. By the natural law every human being has the right
to respect for his/her person, to his/her good reputation;
the right to freedom in searching for truth and in express-

ing and communicating his/her opinions, and in pursuit

of art, within the limits laid down by the moral order and
the common good; and he/she has the right to be informed
truthfully about public events.

13. The natural law also gives every human being the
right to share in the benefits of culture, and therefore the
right to a basic education and to technical and professional

training in keeping with the stage of educational develop-

ment in the country to which he/she belongs. Every effort
should be made to ensure that persons be enabled, on the
basis of merit, to go on to higher studies, so that, as far
as possible, they may occupy posts and take on responsi-
bilities in human society in accordance with their natural
gifts and the skills they have acquired.

The right to worship God according to one's conscience

14. This too must be listed among the rights of a human
being, to honor God according to the sincere dictates of
his/her own conscience, and therefore the right to practice
his/her religion privately and publicly. . . .

The right to choose freely one's state of life

15. Human beings have the right to choose freely the
state of life which they prefer, and therefore the right to
set up a family, with equal rights and duties for man and
woman, and also the right to follow a vocation to the
priesthood or the religious life.

16. The family, grounded on marriage freely contracted,
monogamous and indissoluble, is and must be considered
the first and essential cell of human society. From this it
follows that most careful provision must be made for the
family both in economic and social matters as well as in
those which are of a cultural and moral nature, all of which
look to the strengthening of the family and helping it carry „
out its function.

17. Parents, however, have a prior right in the support

and education of their children.

Economic rights

18. If we turn our attention to the economic sphere it
is clear that every human being has a right by the natural
law not only to an opportunity to work, but also to go

about his/her work without coercion.
19. To these rights is certainly joined the right to de-

mand working conditions in which physical health is not
endangered, morals are safeguarded, and young people's
normal development is not impaired. Women have the
right to working conditions in accordance with their re-

quirements and their duties as wives and mothers.

20. From the dignity of the human person, there also
arises the right to carry on economic activities according

to the degree of responsibility of which one is capable.

Furthermore— and this must be specially emphasized—

the worker has a right to a wage determined according to
criterions of justice, and sufficient, therefore, in proportion

to the available resources, to give the worker and his/her

The female pronoun has been added in the spirit of equality.

3



family a standard of living in keeping with the dignity of

the human person. . . .
21. The right to private property, even of productive

goods, also derives from human nature. This right, as We
have elsewhere declared, is an effective means for safeguard-

ing the dignity of the human person and for the exercise of
responsibility in all fields; it strengthens and gives serenity

to family life, thereby increasing the peace and prosperity of
the state.

22. However, it is opportune to point out that there is
a social duty essentially inherent in the right of private

property.

The right of meeting and association

23. From the fact that human beings are by nature
social, there arises the right of assembly and association.
They have also the right to give the societies of which they
are members the form they consider most suitable for the
aim they have in view, and to act within such societies on
their own initiative and on their own responsibility in
order to achieve their desired objectives.

24. And, as We Ourselves in the encyclical Mater et
Magistra have strongly urged, it is by all means necessary
that a great variety of organizations and intermediate

groups be established which are capable of achieving a
goal which an individual cannot effectively attain by one-
self. These societies and organizations must be considered
the indispensable means to safeguard the dignity of the
human person and freedom while leaving intact a sense
of responsibility.

The right to emigrate and immigrate

25. Every human being has the right to freedom of
movement and of residence within the confines of his/her
own country; and, when there are just reasons for it, the
right to emigrate to other countries and take up residence
there. The fact that one is a citizen of a particular state does
not detract in any way from his/her membership in the
human family as a whole, nor from his/her citizenship in
the world community.

Political rights

26.

The dignity of the human person involves the right
to take an active part in public affairs and to contribute

one's part to the common good of the citizens. For, as Pius
XII pointed out: The human individual, far from being an
object and, as it were, a merely passive element in the social

order, is in fact, must be and must continue to be, its subject,

its foundation and its end.
27

'. The human person is also entitled to a juridical
protection of his/her rights, a protection that should be

efficacious, impartial and inspired by the true norms of
justice. As Pius XII teaches: That perpetual privilege proper
to the human person by which every individual has a claim to
the protection of his/her rights, and by which there is assigned

to each a definite and particular sphere of rights, immune from
all arbitrary attacks, is the logical consequence of the order of

justice willed by God.

Rights and duties necessarily linked in the one person

28. The natural rights with whichWe have been dealing
are, however, inseparably connected, in the very person

who is their subject, with just as many respective duties;
and rights as well as duties find their source, their suste-

nance and their inviolability in the natural law which
grants or enjoins them.

29. Therefore, to cite a few examples, the right of every

human being to life is correlative with the duty to preserve
it; his/her right to a decent standard of living with the duty

of living it becomingly; and his/her right to investigate

the truth freely, with the duty of seeking it ever more

completely and profoundly.

Reciprocity of rights and duties between persons

30. Once this is admitted, it also follows that in human
society to one person's right there corresponds a duty in

all other persons: the duty, namely, of acknowledging and

respecting the right in question. For every fundamental

human right draws its indestructible moral force from the
natural law, which in granting it imposes a corresponding
obligation. Those, therefore, who claim their own rights,
yet altogether forget or neglect to carry out their respective

duties, are people who build with one hand and destroy
with the other.

4



Mutual collaboration

31. Since human beings are social by nature they are
meant to live with others and to work for one another's
welfare. A well-ordered human society requires that per-
sons recognize and observe their mutual rights and duties.

It also demands that each contribute generously to the
establishment of a civic order in which rights and duties

are more sincerely and effectively acknowledged and ful-
filled.

32. It is not enough, for example, to acknowledge and

respect every one's right to the means of subsistence if we
do not strive to the best of our ability for a sufficient supply

of what is necessary for his/her sustenance.
33. Human society must not only be organized but

must also provide its members with abundant resources.
This certainly requires that they observe and recognize
their mutual rights and duties; it also requires that they

collaborate in the many enterprises that modem civiliza-
tion either allows or encourages or even demands.

• • •

Characteristics of the present day

39. Our age has three distinctive characteristics.
40. First of all, the working classes have gradually

gained ground in economic and public affairs. They began
by claiming their rights in the socio-economic sphere; they
extended their action then to claims on the political level,
and finally applied themselves to the acquisition of the
benefits of a more refined culture. Today, therefore, work-
ers all over the world refuse to be treated as if they were
irrational objects without freedom, to be used at the arbi-
trary disposition of others. They insist that they be always
regarded as men and women with a share in every sector
of human society: in the social and economic sphere, in
the fields of learning and culture, and in public life.

41. Secondly, it is obvious to everyone that women are
now taking a part in public life. This is happening more
rapidly perhaps in nations of Christian civilization, and,
more slowly but broadly, among peoples who have inher-
ited other traditions or cultures. Since women are becom-
ing ever more conscious of their human dignity, they will

not tolerate being treated as mere material instruments,

but demand rights befitting a human person both in
domestic and in public life.

42. Finally, in the modem world human society has
taken on an entirely new appearance in the field of social
and political life. For since all nations have either achieved

or are on the way to achieving independence, there will
soon no longer exist a world divided into nations that rule

others and nations that are subject to others.

43. Men and women all over the world have today— or
will soon have— the rank of citizens in independent na-
tions. No one wants to feel subject to political powers
located outside his/her own country or ethnical group.
Thus in very many human beings the inferiority complex
which endured for hundreds and thousands of years is

disappearing, while in others there is an attenuation and

gradual fading of the corresponding superiority complex

which had its roots in social-economic privileges, sex or

political standing.

44. On the contrary, the conviction that all human
beings are equal by reason of their natural dignity has been

generally accepted. Hence racial discrimination can in no

way be justified, at least doctrinally or in theory. And this
is of fundamental importance and significance for the

formation of human society according to those principles
which We have outlined above. For, if a person becomes
conscious of his/her rights, he/she must become equally

aware of his/her duties. Thus one who possesses certain
rights has likewise the duty to claim those rights as marks

of his/her dignity, while all others have the obligation to

acknowledge those rights and respect them.

• • •

Responsibilities of the public authority, and rights and

duties of individuals

60. It is agreed that in our time the common good is
chiefly guaranteed when personal rights and duties are
maintained. The chief concern of civil authorities must

therefore be to ensure that these rights are acknowledged,

respected, coordinated with other rights, defended and

promoted, so that in this way each one may more easily
carry out his/her duties. For to safeguard the inviolable rights

of the human person, and to facilitate the fulfillment of his/her
duties, should be the chief duty of every public authority.

5



The United Nations Tradition

61. This means that, if any government does not ac-
knowledge the rights of the human being or violates them,
it not only fails in its duty, but its orders completely lack

juridical force.

