Holy See Welcomes UN Promotion of Solidarity

NEW YORK, FEB. 5, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See is welcoming a United Nations proposal that offers subsidiarity and solidarity as paths to foster social integration.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, affirmed this today in an address to the U.N. Economic and Social Council.

"Social cohesion, as an expression of social justice, is overall a condition that must be assured to all persons by reason of their lofty dignity," the prelate said. "Beyond that it is also an indispensable condition to meet the global crises that confront humanity today."

He affirmed the Holy See delegation was "particularly pleased" to note that the recommended strategies aimed at promoting social integration stem from a framework "marked by the conviction that the logic of solidarity and subsidiarity is the most apt and instrumental to overcome poverty and ensure the participation of every person and social group at the social, economic, civil and cultural levels."

Archbishop Migliore contended that the "ultimate purpose and content of development programs is giving people the concrete possibility to shape their own lives and be protagonists of development."

"What seems to be missing in the fight against poverty, inequality and discrimination, are not primarily financial assistance, or the economic and juridical cooperation which are equally essential, but rather, people and relational networks capable of sharing life with those in situations of poverty and exclusion, individuals capable of presence and action, whose enterprise is recognized by local, national and global institutions," he said.

The Holy See representative affirmed that it is by "living with and sharing the experiences" of the socially excluded that "we can find means for more fully integrating them into the community, and, more importantly, affirming their dignity and worth so that they can truly become protagonists for their own development."

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Full text: www.zenit.org/article-25016?l=english