Pope to G20: defend human dignity

The economic crisis must be overcome by defending the primary and central value that is human dignity, writes Benedict XVI to the President of Korea, host of the G20summit and not at the expense of some countries more than others, but respecting man.  

AsiaNews obtained a copy of the letter, which is a strong reaffirmation of the key points expressed by the Pope in his social encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," reemphasised several times during his everyday teaching.

"The Summit seeks solutions to quite complex questions, on which the future of upcoming generations depends and which therefore require the cooperation of the entire international community," writes Benedict XVI. This cooperation, however, "must be based on the acknowledgement — which is shared and agreed by all peoples — of the primary and central value of human dignity, the final objective of the choices themselves".

The Catholic Church, because of its specific nature, is concerned, and shares the concerns of the leaders taking part in the summit in Seoul, writes the pope. 

"I therefore encourage you to tackle the numerous serious problems facing you — and which, in a sense, face every human person today — bearing in mind the deeper reasons for the economic and financial crisis and giving due consideration to the consequences of the measures adopted to overcome the crisis itself, and to seek lasting, sustainable and just solutions"

Several times in the recent past, speaking of the crisis, the pope emphasized the moral and ethical nature of the roots that caused it.

In line with the social doctrine of the Church and its teaching, Benedict XVI reminded the G20 of his hope: "there will be a keen awareness that the solutions adopted, as such, will work only if, in the final analysis, they are aimed at reaching the same goal: the authentic and integral development of man." 

And they must be fair, underlined the Pope: "The world's attention focuses on you and it expects that appropriate solutions will be adopted to overcome the crisis, with common agreements which will not favor some countries at the expense of others. History, furthermore, reminds us that, no matter how difficult it is to reconcile the different socio-cultural, economic and political identities coexisting today, these solutions, to be effective, must be applied through combined action which, above all, respects the nature of man." 

 SIC: AN/INT'L