Nations as subjects of rights and duties

80. Our Predecessors have constantly maintained, and
We join them in reasserting, that nations are reciprocally
subjects of rights and duties. This means that their rela-
tionships also must be harmonized in truth, in justice, in
a working solidarity, in liberty. The same natural law,
which governs relations between individual human be-
ings, serves also to regulate the relations of nations with

one another.

• • •

86. First among the rules governing the relations be-
tween states is that of truth. This calls, above all, for the

elimination of every trace of racism, and the consequent

recognition of the principle that all states are by nature

equal in dignity. Each of them accordingly is vested with
the right to existence, to self-development, to the means
fitting to its attainment, and to be the one primarily respon-

sible for this self-development. Add to that the right of
each to its good name, and to the respect which is its due.

The United Nations human rights tradition is likewise
founded in a conception that the protection and promotion

of human rights are necessary to ensure human dignity,
necessary to preserve peace among peoples. The U.N.
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the U.N. Cov-

enant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights stand as the

most comprehensive international effort to establish a

common minimum standard for human rights. They were
adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1966 (three years

after Pacem in Terris).

Since their adoption, over forty nations have bound

themselves to abide by the covenants which came into

force in 1976. The United States as yet has not bound itself,
although President Carter in April 1977 signed the cove-

nants with a promise to seek their ratification. (U. S. ratifi-

cation can only be accomplished if two thirds of the U. S.

Senate agree.)

Archbishop Joseph L. Bemardin, then president of the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops, again expressed

the support of the Catholic bishops for ratification of the

covenants. Further, speaking for the bishops, he said:

For our part, we pledge to continue speaking out on
behalf of human rights whenever they are violated at
home or abroad. We will do all we can to convince our
members that they should be in the forefront of those
speaking in defense of and acting for the fulfillment of

the rights of men and women at the local, national and
international level. Through the policies and pro-

grams the Church sponsors and supports in society we
will continue to reflect our commitment to these goals.

The following materials list the rights as they are

enumerated in these covenants. The procedural sections

of the covenants have been omitted.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights

The States Parties to the present Covenant,

Considering that, in accordance with the principles pro-

claimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition

of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable

rights of all members of the human family is the founda-
tion of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

6



Recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent

dignity of the human person.
Recognizing that, in accordance with the Universal Dec-

laration of Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings
enjoying freedom from fear and want can only be achieved
if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his/
her* economic, social and cultural rights, as well as his/her

civil and political rights,

Considering the obligation of States under the Charter

of the United Nations to promote universal respect for,

and observance of, human rights and freedoms.
Realizing that the individual, having duties to other

individuals and to the community to which he/she be-
longs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion

and observance of the rights recognized in the present
Covenant,

Agree upon the following articles:

PARTI

Article 1

1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By
virtue of that right they freely determine their political

status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural
development.

2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of
their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to
any obligations arising out of international economic co-
operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and
international law. In no case may a people be deprived of
its own means of subsistence.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant, including
those having responsibility for the administration of Non-
Self-Goveming and Trust Territories, shall promote the
realization of the right of self-determination, and shall
respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the
Charter of the United Nations.

PART II

Article 2

1. Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to

take steps, individually and through international assist-

ance and co-operation, especially economic and technical,

to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to
achieving progressively the full realization of the rights

recognized in the present Covenant by all appropriate
means, including particularly the adoption of legislative

measures.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to
guarantee that the rights enunciated in the present Cove-

nant will be exercised without discrimination of any kind

as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other

opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other

status.

3. Developing countries, with due regard to human rights
and their national economy, may determine to what extent
they would guarantee the economic rights recognized in
the present Covenant to non-nationals.

Article 3

The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to
ensure the equal right ofmen and women to the enjoyment
of all economic, social and cultural rights set forth in the

present Covenant.

Article 4

The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that,
in the enjoyment of those rights provided by the State in
conformity with the present Covenant, the State may sub-
ject such rights only to such limitations as are determined

by law only insofar as this may be compatible with the
nature of these rights and solely for the purpose of pro-

moting the general welfare in a democratic society.

*The female pronoun has been added in the spirit of equality.

7



Article 5

1. Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted
as implying for any State, group or person any right to

engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the

destruction of any of the rights or freedoms recognized

herein, or at their limitation to a greater extent than is

provided for in the present Covenant.

2. No restriction upon or derogation from any of the fun-
damental human rights recognized or existing in any
country in virtue of law, conventions, regulations or cus-

tom shall be admitted on the pretext that the present Cov-
enant does not recognize such rights or that it recognizes

them to a lesser extent.

PART III

Article 6

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize
the right to work, which includes the right of everyone to

the opportunity to gain his/her living by work which he/

she freely chooses or accepts, and will take appropriate

steps to safeguard this right.

2. The steps to be taken by a State Party to the present

Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall
include technical and vocational guidance and training
programmes, policies and techniques to achieve steady
economic, social and cultural development and full and
productive employment under conditions safeguarding
fundamental political and economic freedoms to the
individual.

Article 7

The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the
right of everyone to the enjoyment of just and favourable

conditions of work which ensure, in particular:
(a) Remuneration which provides all workers, as a

minimum, with:
(i) Fair wages and equal remuneration for work of
equal value without distinction of any kind, in

particular women being guaranteed conditions of
work not inferior to those enjoyed by men, with
equal pay for equal work;

(ii) A decent living for themselves and their fami-
lies in accordance with the provisions of the present

Covenant;

(b) Safe and healthy working conditions;

(c) Equal opportunity for everyone to be promoted in

his/her employment to an appropriate higher level, subject
to no considerations other than those of seniority and
competence;

(d) Rest, leisure and reasonable limitation of working

hours and periodic holidays with pay, as well as remu-

neration for public holidays.

Article 8

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake

to ensure:

(a) The right of everyone to form trade unions and join
the trade union of his/her choice, subject only to the rules

of the organization concerned, for the promotion and pro-

tection of his/her economic and social interests. No re-
strictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other
than those prescribed by law and which are necessary
in a democratic society in the interests of national security

or public order or for the protection of the rights and

freedoms of others;

(b) The right of trade unions to establish national fed-

erations or confederations and the right of the latter to
form or join international trade-union organizations;

( c) The right of trade unions to function freely subject
to no limitations other than those prescribed by law and
which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests

of national security or public order or for the protection

of the rights and freedoms of others;

(d) The right to strike, provided that it is exercised in
conformity with the laws of the particular country.

2. This article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful

restrictions on the exercise of these rights by members of
the armed forces or of the police or of the administration

of the State.

8



9



3. Nothing in this article shall authorize States Parties to

the International Labour Organisation Convention of 1948

concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the

Right to Organize to take legislative measures which would

prejudice, or apply the law in such a manner as would
prejudice, the guarantees provided for in that Convention.

Article 9

The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the
right of everyone to social security, including social in-

surance.

Article 10

The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that:

1. The widest possible protection and assistance should

be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fun-

damental group unit of society, particularly for its estab-

lishment and while it is responsible for the care and edu-

cation of dependent children. Marriage must be entered

into with the free consent of the intending spouses.

2. Special protection should be accorded to mothers dur-

ing a reasonable period before and after childbirth. During

such period working mothers should be accorded paid
leave or leave with adequate social security benefits.

3. Special measures of protection and assistance should
be taken on behalf of all children and young persons with-
out any discrimination for reasons of parentage or other

conditions. Children and young persons should be pro-
tected from economic and social exploitation. Their em-
ployment in work harmful to their morals or health or
dangerous to life or likely to hamper their normal develop-
ment should be punishable by law. States should also set
age limits below which the paid employment of child
labour should be prohibited and punishable by law.

Article 11

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize
the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for
oneself and one's family, including adequate food, cloth-
ing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of
living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate

steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to

this effect the essential importance of international co-

operation based on free consent.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing
the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger,

shall take, individually and through international co-
operation, the measures, including specific programmes,

which are needed:

(a) To improve methods of production, conservation
and distribution of food by making full use of technical
and scientific knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of
the principles of nutrition and by developing or reform-
ing agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most
efficient development and utilization of natural resources;

(b) Taking into account the problems of both food-im-

porting and food-exporting countries, to ensure an equi-

table distribution of world food supplies in relation to

need.

Article 12

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize
the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest at-

tainable standard of physical and mental health.

2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present
Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall

include those necessary for:

(a) The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-
rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy develop-

ment of the child;
(b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental

and industrial hygiene;

(c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic,

endemic, occupational and other diseases;

(d) The creation of conditions which would assure to

all medical service and medical attention in the event of

sickness.

