2.Contribution of the Religious to the transformation of society

20. We have already referred to the danger of religious communities remaining alien bodies within the larger society. Aside from the need for cultural insertion, we religious also have a call to serve as beneficent and responsible bodies within the social fabric of a nation. In a democratic state, we have a national responsibility; in the globalized world, we have a universal responsibility. There is a Russian saying, “Each of us are responsible to all of us for everything”. 

21. In an era gone by, we could claim to be good citizens by merely obeying the law and paying the taxes. To day, no more. By action or inaction, every citizen contributes ill or well to the future of her country. If there is violence in the country, if bribery is rampant, if ethnic conflicts or communal clashes take away human lives, if public works fall behind schedule, if trains run late and electricity fails, if slums multiply, if the universities do not function, if there is national waste; if children are put to hard labour (SL 41), if women are exploited (SL 41), if there is problem of alcohol, drugs, AIDS (SL 53), if human rights are denied to refugees or minorities(SL 36), and, most of all, if elected members do not discharge their duties, every citizen is to be held responsible.