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INTRODUCTION
1. The development model of
industrialized societies is capable of producing huge quantities of wealth, but
also has serious shortcomings when it comes to the equitable redistribution of
its fruits and the promotion of growth in less developed areas.
While developed economies are not
immune to this contradiction, it reaches particularly alarming proportions in
developing economies.
This can be seen in the
persistence of the phenomenon of the misappropriation and concentration of land
— that is that good which, given the predominantly agricultural nature of the
economy of developing countries, constitutes the fundamental production factor,
together with labour, and the chief source of
national wealth.
This state of affairs is often
one of the main causes of situations of hunger and want, and represents a
concrete negation of the principle derived from our common origin and
brotherhood in God (cf. Eph 4:6) that all human beings are born equal in
dignity and rights.
2. On the eve of the third
millennium of the Christian era, the Holy Father John Paul II calls the entire
Church to "lay greater emphasis on the ... preferential option for the
poor and the outcast," stating that "a commitment to justice and
peace in a world like ours, marked by so many conflicts and intolerable social
and economic inequalities, is a necessary condition for the preparation and
celebration of the Jubilee."(1)
Against this background, the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is issuing the present document in an
attempt to confront the dramatic problem of the misappropriation and
concentration of land in latifundia,(2)
calling for a solution and indicating the spirit and objectives that should
provide orientations.
The document briefly presents:
– a
description of the process by which the ownership of land becomes concentrated
in latifundia in regions where it is not fairly
distributed;
– the
principles that should inspire solutions to this highly problematic issue,
based on the message of the Bible and the Church;
– a call
for an effective agrarian reform, an indispensable condition for a future of
greater justice.
The document is addressed to
those who have the problems of the world of agriculture and general economic
development at heart, especially those in national and international positions
of responsibility. It calls their attention to problems of land ownership and
spurs them to take the necessary increasingly urgent action. However, it is not
a document of political intent, for that lies outside the Church's field of
competence.
3. The Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace draws on the requests of many local Churches that are faced
day after day with the problems treated here.
Numerous statements of both
individual bishops and conferences of bishops on the subject of land and its
equitable distribution(3) clearly show the
Church's constant concern and attention for these subjects, and its explicit
intention of building society under the gospel sign of justice and peace.
Although these statements may not
be explicitly cited, they are constantly referred to. They constitute an
extremely valuable and significant contribution, and are often expressions of
deeply felt Christian witness borne in difficult and painful situations.
Our intention is to confirm the
value of this witness and to encourage such commitment in the future.
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