10



Article 13

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize

the right of everyone to education. They agree that educa-

tion shall be directed to the full development of the human
personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strength-

en the respect for human rights and fundamental free-
doms. They further agree that education shall enable all

persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote

understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations
and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the

activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of

peace.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize

that, with a view to achieving the full realization of this

right:

(a) Primary education shall be compulsory and avail-

able free to all;

(b) Secondary education in its different forms, includ-

ing technical and vocational secondary education, shall be

made generally available and accessible to all by every
appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive

introduction of free education;

(c) Higher education shall be made equally accessible
to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means,

and in particular by the progressive introduction of free

education;

(d) Fundamental education shall be encouraged or in-

tensified as far as possible for those persons who have not
received or completed the whole period of their primary

education;

(e) The development of a system of schools at all levels
shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system

shall be established, and the material conditions of teach-

ing staff shall be continuously improved.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake
to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when appli-
cable, legal guardians to choose for their children schools,

other than those established by the public authorities,
which conform to such minimum educational standards
as may be laid down or approved by the State and to en-
sure the religious and moral education of their children in

conformity with their own convictions.

4.

No part of this article shall be construed so as to inter-
fere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish

and direct educational institutions, subject always to the

observance of the principles set forth in paragraph I of

this article and to the requirement that the education given

in such institutions shall conform to such minimum stand-
ards as may be laid down by the State.

Article 14

Each State Party to the present Covenant which, at the time

of becoming a Party, has not been able to secure in its
metropolitan territory or other territories under its juris-

diction compulsory primary education, free of charge,

undertakes, within two years, to work out and adopt a de-
tailed plan of action for the progressive implementation,

within a reasonable number of years, to be fixed in the
plan, of the principle of compulsory education free of

charge for all.

Article 15

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize
the right of everyone:

(a) To take part in cultural life;

(b) To enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its

applications;

(c) To benefit from the protection of the moral and

material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or

artistic production of which he/she is the author.

2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present
Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall

include those necessary for the conservation, the develop-

ment and the diffusion of science and culture.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to
respect the freedom indispensable for scientific research

and creative activity.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the
benefits to be derived from the encouragement and devel-

opment of international contacts and co-operation in the
scientific and cultural fields.

11



12



International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights

The States Parties to the present Covenant,

Considering that, in accordance with the principles pro-

claimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition

of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable

rights of all members of the human family is the foundation
of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent

dignity of the human person.
Recognizing that, in accordance with the Universal Dec-

laration of Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings
enjoying civil and political freedom and freedom from fear

and want can only be achieved if conditions are created

whereby everyone may enjoy his/her civil and political
rights, as well as his/her economic, social and cultural

rights.

Considering the obligation of States under the Charter

of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, and

observance of, human rights and freedoms.
Realizing that the individual, having duties to other

individuals and to the community to which he/she be-
longs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion

and observance of the rights recognized in the present

Covenant,

Agree upon the following articles:

PART I

Article 1

1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By vir-
tue of that right they freely determine their political status

and freely pursue their economic, and social and cultural

development.

2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of
their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to

any obligations arising out of international economic co-

operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and
international law. In no case may a people be deprived of
its own means of subsistence.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant, including

those having responsibility for the administration of Non-

Self-Goveming and Trust Territories, shall promote the
realization of the right of self-determination, and shall

respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the

Charter of the United Nations.

PART II

Article 2

1. Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to

respect and to ensure to all individuals within its territory

and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the

present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such

as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other

opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other

status.

2. Where not already provided for by existing legislative
or other measures, each State Party to the present Cove-

nant undertakes to take the necessary steps, in accordance

with its constitutional processes and with the provisions

of the present Covenant, to adopt such legislative or other

measures as may be necessary to give effect to the rights
recognized in the present Covenant.

3. Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes:

(a) To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms

as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective

remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been com-

mitted by persons acting in an official capacity;

(b) To ensure that any person claiming such a remedy

shall have his/her right thereto determined by competent

judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by

any other competent authority provided for by the legal

system of the State, and to develop the possibilities of

judicial remedy;

(c) To ensure that the competent authorities shall en-

force such remedies when granted.

Article 3

The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to
ensure the equal right ofmen and women to the enjoyment
of all civil and political rights set forth in the present

Covenant.

13



Article 4

1. In time of public emergency which threatens the life of
the nation and the existence of which is officially pro-

claimed, the States Parties to the present Covenant may
take measures derogating from their obligations under the

present Covenant to the extent strictly required by the

exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures

are not inconsistent with their other obligations under
international law and do not involve discrimination solely

on the ground of race, colour, sex, language, religion or

social origin.

2. No derogation from articles 6, 7, 8 (paragraphs 1 and 2),
11, 15, 16 and 18 may be made under this provision.

3. Any State Party to the present Covenant availing itself
of the right of derogation shall immediately inform the

other States Parties to the present Covenant, through the

intermediary of the Secretary-General of the United Na-

tions, of the provisions from which it has derogated and
of the reasons by which it was actuated. A further com-
munication shall be made, through the same intermediary,
on the date on which it terminates such derogation.

Article 5

1 . Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted as
implying for any State, group or person any right to en-

gage in any activity or perform any act aimed at the de-
struction of any of the rights and freedoms recognized

herein or at their limitation to a greater extent than is pro-

vided for in the present Covenant.

2. There shall be no restriction upon or derogation from
any of the fundamental human rights recognized or exist-
ing in any State Party to the present Covenant pursuant to

law, conventions, regulations or custom on the pretext that

the present Covenant does not recognize such rights or

that it recognizes them to a lesser extent.

PART III

Article 6

1. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This
right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily
deprived of his/her life.

2. In countries which have not abolished the death pen-
alty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most
serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the

time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the
provisions of the present Covenant and to the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Geno-
cide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a

final judgement rendered by a competent court.

3. When deprivation of life constitutes the crime of geno-
cide, it is understood that nothing in this article shall au-

thorize any State Party to the present Covenant to derogate

in any way from any obligation assumed under the provi-
sions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment

of the Crime of Genocide.

4. Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek
pardon or commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon

or commutation of the sentence of death may be granted in
all cases.

5. Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes com-
mitted by persons below eighteen years of age and shall
not be carried out on pregnant women.

6. Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to

prevent the abolition of capital punishment by any State
Party to the present Covenant.

Article 7

No one shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one

shall be subjected without his/her free consent to medical

or scientific experimentation.

14



Article 8

1. No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave-
trade in all their forms shall be prohibited.

2. No one shall be held in servitude.

3. (a) No one shall be required to perform forced or com-
pulsory labour;

(b) Paragraph 3 (a) shall not be held to preclude, in

countries where imprisonment with hard labour may be
imposed as a punishment for a crime, the performance of
hard labour in pursuance of a sentence to such punishment

by a competent court;
(c) For the purpose of this paragraph the term "forced

or compulsory labour" shall not include:

(i) Any work or service, not referred to in sub- para-
graph (b), normally required of a person who is
under detention in consequence of a lawful order

of a court, or of a person during conditional release

from such detention;

(ii) Any service of a military character and, in coun-
tries where conscientious objection is recognized,
any national service required by law of conscien-

tious objectors;

(iii) Any service exacted in cases of emergency or
calamity threatening the life or well-being of the

community;
(iv) Any work or service which forms part of normal

civil obligations.

Article 9

1. Everyone has the right to liberty and security of per-
son. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or deten-
tion. No one shall be deprived of his/her liberty except on
such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as
are established by law.

2. Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time
of arrest, of the reasons for his/her arrest and shall be
promptly informed of any charges against him/her.

3. Anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall
be brought promptly before a judge or other officer au-
thorized by law to exercise judicial power and shall be
entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release. It

shall not be the general rule that persons awaiting trial

shall be detained in custody, but release may be subject to
guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the

judicial proceedings, and, should occasion arise, for execu-

tion of the judgement.

4. Anyone who is deprived of his/her liberty by arrest or
detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a

court, in order that that court may decide without delay on
the lawfulness of his/her detention and order his/her re-

lease if the detention is not lawful.

5. Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest or
detention shall have an enforceable right to compensation.

Article 10

1. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated

with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity

of the human person.

2. (a) Accused persons shall, save in exceptional circum-

stances, be segregated from convicted persons and shall

be subject to separate treatment appropriate to their status

as unconvicted persons;

(b) Accused juvenile persons shall be separated from

adults and brought as speedily as possible for adjudication.

3. The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of
prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their refor-

mation and social rehabilitation, juvenile offenders shall

be segregated from adults and be accorded treatment ap-

propriate to their age and legal status.

Article 11

No one shall be imprisoned merely on the ground of
inability to fulfill a contractual obligation.

