At 11:15am today, at the Holy See Press Centre, a Press Conference was held at the conclusion of the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (which has been taking place at the Casina Pio IV from 28 April until today) on the theme: Towards a Participatory Society: New Roads to Social and Cultural Integration.
Interventions during this morning's Press Conference were provided by:
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences held its Plenary session from 28 April to 2 May 2017 focused on the theme: Towards a Participatory Society: New Roads to Social and Cultural Integration. Pope Francis sent a special message dated 24 April and published in L'Osservatore Romano on 29 April, which formed the basis and guidelines of our work.
The Plenary's participants addressed the theme of a participatory society, first by defining the concepts of participation, lobbying against social and cultural exclusion and inclusion, before taking into consideration the empirical phenomena, their causes and possible solutions. These are concepts of multi-dimentional processes which are not identical but connected in various ways.
Participation can be institutional or spontaneous. Exclusion can be active (voluntary, intentional or as a result of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion) or passive (due to something not intended or to a serious economic crisis). In both cases, this is a result of processes that were analyzed in their generative mechanisms, given that social and cultural integration is the result of modifications of certain mechanisms, which are economic, social, cultural and political. The scope of inclusion of persons and communities in society cannot be perceived with forced measures or in a standardized manner (for example with scholastic systems that do not take account of cultural differences or local culture). Real social participation is only possible to the extent that there is religious freedom.
Efforts have brought to light a concern regarding the spread of social fragmentation on the one hand and a related incapacity of political systems to govern society. These two phenomena are present in many countries and create situation of strong social disintegration, situations where it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize forms of social participation inspired by principles of justice, solidarity and fraternity.
The causes of these disruptive tendencies which act against a more participatory society have been identified in the crisis of political representation, increasing social inequalities, planetary demographic inequalities, growing levels of migration and elevated numbers of refugees, the ambivalent roles of information and communication technologies, and in religious and cultural conflicts.
Certainly, the most significant factor that is at work against social participation is the growing social inequalities between the elite and other larger groups of people. The statistics concerning distribution of wealth and life opportunities indicate enormous gaps from one country to another and even differences within specific countries. We are particularly concerned about the fact that in Europe and in America, the middle class has been significantly weakened, unlike other countries such as India and China where the middle class has been strengthened. In fact, we must consider the fact that, in cases where the middle class suffers from corruption, participatory democracy is endangered.
In spite of all this, it is possible to work toward a better, more participatory society if it is possible to establish genuine subsidiary cooperation between a political system that makes us more sensitive to the voice of those who are not represented, a civilized economy and associated forms of civil society based on networks of reciprocity. Top-down and bottom-up forms of participation should be promoted, enhancing intermediate realities based on principles of collegiality.
In essence, a participatory society is one that affirms and promotes human rights, in the sense that human rights legislation cannot bring about any utopian project of social transformation, but only create positive conditions within which people and groups can act in ethical ways, ie have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to reciprocal good toward one another in the community, and to develop new social initiatives which are capable of generating greater social inclusion.
Interventions during this morning's Press Conference were provided by:
- His Excellency, Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences;
- Professor Margaret S. Archer, President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences;
- Professor Pierpaolo Donati, University of Bologna (Italy); and
- Professor Paulus Zulu, University of Natal (South Africa).
Press Release prepared by the Pontifical Academy
of Social Sciences at the conclusion of the Plenary Session
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences held its Plenary session from 28 April to 2 May 2017 focused on the theme: Towards a Participatory Society: New Roads to Social and Cultural Integration. Pope Francis sent a special message dated 24 April and published in L'Osservatore Romano on 29 April, which formed the basis and guidelines of our work.
The Plenary's participants addressed the theme of a participatory society, first by defining the concepts of participation, lobbying against social and cultural exclusion and inclusion, before taking into consideration the empirical phenomena, their causes and possible solutions. These are concepts of multi-dimentional processes which are not identical but connected in various ways.
Participation can be institutional or spontaneous. Exclusion can be active (voluntary, intentional or as a result of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion) or passive (due to something not intended or to a serious economic crisis). In both cases, this is a result of processes that were analyzed in their generative mechanisms, given that social and cultural integration is the result of modifications of certain mechanisms, which are economic, social, cultural and political. The scope of inclusion of persons and communities in society cannot be perceived with forced measures or in a standardized manner (for example with scholastic systems that do not take account of cultural differences or local culture). Real social participation is only possible to the extent that there is religious freedom.
Efforts have brought to light a concern regarding the spread of social fragmentation on the one hand and a related incapacity of political systems to govern society. These two phenomena are present in many countries and create situation of strong social disintegration, situations where it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize forms of social participation inspired by principles of justice, solidarity and fraternity.
The causes of these disruptive tendencies which act against a more participatory society have been identified in the crisis of political representation, increasing social inequalities, planetary demographic inequalities, growing levels of migration and elevated numbers of refugees, the ambivalent roles of information and communication technologies, and in religious and cultural conflicts.
Certainly, the most significant factor that is at work against social participation is the growing social inequalities between the elite and other larger groups of people. The statistics concerning distribution of wealth and life opportunities indicate enormous gaps from one country to another and even differences within specific countries. We are particularly concerned about the fact that in Europe and in America, the middle class has been significantly weakened, unlike other countries such as India and China where the middle class has been strengthened. In fact, we must consider the fact that, in cases where the middle class suffers from corruption, participatory democracy is endangered.
In spite of all this, it is possible to work toward a better, more participatory society if it is possible to establish genuine subsidiary cooperation between a political system that makes us more sensitive to the voice of those who are not represented, a civilized economy and associated forms of civil society based on networks of reciprocity. Top-down and bottom-up forms of participation should be promoted, enhancing intermediate realities based on principles of collegiality.
In essence, a participatory society is one that affirms and promotes human rights, in the sense that human rights legislation cannot bring about any utopian project of social transformation, but only create positive conditions within which people and groups can act in ethical ways, ie have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to reciprocal good toward one another in the community, and to develop new social initiatives which are capable of generating greater social inclusion.
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