Online Vol. 07.2007 

Centesimus Annus Remembered

Bringing Religion and Liberty Together

By Alejandro Antonio Chafuen

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty began a year before the release of Pope John Paul II's encyclical Centesimus Annus. Father Robert Sirico, president of the institute and Kris Mauren, executive director, created Acton with the goal of bringing the worlds of religion and liberty closer together. Centesimus Annus did just that.

The release of the encyclical in 1991 was such an important step in the evolution of Christian understanding of man in society that Acton decided to organize a series of conferences, mostly in Rome and at the gates of the Vatican, to celebrate Centesimus Annus' 15th anniversary by reflecting and building upon its contributions. Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, the Vatican's top envoy to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, hailed this encyclical as "a milestone in the development of the Church's social teaching and a major contribution to the understanding of our complex world." But to be effective, even milestones need to be protected and kept in sight of those seeking guidance.

Speakers for the conference included many who play leading intellectual roles in the Vatican and Catholic circles across the globe: Mary Ann Glendon, a professor at Harvard University and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; Bishop Rino Fisichella, Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University; and John Paul II official biographer George Weigel. They also included noted political figures such as former Spanish prime minister, José María Aznar; Estonian Mart Laar, former prime minister and winner of the prestigious Friedman Award; and Italian senator Rocco Buttiglione. Several of the speakers, such as Lord Brian Griffiths, vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs International, and Otto von Habsburg, emphasized the encyclical's positive attitude toward a free enterprise system and the market economy as a means of alleviating poverty and promoting human freedom.

George Weigel captured the essence of the economic message of John Paul II, "The free and virtuous society is composed of three interlocking parts - a democratic political community, a free economy, and a robust public moral culture.... Wealth in the contemporary, post-industrial world is not simply to be found in resources, but rather in ideas, entrepreneurial instincts, and skills. The wealth of nations is no longer stuff in the ground; the wealth of nations resides in the human mind, in human creativity."

Efforts to disseminate sound ideas achieve greatest impact when reaching top opinion leaders. This Acton program addressed that. Vatican Radio, the major Catholic papers in UK and US, and major news agencies and analysts carried the conference message across the globe. In addition, to maximize leverage, the organizers carefully selected the venues, planting the seeds of new ideas at five Pontifical Universities - the "Ivy League" of the Roman Catholic Church. Approximately fifteen thousand seminarians and lay students attend these universities. Ninety percent of the bishops of the Catholic Church at one time or another receive part of their education in Rome.

The conference focusing on "Globalization and Poverty" took place at the Pontifical Urbanianum University. This is the school which attracts the largest number of international students from the developing world. They were exposed to views which are seldom presented in their classes. Another of the meetings took place at the Gregorian University, which was founded as the College of Rome during the XVIth. The Gregorian has the reputation of having developed, influenced and empowered countless intellectual trends, including the principles that were embodied in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

Another conference was held in Poland on May 18, 2006, the birthday of John Paul II, in the midst of his former friends, colleagues and students. Kishore Jayabalan director of the Acton Institute office in Rome and the only person who attended all the conferences explained, "The Lublin conference was my favorite of the series because we were able to get some idea of the intellectual and spiritual climate that formed Karol Wojtyla. In addition to the conference, there was a Mass and a concert in the university chapel, all with an overflow crowd." In this work, of helping moralists from across the globe discover the benefits of free enterprise, Kishore's unique background comes as a great asset. His name and looks expose his Asian background. With his impeccable English and Italian, he fits and communicates easily with leaders of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Speaking of the whole project, Kishore said, "an even bigger thrill has been to see how the students are beginning to re-think their assumptions about social and economic life. Many of them had thought that Catholic social doctrine simply meant a larger role for the state in the name of 'compassion' for the poor, which is not a very inspiring vision for most people. You could see their eyes light up when they discovered how they can get involved personally through the free use of their talents - how they can glorify God and help others in doing so. It's great to see young people develop and enrich their sense of vocation."

All the students attending the program received market oriented books, from the Index of Economic Freedom, to works by Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek, and by noted Christian businessmen such as Francois Michelin. "Participants were avid takers of all the market oriented books we had to offer," said Kishore, "they depleted all our stock."

Father Sirico saw this conference series as a major opportunity to expand knowledge about the spiritual and material benefits of human freedom: "they have also established Acton as a trusted resource for the international press corps covering the Vatican and the diplomatic community." Through the writings and daily activities of the leaders involved in the series, through the weekly homilies that many of the attending seminarians will give through their life, this Templeton supported program will have a lasting positive impact.

Dr. Alejandro Antonio Chafuen , is a member of the board of the Acton Institute and author of Faith and Liberty (Lexington Books, 2003).

This article is also available in [Spanish]

Marby Sparkman, Editor
milestoneseditor@templeton.org

Pamela Thompson, Vice President of Communications
pthompson@templeton.org

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