Article 12

1. Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall,

within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement
and freedom to choose his/her residence.

2. Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including

his/her own.

15



3. The above-mentioned rights shall not be subject to any

restrictions except those which are provided by law, are
necessary to protect national security, public order, public

health or morals or the rights and freedoms of others, and
are consistent with the other rights recognized in the pres-

ent Covenant.

4. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter
his/her own country.

Article 13

An alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the
present Covenant may be expelled therefrom only in pur-
suance of a decision reached in accordance with law and

shall, except where compelling reasons of national security
otherwise require, be allowed to submit the reasons

against his/her expulsion and to have his/her case re-

viewed by, and be represented for the purpose before, the

competent authority or a person or persons especially

designated by the competent authority.

Article 14

1. All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribu-

nals. In the determination of any criminal charge against

him/her, or of his/her rights and obligations in a suit at

law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing

by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal estab-

lished by law. The Press and the public may be excluded
from all or part of a trial for reasons of morals, public

order or national security in a democratic society, or

when the interest of the private lives of the parties
so requires, or to the extent strictly necessary in the opin-

ion of the court in special circumstances where publicity
would prejudice the interests of justice; but any judg-
ment rendered in a criminal case or in a suit at law
shall be made public except where the interest of juvenile
persons otherwise requires or the proceedings concern

matrimonial disputes or the guardianship of children.

2. Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall have the

right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty accord-

ing to law.

3. In the determination of any criminal charge against

him/her, everyone shall be entitled to the following mini-

mum guarantees, in full equality:

(a) To be informed promptly and in detail in a language

which he/she understands of the nature and cause of the
charge against him/her;

(b) To have adequate time and facilities for the prepa-

ration of his/her defence and to communicate with coun-

sel of his/her own choosing;
(c) To be tried without undue delay;
(d) To be tried in his/her presence, and to defend

him/herself in person or through legal assistance of his/her

own choosing; to be informed, if he/she does not have legal
assistance, of this right; and to have legal assistance as-

signed to him/her, in any case where the interests of justice

so require, and without payment by him/her in any such

case if he/she does not have sufficient means to pay for it;
(e) To examine, or have examined, the witnesses

against him/her and to obtain the attendance and examina-

tion of witnesses on his/her behalf under the same condi-

tions as witnesses against him/her;

(f)
To have the free assistance of an interpreter if

he/she cannot understand or speak the language used in

court;

(g) Not to be compelled to testify against him/herself
or to confess guilt.

4. In the case of juvenile persons, the procedure shall be

such as will take account of their age and the desirability of

promoting their rehabilitation.

5. Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to

his/her conviction and sentence being reviewed by a
higher tribunal according to law.

6. When a person has by a final decision been convicted
of a criminal offence and when subsequently his/her con-
viction has been reversed or he/she has been pardoned on

the ground that a new or newly discovered fact shows
conclusively that there has been a miscarriage of justice,

the person who has suffered punishment as a result of such
conviction shall be compensated according to law, unless

it is proved that the non-disclosure of the unknown fact in
time is wholly or partly attributable to him/her.

7. No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for
an offence for which he/she has already been finally con-

victed or acquitted in accordance with the law and penal

procedure of each country.

16



Article 15

1. No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offence on
account of any act or omission which did not constitute a
criminal offence, under national or international law, at
the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier pen-
alty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the
time when the criminal offence was committed. If, subse-
quent to the commission of the offence, provision is made
by law for the imposition of a lighter penalty, the offender
shall benefit thereby.

2. Nothing in this article shall prejudice the trial and pun-

ishment of any person for any act or omission which, at the

time when it was committed, was criminal according to the
general principles of law recognized by the community of
nations.

Article 16

Everyone shall have the right to recognition everywhere

as a person before the law.

Article 17

1. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful inter-
ference with his/her privacy, family, home or correspond-
ence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honour and reputation.

2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law

against such interference or attacks.

Article 18

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought,

conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom

to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his/her choice,

and freedom, either individually or in community with
others and in public or private, to manifest his/her religion

or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would im-
pair his/her freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief

of his/her choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be
subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law

and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or

morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to

have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applica-
ble, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral

education of their children in conformity with their own
convictions.

Article 19

1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without

interference.

2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression;

this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart

information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers,

either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or

through any other media of his/her choice.

3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of

this article carries with it special duties and responsibil-

ities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but
these shall only be such as are provided by law and are

necessary:

(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others;

(b) For the protection of national security or of public

order, or of public health or morals.

Article 20

1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.

2. Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that
constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or vio-

lence shall be prohibited by law.

17



Article 21

The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No
restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right
other than those imposed in conformity with the law and

which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests

of national security or public safety, public order, the pro-

tection of public health or morals or the protection of the

rights and freedoms of others.

Article 22

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association

with others, including the right to form and join trade

unions for the protection of his/her interests.

2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this
right other than those which are prescribed by law and

which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests

of national security or public safety, public order, the pro-

tection of public health or morals or the protection of the

rights and freedoms of others. This article shall not pre-

vent the imposition of lawful restrictions on members of
the armed forces and of the police in their exercise of this

right.

3. Nothing in this article shall authorize States Parties to

the International Labour Organisation Convention of 1948

concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the

Right to Organize to take legislative measures which would

prejudice, or to apply the law in such a manner as to preju-
dice, the guarantees provided for in that Convention.

Article 23

1. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit
of society and is entitled to protection by society and the
State.

2. The right of men and women of marriageable age to
marry and to found a family shall be recognized.

3. No marriage shall be entered into without the free and
full consent of the intending spouses.

4. States Parties to the present Covenant shall take appro-

priate steps to ensure equality of rights and responsibil-

ities of spouses as to marriage, during marriage and at its

dissolution. In the case of dissolution, provision shall be

made for the necessary protection of any children.

Article 24

1. Every child shall have, without any discrimination as

to race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social

origin, property or birth, the right to such measures of

protection as are required by his/her status as a minor, on
the part of his/her family, society and the State.

2. Every child shall be registered immediately after birth

and shall have a name.

3. Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.

Article 25

Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity,

without any of the distinctions mentioned in article 2, and

without unreasonable restrictions:

(a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly
or through freely chosen representatives;

(b) To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elec-
tions which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and
shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free ex-

pression of the will of the electors;

(c) To have access, on general terms of equality, to
public service in his/her country.

Article 26

All persons are equal before the law and are entitled with-

out any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.

In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination

and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection

against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour,

sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national

or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Article 27

In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic mi-

norities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall

not be denied the right, in community with the other
members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to pro-
fess and practise their own religion, or to use their own
language.

18



WHY IS THE CHURCH INVOLVED?

Introduction

Following the mandate of Christ to "preach the Good
News to all nations," the Church cannot but concern itself
with that "Good News" as it applies to the human situa-
tion here and now, that is, with the social welfare of all

men and women. The Gospel holds out to all people the
hope of a destiny beyond this life, but a destiny intimately
connected with the hopes and disappointments, joys and
sorrows, successes and failures of the present human con-
dition. Eternal life as the final end of human beings has
little meaning without concern for its initial stage, the
here and now.

Secondly, the Church, in its mission to preach the Good
News, can shed light on the issues facing contemporary

men and women. In every age the Church has been a
prophetic voice which announced and celebrated the pro-
motion of human beings, and which denounced whatever
stood in the way of integral human development. This
light, provided by the Church, has been a spur and chal-
lenge to men and women of good will in resolving the
problems of the human condition.

Finally, in its preaching the Church has served as a
teacher to its members, insisting always that the love of
God cannot be separated from the love of one's fellow
human beings, and further that on this earth love is intb
mately linked to justice. This social doctrine has been the
basis of Christian concern for all people, but especially for

the needy, throughout the history of Christianity. In our

own times, the social doctrine of the Church has emerged
more clearly than at any other period with a focus on the
ministry for justice.

What is meant by the term "ministry for justice"? What
is its relationship to human rights/needs? In simple terms,
the ministry for justice is the attempt in the Church to
apply the Gospel command of love through the virtue of
social justice to complex human relationships. Justice me-
diates love in the context of human relationships dealing
with human rights, human dignity and social systems.
Social justice is the virtue which governs, judges and
guides the evaluation of social structures and institutions.
Since human rights, which protect the human dignity (the
imago Dei) of each person, are threatened or fostered, de-

prived or fulfilled, by the shape and style of social systems
and structures, it has been imperative for the Church to

develop in this century a teaching on social justice which

can analyze the implications of the command of love in a
social structural setting. Three dimensions of the ministry

for justice require reflection: its foundation in our under-

standing of Church, its personal or vocational implications

and its substantive ethical content.

