Social Commission

The Social Commission is elaborating a brief aid on the social dimension of the Jubilee. The text should appear in different languages and be destined for a popular diffusion, with illustrations and with the ideal of helping the study and reflection of the ecclesial community.

It should contain four basic contributions on the biblical, ecclesiastical, ecumenical and social realities, followed by a "dictionary," or a series of meditations on some of the terms tied to the Jubilee, understood as a time of personal and social renewal. Each section of the "dictionary" should be accompanied by "windows" with brief "flashes" for reflection and statistical information on some of the current themes. For the year 1998, year of the Spirit, year of hope, the commission proposes guiding the reflection toward some particular themes:

-the Spirit and the social charisms in the Church, illustrating how the Spirit has worked special social charisms in the Church. It is enough to think on the history of many religious congregations. The preparation for the Jubilee should serve as a moment of reflection to highlight the particular gifts given by the Spirit to respond to the social challenges of the current state in history.

- reading of the faith in the earthly realities of today geared towards identifying the sources of true hope in a secularized world. It is necessary in particular to carry over the eschatalogical dimension of the kingdom in reflection and social action of the Church even to be able to discern the idols of our epoch.

-reconciliation as the way towards hope for peoples divided by war, ethnic tensions and by the great social and economic inequalities.

The international debt. Monsignor Martin, in his role as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and President of the Social Commission, has continued in a series of contacts with exponents of the episcopal conferences and international organizations. After the Rome meeting between Cardinal Roger Etchegaray and the president of the World Bank, Mons. Martin visited the bank's offices in Washington. Encounters with representatives of international organizations and the Latin American bishops are in the course of elaboration. An initiative of the bishops in the United States is foreseen in terms of research at a Catholic university to sensitize public opinion. Contacts with ecclesial organizations and NGOs which are promoting various initiatives on the theme of "Jubilee and international debt" are being maintained.