It was only six months since the fall of the Berlin Wall, when the Pope in Mexico, in a speech to entrepreneurs, commented on the changes that have taken place in Central and Eastern Europe. He said that the collapse of real socialism did not mean the victory of the capitalist system. There is still poverty and huge disparities in the distribution of natural resources in the world. This is due to liberalism without certain rules, not taking into account the common good, especially in Third World countries.
In the face of a not yet fully stable situation, this was a bold, but without any doubts analysis. And, yet in the West, some commentators have called the Pope’s speech “outrageous.” Attempts were even made to attribute it to John Paul II “nostalgia” for communism.
They did not understand or did not want to understand his message. The Holy Father viewed history in a theological-moral perspective, not a political or economic perspective. Therefore, from his own observation, he was able to draw the conclusion that, after the fall of Marxism, a new social order could not be created solely on the basis of a system which treats man objectivity, limiting him to the role of a production machine mode.
The primary task was to restore to a man of work his subjectivity. Only then can one consider the direction of economic development based on solidarity and mutual commitment. As long as employees do not participate in decisions and share in the profits of the company, it is not possible to achieve true social peace or real development of the country.
It is true, however, that while during the first ten years of his pontificate John Paul II was considered an declared anti-communist, now he was portrayed as an opponent of capitalism and even a sympathizer of communism. This could explain the reasons why, for so long, his social teaching has been interpreted incorrectly and more generally, his humanism.
With the consent of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “Testimony”.
TBA marketing communication Publishing House. Warsaw 2007