The Meaning/Ministry of the Church

How important is the ministry for justice in the Church?
How closely does it relate to the basic meaning and mission
of the Church?

The development of the Church's teaching on social
justice has occurred in the last eighty years beginning with

Rerum Novarum (1891) and continuing with increasing in-
tensity to our day. Two characteristics of this process of
development are important to note in answering the ques-

tion of how the ministry for justice relates to the life of the
Church. First, the ministry for justice has moved steadily
from the periphery of the Church's life toward the heart of

her life; it has moved from being perceived as an extension
of her life (e.g., pre-evangelization) to being regarded as

essential for her life (evangelization itself). Secondly, the

ministry for justice has moved from being treated as the
work of some specialists in the Church (e.g., the labor
priests or specific forms of Catholic Action) to being now
regarded as a basic responsibility of every Christian.

In Principle

The clearest evidence that the dynamic of development has

caused both of these moves to occur is the statement found
in the Synodal document of 1971, Justice in the World. In

the introduction, the bishops state:

Action on behalf of justice and participation in the

transformation of the world fully appear to us as a

constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gos-

pel, or, in other words, of the Church's mission for

the redemption of the human race and its liberation
from every oppressive situation.

The theological and pastoral significance of this passage

cannot be underestimated. Briefly, it means that work for

justice is essential to the Church, pertaining to its inner-

most nature and mission. This conclusion can be sustained

19



remembering what has been regarded as constitutive of
the Church's ministry in traditional ecclesiology. The con-
stitutive tasks of the Church traditionally have been un-

derstood as the celebration of the sacraments and the

preaching of the Gospel. In our day, the teaching authority

through the Synod has expanded this vital category of

constitutive tasks to include the ministry for justice.

Historically, whenever the constitutive tasks of the
Church (word and sacrament) could not be performed or
were not being faithfully fulfilled, we feared for the life of
the Church in that area; today, if the work for justice is not
being carried on in an area of the Church, we should again
fear for the life of the Church. Understood in this way, the

relationship between the work for justice and the life of
the Church becomes clear: the ministry for justice is es-

sential for the Church and the ministry for justice is the
task of the whole Church, that is, all Christians.

In Practice

The significance of this theological development, however,
does not of itself guarantee that the ministry for justice will

be actualized as a constitutive dimension of the Church.

We have in the Synodal documents a statement of princi-
ple, an idea or insight into the nature of the Church. The
task remains to make that principle so well accepted that
it flows through the entire fabric of Catholic faith and does

The work for justice is essential to the
Church, pertaining to its innermost

nature and mission.

not remain on the fringe of the Church as an option for a
few rather than an imperative for all. In other words, the

insight of the Synod must be "institutionalized."
Accomplishing the transition from principle to practice

is not a simple task in the Catholic community. But we
have been able to do it before on issues which admittedly
are less complex and volatile than the justice question.

How does this translation of principle to practice occur?
First, a change of ideas occurs, reshaping the way people
think. Secondly, there are created organizations designed

to implement the principle bringing in large numbers of

Catholics to share in the process. Thirdly, in response to

ideas and organizations, institutional change takes place in
the Church, that is, changes in law and accepted practice.

These three elements— ideas, organizations and insti-

tutional change designed to implement the principle af-

firmed— are already at work in the Church on the justice
theme. To cite illustrative examples of the broader process

at work: In the realm of ideas, the justice theme is begin-

ning to find diverse expressions in the thought of the

Church both theologically and pastorally; an excellent ex-
ample of this is the inclusion of the Synod document Justice
in the World as one of the four basic sources for the forth-

coming National Catechetical Directory. At the organiza-
tional level, the existence of Justice and Peace offices, com-

missions and committees at every level of the Church

(curial, national, diocesan and in religious communities)

is a sign of the visibility and priority the ministry for justice

is receiving. Although fledgling groups, they are alive and

well and their numbers will grow. Finally, the institution
of the Church itself is being shaped by the ministry for

justice. The response is not always adequate— indeed at

times it is very poor— but the process created by the ideas
and organizations is at work. The institution helped to
begin the process, now it is accountable to it. This dynamic
is cause for hope.

Personal/Vocational Implications

The personal and vocational implications of sharing in the
ministry for justice is a complementary theme to the dis-

cussion of the ecclesiological foundation of the justice

ministry. This reflection follows directly from what has
already been said; for any idea to become a reality in the
Church, it takes people committed to the idea. Every viable

movement in the Church depends upon people; to institu-
tionalize an idea in the Church there is required a cadre of

people committed to fostering the idea long before the

community as a whole grasps and internalizes the idea.
The most dramatic proof of this statement is the process of
development leading to Vatican II. Every major idea prom-

ulgated by the Council had a history extending back into

the nineteenth century or at least deriving from theological

work done for many years in this century.

20



More importantly for our purposes, many of these ideas
can be identified with key people without whom the ideas
might never have come to fruition in the Council. For ex-
ample, Yves Congar's patient, sustained cultivation of

ecclesiological and ecumenical themes in the thirties, for-

ties and fifties paved the way for the documents on the
Church and Christian unity. In this century, we have the
powerful example of how the work of John Courtney Mur-
ray prepared for and ultimately produced the Decree on

Religious Liberty. It would not be difficult to make the
case that, if these men had not been part of the Church for
years before the Council, the central themes of Vatican II

in ecclesiology, ecumenism and religious liberty might
have never come to fruition.

The importance of recognizing this fact, of realizing

how central people are to the process of change in the
Church becomes clear when we look at what it meant for
these two men to be in the forefront of the renewal move-
ment in Catholicism. Both lived out most of their lives
under suspicion; both were prevented at times from teach-

ing and writing; neither enjoyed favor, esteem or public

notice for their massive labors during most of their lives.

The reason for rehearsing these personal histories is
because they hold valuable lessons for us personally and

vocationally. We all enjoy and benefit from meetings and
seminars when we gather with others committed to the
same ideas and objectives we have and we find such strong
intellectual, psychological and spiritual support for what

we are doing in our lives. But these experiences, however
valuable, are by nature transitory. When we "go home"
the picture is often different.

Anyone seeking to implement a new and substantial
idea in the Church will inevitably encounter two realities:

isolation and opposition. It is difficult to say which is more

devastating at times. Opposition is concrete and tangible,

but isolation— living and working in a situation where we
find neither communication, dialogue nor cooperation— is
perhaps more damaging. Congar and Murray faced both,
and the dynamic of change in the Church has not been
purged of them in our day. Isolation and opposition in the
justice ministry are predictable characteristics of the min-

istry.

How do we cope with these realities?
At least three characteristics should mark our lives if

we are to cope with them and, therefore, be present during

the long process of moving from principle to practice in
the Church. First, we need a strong sense of identity, of
knowing who we are, where we stand in the Church and
what we are committed to in the ministry for justice. Con-
gar and Murray simply refused to allow anyone to read
them out of the Church; nor would they abandon their
basic conviction that what they were saying and doing was
right and the Church would eventually take it for its own.
They were silenced but they kept working; imagine what

Pope Paul strongly asserts that political
responsibility is a central dimension of the

Christian vocation in the world.

it must have been like for them during the twenty years
prior to the Council? It takes a sense of identity and of the
intrinsic value of an issue to sustain us in the face of oppo-

sition and isolation.

Secondly, it takes resiliency — staying power or perse-
verance. Identity is a work of the intellect, it derives pri-
marily from thought and reflection. Resiliency is a work of
the will, a product of the virtue of fortitude. Murray often

would end a conversation with friends with the dictum:
"remember courage— it's more important than intelli-
gence." Quite an admission for a man who always wrote
reason with a capital "R."

Thirdly, we need strength in community; not strength in
numbers, because there is no guarantee that there will be
great numbers with us. Strength in community grows from
meeting together with those of similar ideas and objectives.
Even though transitory, identity, resiliency, community
are all part of what it takes for us to translate principle into
practice.

But even they don't guarantee success. We need a sense
of history as we go about this ministry of justice, a Chris-
tian sense of history.

This involves at least two dimensions of reflection. First,
a conviction that ultimate success is the eschaton; there-

fore, we can't expect to be guaranteed success this side of
the eschaton. It is enough to know what Pope John already
has told us about the ministry for justice: that every work
done for it is redemptive — it builds the Kingdom even
though it does not bring it into being immediately. We are

21



called to build the Kingdom; the work for justice does that.
We know that much; the determination of who shares the
fruits of success is beyond us.

Secondly, a Christian sense of history moves through

the cross. Congar says in the conclusion of his autobio-

graphical sketch that only someone who has suffered for
his or her ideas deserves to be respected; the cross, he

says, marks every great work in the Church. Success
should be our objective but the risen life should govern

our perspective.

