At the end of last month (May 29th) the Church celebrated the feast day of Pope St Paul VI, whose anniversary of his election to the Papacy is later this month on the 21st June. This feast day is an opportunity to remember a key document in Catholic Social Teaching around the world of work that he wrote - Populorum Progressio.
Populorum Progressio outlines the Church’s support for: the right to a just wage; the right to security of employment; the right to fair and reasonable working conditions; the right to join a union; and the universal destination of resources and goods.
The universal destination of resources and goods means that the goods of creation are destined for humankind as a whole, but also recognises the individual right to private property. In addition, political authority has the right and duty to regulate the legitimate exercise of the right to ownership for the sake of the common good.
This document builds on previous commitments from the Church around protection for workers and upholding the dignity of people in our economic systems, and has itself been a foundation for later works that reinforce these themes.
Joseph Cardijn, the founder of the YCW, rooted the mission of our Movement on these principles many decades earlier but the influence of his work has meant that the Church remains focused on upholding the dignity of work and protection for those who are the poorest and most vulnerable.
National Chaplain of the YCW, Fr John Marsland, said: “The Church has taught for over a century now that the world of work needs to be fair and just, one that protects the dignity of workers and encourages human flourishing. The YCW aims to put these expectations into reality and our mission remains as relevant today as it was when we were founded.”