Ethical Themes/Issues

Certain characteristic ethical theories can be synthesized

from recent teaching on social justice in the Church.

In comparing the last fifteen years of the encyclical tra-

dition with the early period (1871-1931), three important

characteristics emerge. First, the unit of analysis in the

social teachings has moved from the national to the inter-
national community. In Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo
Anno, the principal focus was on the nation state and its
internal question of justice (labor-management issues, the

just wage, unions). The more recent teaching has contin-
ued this analysis but, as Pope Paul said in Populorum Pro-
gressio, the social question has become worldwide. Hence,
the concern of social teaching has been to shape the Cath-

olic conscience with a sensitivity to national and interna-

tional questions of justice and peace.

Secondly, there is a movement in the encyclicals from a
concern with the economic order to an understanding of

the need to pass from economics to politics. The reason.
Pope Paul states in Octogesima Adveniens, is that "in the

social and economic field, both national and international,

the ultimate decision rests with political power." This

apostolic letter is the strongest assertion we have in papal
teaching of the need to conceive of political responsibility

as a central dimension of the Christian vocation in the

world.

Thirdly, there is an explicit assertion in the social teach-

ings of the importance of local or national churches in im-

plementing a strategy of social justice.

What are the implications of these characteristics? First,
in the movement from a national to an international focus,
the key empirical and ethical issue which is emerging is
how we learn to live linked together in a limited world. The
Arab nations vote for an oil boycott and Americans wait in
line for gas at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday. In this sense, the
energy crisis constituted a teachable moment for Amer-
icans; we experienced our vulnerability to the decisions
and actions of others. We experienced the receiving end of
interdependence. The point to be made is that we are more
often on the determining end of interdependence; the

single experience of the gas shortage is multiplied daily in

manifold ways for people throughout the globe whose lives
are directly touched by American power and presence.

Secondly, the shift in emphasis recognizing the im-

portance of politics. There is a fundamental perspective

which emerges from the social teaching of the Church that
the political ministry in the Church is a specification of the
broader ministry for justice. Nonetheless, those who deal
with political and legislative questions are often asked to

defend the legitimacy of this endeavor as a form of minis-

try in the Church.

Further, there is the issue: what is our political agenda?
In general terms, the justice ministry has two dimensions.

Pope John said that those whose rights are
denied have an obligation to claim them.

One dimension, as Pope John said, is that those whose
rights are denied have an obligation to take them. If you're

in one of those communities, that's one part of the justice

ministry, to enable people to grasp hold of their rights. The

other part of the justice ministry is if somebody has a right,
somebody else has a responsibility. Justice also involves a

sense of solidarity and responsibility in and for the com-

munity. How do you put that together? The very diversity
of the Catholic community means that our political agenda

is complex. Howdo we understand the nature of the issues,
the needs of our different constituencies?

Finally, the move from universal teaching to national
actors. The significance of the national church in the justice

ministry is increasing. The teaching of the encyclicals by

22



nature is at a very general level. What's necessary is to take

a stand in history, to stand at a point in time in the globe

and say: What does that body of teaching mean to us? How
do we incarnate the teaching? How do we as Americans
understand our values as people, and how do we under-
stand within that our American-Catholic identity?

The fusion of the English Constitutional natural rights

tradition and the Catholic natural law tradition, as it takes

The Gospel command of love is applied
through the virtue of social justice to

complex human relationships.

place in this country is a happy fusion. There's a lot that
can happen in that dialogue. For example, John Courtney
Murray took the concept of liberty from the American-
English tradition and taught the Catholic tradition some-

thing about civil liberty.

The Catholic tradition has something to teach the
American tradition about justice. The Catholic tradition
has a concept of the sociality of human beings. This con-
cept means we are bom into community, we are dependent
upon human community for personal development. It
means that the political order exists not just to protect the
individual and preserve his or her freedom, but to estab-
lish mechanisms for the exercise of our responsibility for
one another. As Murray drew from the American tradition
to teach the Catholic tradition about liberty, we can draw
from the Catholic tradition to teach the American tradition
about justice.

Certainly, it is a critical consideration for us that we are
American Christians. Our nation is a nation whose pres-
ence and power pervade the international community. Be-
cause of that power, we American Christians have a special
responsibility. We have the responsibility to see that the
power of our nation is used in the service of human rights
and a responsibility to see that our nation stands account-
able in the international community for its own human
rights record.

Conclusion

Are these questions religious? Are these issues religious

issues? Is it really part of the essence of the Church to be

involved in these things? Some reflections:
A hundred years ago, Dostoevsky said that the death of

one innocent child was enough to destroy belief in God.
Innocent children have always died, but today we know
how many die— not only in Boston, but in Bombay; not
only in New York but in New Delhi. Is it a religious ques-
tion today that innocent children die and the veil of inno-

cence has been dissolved because we are linked together
in a limited world? Is that a religious question; does it re-

quire a response from the religious community?
More recently, Albert Camus spoke to a religious com-

munity after World War II about the future of France in
much the same way that we talk about the future of the
linked and limited globe. He finished his discussion on
belief and unbelief with a remark which can only be para-

phrased here. Camus said, maybe it is impossible to live
in a world where no innocent children suffer; but it is pos-
sible to create a world where fewer innocent children suf-
fer. And as we work for this, if we look to you and cannot
find help, where else shall we look?

Is it religious work? I think people outside the religious

community have answered that question as clearly as it
can be answered.

Rev.
J.
Bryan Hehir

Associate Secretary

Office of International

Justice and Peace

23



24



WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Be Informed

Education for justice consists "in an attempt to awaken
consciences to a knowledge of the concrete situation and

in a call to secure a total improvement." (Synod 1971, Jus-

tice in the World) Justice is defined in terms of the promo-

tion and protection of human rights to ensure the preser-
vation of human dignity. The news articles included in this
booklet suggest that our Catholic confreres in the develop-

ing world are very much involved in the struggle for hu-
man rights. The "concrete situation" in which these reli-
gious men and women live provoked them to action. They
are on the front line.

These persons who suffer because of their activity on
behalf of justice, as well as all persons who struggle in any
way for a more equitable society need and deserve the un-
derstanding and support of the Christian community, a

support based on both knowledge and commitment.
This brief study outline attempts to lead you through

two areas of inquiry: What are human rights? Why is the
Church involved in their promotion and protection? The
objective of the study is to assist in creating a Catholic

constituency for human rights that is made up of persons
both informed and involved.

Objective: To become informed as to the full spectrum of
rights encompassed by the term "human rights."

Compare the rights enumerated in Pacem in Terris and
in the U.N. Covenants.

1. Extract from the three documents, key words identify-
ing the rights listed. Set up columns of rights enumer-
ared in a) Pacem in Terris and the Covenants on b) Civil

and Political Rights (C/P) and c) Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights (E/S/C).

2. What similarities exist?
a. relationship to human dignity?
b. role of the family?

c. discrimination on basis of race, sex, etc.? (Note simi-
larity of Art. 2 of C/P and E/S/C Covenants. Note also
Pacem in Terris nn. 15, 44.)

3. What differences do you see? How account for the dif-
ferences? (Remember that the Covenants are legal doc-
uments.)

4.

Note that both U.N. Covenants have similar articles 1?

What right is addressed? What does Pope John say
about this right? (See Pacem in Terris, nn. 80 and 86.)

Objective: To explore and expand the concept of core

rights.

1. Which rights listed in the U.N. Covenants allow no
"derogation"? (See Article 4, Sec. 2 of C/P.) What does
this mean?

2. For those rights allowing for derogation, what condi-

tions must exist? (See C/P Article 4, Sec. 1.) What do
you consider to be a "public emergency" that would

allow derogation of rights?

3. The concept of "national security" is introduced in Ar-

ticle 8, Sec. 1 of E/S/C. Recalling its use in recent U. S.

history (e.g., the Watergate incident) and in the present

Latin America situation, how would you define the
term?

4. What is the relationship between "core rights" and
"basic human needs"? Core rights are those that do not
allow of derogation because they are considered essen-

tial to the dignity and security of the person. Basic hu-

man needs are usually defined as the minimum require-
ments of food, shelter, health and education. (See news
article, "The PQLI; A New Tool for Gauging Human
Needs," p. 26.)

a. Discuss the relationship between these needs (rights)

and the dignity and security of the human person.
b. In your opinion, are the rights to food, shelter, health

care and education as important as the traditional

"core" rights? Can one set of rights be sacrificed for
the other?

c. What do you think is the proper relationship be-
tween these sets of "rights."

25



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Objective: To explore the relationship between human
rights and the duties they impose.

Study nn. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 39, 44, 80, 86. There is

progression in these paragraphs from the level of the indi-

vidual person to the level of the larger community (society).

1. "For every right there is a corresponding duty" is a

commonplace phrase. What does it mean on the per-
sonal level?

a. WTiat other examples than those given in n. 29 can

you suggest?

b. How do you feel about those who "claim" or demand
their rights, as Pope John requires in n. 44 (for exam-

ple, blacks, women (n. 41), Hispanics, the poor, de-
veloping countries like Panama, nn. 80, 86). Do you
regard them as fulfilling a moral obligation? What
organizations do you belong to that satisfy this moral

obligation?

2. Pope John requires that society be organized to satisfy

basic human needs, that is, "A sufficient supply of what
is necessary for sustenance" (nn. 31, 32, 33).

a. What organizations that you know of are working to
satisfy basic human needs in your local community?
on the national level? Are you involved in any such
groups?

b. What organizations do you know of that work against
the satisfaction of basic human needs of all persons.

c. What is the relationship between the right to private
property (n. 21) and the organization of society to

meet basic human needs (nn. 22, 31, 32, 33)? What
are the implications, e.g., with regard to your atti-

tude to taxes, and how they should be spent? To U. S.
foreign aid and how it should be spent?

d. Pope John states that persons must collaborate "to
work for one another's welfare" (n. 31). What does
the term "welfare" mean to you? What is your atti-
tude toward those "on welfare"? Do you agree that
governments are established to promote the general

welfare? How do you think society should be orga-
nized to promote [and ensure] the welfare of all its

citizens, as well as all persons worldwide?

e. The U. S. Catholic bishops have taken a position in
favor of U. S. ratification of the U.N. Covenants on

Cultural and Political and Economic, Social and Cul-

tural Rights. Do you agree with that position? Are
you willing to join organizations working for ratifi-

cation?

Be Involved

That the Church is involved in the human rights issue is
obvious; its involvement makes headlines. (See news arti-
cles, pp. 29-30.) Why the Church is involved is less well-
known. The root of the Church's involvement lies in the

Gospel mandate to preach the Good News to all peoples.
Fulfilling this charge has led the Church to develop its

social teaching. This in turn has impelled the Church to

increasingly active work on behalf of justice, a work to
which it calls all Christians.

In "Why Is the Church Involved," the basis for the
Church's involvement, and the implications of that in-

volvement are briefly developed. That will be the back-

ground for the following part of this study outline. Further

treatment of this subject area is available in books and ar-

ticles referred to in the resources section of this booklet.

Objective: To understand justice as a social concept.

What is "social justice"? Reflect:
• "The goods of the earth are given to all, not just the

rich." (Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, n. 23)
• No one wants to feel subject to political powers lo-
cated outside his own country or ethnical group."
(Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, n. 43)

• "Racial discrimination can in no way be justified."
(Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, n. 44)

• "Since women are becoming ever more conscious of
their human dignity, they will . . . demand rights be-
fitting a human person both in domestic and public
life." (Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, n. 41)

The issues raised by these questions are issues of social
justice.

a. Are any of these issues the result of one person's

actions?

b. Can any of these issues be addressed by one person
acting alone?

27



c. Do all of these issues raise questions about "pat-
terns” of behavior; patterns built into the way our
society lives?

d. Can any of these issues be resolved by doing "chari-
table works"?

Objective: To explore areas of commitment to the work for
justice.

1.

What does it mean to work for justice? If injustice is the
result of patterns, that is, built-in ways that society be-
haves, then working for justice will involve changing
these patterns of behavior, those structures of society

that deny people the enjoyment of what is their due, the
enjoyment of the full spectrum of the rights which are
theirs. It will involve establishing new goals for society
or new structures which more effectively work for a just
society.

a. What are our social goals in the human rights/human
needs area? What do we talk about, in our family, in
our community, in our nation, in the international
community (the level of rhetoric)? What do we spend
money for? (Family income, local church money, local
taxes, federal taxes, national church organizations

budget.)

b. To what organizations do we belong as an individ-
ual? As a nation? (Who are our "allies"; to what or-
ganizations of states does the U. S. belong?)

c. What organizations do you know that work on, e.g.,
any of the issue areas raised above:
— to eliminate the causes of poverty;
— to eliminate discrimination;
— to increase the control persons and nations have
over their destiny?

d. What laws are passed? How is our tax money spent?
Example: In September 1975, Congressman Thomas
Harkin (D.-LA) succeeded in attaching an amend-
ment to legislation that governs U. S. foreign eco-
nomic assistance that reads:
No assistance may be provided ... to any country
which engages in a consistent pattern of gross vio-
lations of internationally recognized human rights,
including torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment or punishment, prolonged detention

without charges, or other flagrant denial of the

right to life, liberty, and the security of person, un-
less such assistance will directly benefit the needy
people in such a country.-

In 1977, this amendment was attached to legislation
authorizing multilateral economic assistance as well.

(1) Discuss this amendment in terms of core human
rights/needs. The U. S. Catholic bishops support
the application of this "Harkin amendment" to
other-forms of U. S. foreign assistance, e.g., that

assistance channeled through the (international)

multilateral banks. Do you agree with that po-
sition?

(2) What about military assistance? Should the
United States give military assistance to the re-

pressive regimes of South Korea, the Philippines,

Nicaragua, for example?

2. The U. S. Catholic bishops have taken several positions
relating to the satisfaction of human needs through
effective national policies, e.g., on housing, full em-
ployment, welfare reform, food.

—Are you aware of these positions?
—Do you agree with them?
— How do you want your tax dollar to be spent?
—What kinds of laws will be necessary to effectively
address these issues?

3. These are not questions that can be answered easily.
Explore your attitudes on these issues, then seek fur-

ther assistance through organizations (local groups and
national-level groups) that address human rights/needs
and examine how effectively local and national policies
address these issues. (See resource section for some
suggestions.)

28



Catholic Clergy: Foot Soldiers

in Human Rights Fight
By Hilmi Toros
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP)—In many
parts of the world, Roman Catholic
(hurchmen are becoming human
rights activists. Vatican sources say
they are exposing themselves to har-

assment, detention and even assassi-
nation, some in overwhelmingly Cath-
olic countries.

They are emboldened to a large ex-
tent by encyclicals and recent pro-
nouncements by Pope Paul VI, who
had made human rights one of his ma-
jor planks long before President Car-

ter made it a pivotal part of U.S. pol-
icy.

The subject is also creating debate
within the church on how far it
should be pushed by the religious who
fall easy prey to authoritarian re-

gimes.

In the past few months, according
to information obtained from Vatican
sources, the CleTgy’s involvement in

promoting civil rights and opposing
their suppression has been wide-

spread and systematic. They cited
these as examples:

In Czechoslovakia, some priests are

reported to have become signatories

to Charter 77, a document drawn up

by human rights activists. One bishop,
Jan Kores, was threatened with ban-

ishment by the Communist govern-

ment to a tiny rural outpost, but is
said to have opted for the offered al-

ternative of first sweeping the streets

and then holding a manual job.

In Brazil, the world’s most popu-

lous Roman Catholic nation, the Rev.
Joao Bosco Burnier reports hearing

screams of women as he strolls by a
police station. He walks in to plead
for mercy and is reported to have

been shot dead in front of his bishop,

Dom Pedro Casaldaliga.
In the Philippines, priests claiming

to help the poor in social work are

rounded up, foreign missionaires ex-

pelled and the locals jailed, by a
mainly Roman Catholic government
that labels them “subversives.”

In South Africa, Roman Catholic
schools decided on integration despite
apartheid regulations. Earlier this
year Rhodesia's white Bishop Donal
Lamont was tried and found guilty for
refusing to act as informer on black
“terrorists.” He was expelled.

Emile Cardinal Biayendra, arch-
bishop of Brazzaville, Congo Republic,
was kidnaped and killed March 23 by
three members of the family of that
nation’s recently assassinated presi-

dent, Marion Ngouabe, according the
military government in Brazzaville.
Sources said the slaying of the cardi-
nal was the result of tribal rivalries.

Much of the Roman Catholic
Church’s recent militancy in the hu-
man rights area is traced to Pope
Paul.

His methods vary, from open and di-
rect warnings to Latin America to ca-

joling in Eastern Europe, where free-
dom of religion "6nd other rights are
embodied in constitutions but are sub-
ject to Communist Party interpreta-
tions.

“You have Carter,” a Vatican ob-
server remarked. “The Vatican - has
the pope in the human rights field
longer, and, although he lacks an
army, he is feared by regimes ignor-

ing human right.”
Technically, the pope has his “peace

corps” in the farflung field; he has

cardinals, bishops and an increasingly
“justice” oriented clergy in addition

to foreign missionaries in African

huts, South American hinterlands and

in Asian slums. The Jesuits—an elite
order informally called the pope’s
“private army”—count 7.000 missionar-
ies, among the most active and, by
their account, the most persecuted.
About 1,000 fan out from the United
States, a quarter of them to Latin
America.

A local Jesuit, dubbed a Commu-
nist, was assassinated in El Salvador
March 11. “We are peersecuted both
by the right and the left,” says the
Rev. Pedro Arrupe, father-general of
the Jesuits in Rome. “Hear we’ll suf-
fer more in the future. They accuse us
of being radical leftist while we are
only citing the encyclicals.”

The floodgates to recent and current
human rights activity by the church
swung open 11 years ago when the Sec-
ond Vatican Council declared, “With
respect to the fundamental rights of
the persons, any type of
discrimination ... is to be overcome
as contrary to God’s intent.” The
church has the right, the council held,
“to pass moral judgment even on mat-
ters touching political order whenever

basic rights . . .make such judgments

necessary.”

Sources close to the pope say he en-

visages the modern churcl to be coo-

fined not to worship alone. Last Janu-

ary, in his customary New Year’s
speech to diplomats here, the pope

pledged that he, his bishops and

priests “throughout the world would

expose all forms of injustice and vio-

lence, even at the cost of imprison-

ment and death.” He said,
“totalitarian injustices supervene to

harden opposition” and urged govern-

ments to take “the path of profound

change.”

The pope already has created the

pontifical commission “Justitia et
Pax,” now headed by black African
.Archbishop Bernardin Gan tin. The
commission has urged “Christians,
both individually and collectively, to
engage in specific commitments and
effective initiatives to redefine, de-

fend and promote human rights on
the national and international plane.”

THE WASHINGTON POST, April 8, 1977. Reprinted with permission.

29



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Resources/Organizations

Be Informed

• To further explore recent Catholic social teaching:

Education for Justice by Brian Wren is a highly read-
able book not only for the classroom teacher or adult-

discussion leader, but also for anyone interested in

working for justice. 1977. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New
York 10545. Paperback, $4.95.

The Faith That Does Justice, edited by John C. Hough-

ey, is a collection of nine very readable essays exam-

ining Christian sources for social change. Of particular

interest is the essay by David Hollenback S.J., "Modem
Catholic Teachings Concerning Justice." 1977. Paulist

Press, 545 Island Road, Ramsey, New Jersey 07556.
Paperback, $5.95.

The Gospel of Peace and Justice presents Catholic so-

cial teaching since Pope John in a volume which in-

cludes official texts of twenty-five documents signifi-

cant in this development, as well as an analysis of what

that development means for the Church and human-
kind, by Msgr. Joseph Gremillion. 1976. Orbis Books,

Maryknoll, New York 10545. Paperback, $8.95.

Renewing The Earth: Catholic Documents on Peace,

Justice and Liberation. Edited by David O'Brien and

Thomas A. Shannon, this volume collects under one
cover the major sources of current Roman Catholic so-
cial thought: from Mater et Magistra (Pope John) to

Justice in the World (Synod 1971), as well as selections of

particularly significant texts from the U. S. and Latin

American bishops. 1977. Image Books (Doubleday and

Company), Garden City, New York 11530. Paperback,
$3.95.

Ethics, A simulation game in which participants are
projected in various situations that require decisions

about hard ethical choices; up to 16 players; 1-hour
session. Division of Invention Marketing, 401 Wood
Street, Suite 1200, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222.

$3.50.

• To further explore the basic human needs issue:

Basic Needs and Human Rights by Patricia Weiss
Fagen, January 1978. Center for International Policy,

120 Maryland Ave., N.E., Washington, D. C. 20002. $1.

Employment, Growth and Basic Needs: A One World
Problem, prepared by ILO International Labour Office,

March 1977, Overseas Development Council, 1717

Mass. Ave., N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036. Paperback,

$3.95.

Human Ethics for a Sustainable Society: Linking Hu-
man Rights and Basic Needs by Peter Henriot, Octo-
ber 1977. Center of Concern, 3700 13th Street, N.E.,

Washington, D. C. 20017. $.75.

Human Rights and Vital Needs by Peter Weiss, Sep-
tember 1977. Institute for Policy Studies, 1901 Q Street,
N.W., Washington, D. C. 20009. $.50.

The PQLI: Measuring Progress in Meeting Human
Needs by Morris D. Morris and Florizelle B. Liser,

August 1977. Overseas Development Council (address

above). $1.

Women and World Development, edited by Irene
Tinker and Michele Bo Bramsen, May 1976. Overseas
Development Council (address above). Paperback,

$3.50.

World Game, a simulation game that recreates on a

smaller scale our world, its people and its institutions.

Nation's struggle for solutions to their problems; a

"world council" provides an opportunity to experi-

ment with ideas expressed in the concept of "global

village." 15-20 players; 1 or 2 hour session(s). Teleket-

ics, 1229 South Santee Street, Los Angeles, California

90015. $14.95.

• To further explore the interrelationship between the

economic system and meeting basic human needs:

The Corporate Action Guide, 1974. Alternatives, 1924

East 3rd Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47401. $3.90.

Development-Dependency: The Role of Multinational

Corporations, USCC Department of Social Develop-
ment and World Peace, August 1974. Office of Inter-

national Justice and Peace, 1312 Mass. Ave., N.W.,

Washington, D. C. 20005. $.20.

31



Making Rights Matter: Economic Justice and Human
Needs by Alan Geyer, October 1976. Order No. P113.

Service Department, United Methodist Board of

Church and Society, 100 Maryland Ave., N.E., Wash-
ington, D. C. 20002. $.25.

OPIC**: Insuring the Status Quo by Cynthia Amson
and William Goodfellow, September 1977. Center for

International Policy (address above). $1. ("Overseas

Private Investment Corporation)

The Economics Game, a 16mm, 12-minute film pro-
duced by the U.N. radio and visual services division.

Local libraries and/or university libraries in your area

may have the film; or contact the New York University
Film Library, 26 Washington Place, New York, New
York 10003. Rental: $15.

Sharing Global Resources: Toward a New Economic
Order, a 35-minute slide show with cassette tape. Ex-
amines domination of Third World resources by multi-

national corporations. NARMIC, 1501 Cherry St., Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania 19102. $50.

• To further explore the relationship of human rights to
U. S. economic and military assistance:

Foreign Aid: Evading the Control of Congress by

James Morrell, January 1977. Center for International

Policy (address above). $1.

Human Rights—A Priority for Peace edited by James
R. Jennings and Patricia L. Rengel, Fall 1975. Office of
International Justice and Peace (address above). $.50.

Human Rights Action Guide 1978. Coalition for a New
Foreign and Military Policy, 120 Maryland Ave., N.E.,

Washington, D. C. 20002. $.05.

Human Rights and the U. S. Foreign Assistance Pro-
gram, Fiscal Year 1978. Part 1, Latin America (Chile,

Brazil, Nicaragua, Argentina); Part II, East Asia (Philip-

pines, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand). 1977. Center

for International Policy (address above). $2.50 each.

Human Rights Education Project provides a mobile
exhibit which travels by invitation to communities

throughout the United States. It also provides speakers

and action workshops. Write the Project at 1322 18th

St., N.W., Washington, D. C. for schedule and rate
information.

Be Involved

The following organizations are active in the human rights/
needs area. Many of them are also national membership
organizations that work through local networks.

• Contact these organizations (+) for their resources/pub-

lications/newsletters to keep current on human rights/
needs issues.

• Contact these organizations (*) to join and inquire

whether local groups are working in your area.

+ Alternatives, 1924 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, In-
diana 47401.

+ American Friends Service Committee (Human
Rights Program), 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania 19102.

+*Amnesty International, 2113 Broadway, New York,
New York 10023.

+*Bread for the World, 207 East 16th Street, New York,
New York 10003.

+ Center of Concern, 3700 13th Street, N.E., Washing-
ton, D. C. 20017.

+*Coalition for a New Foreign and Military Policy
(Human Rights Working Group), 120 Maryland Ave-
nue, N.E., Washington, D. C. 20002. (Also a source of

numerous other organizations working in a specific

area of human rights concerns.)

+*Clergy and Laity Concerned (Human Rights Coor-
dinating Center), 1114 G Street, S.E., Washington,
D. C. 20003.

+ Friends Committee on National Legislation, 245 Sec-
ond Street, N.E., Washington, D. C. 20002.

+ Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, 475
Riverside Drive, New York, New York 10027.

+*United Nations Association of the USA, 300 East
42nd Street, New York, New York 10017.

32



k



©January 1978

Office of International Justice and Peace

United States Catholic Conference

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D. C. 20005

750 each; $60/100

Design & Illustrations by V Reeves