Meeting of Religious Leaders
with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament
Speaking Notes of
Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin
Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
———–
Brussels, 11th May 2009
Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin
Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
———–
Brussels, 11th May 2009
As an Irish Church-leader, some months ago the question I would have been asked travelling around Europe was: “how has Ireland done so well?” Today, travelling round Europe, I am being asked “what has happened in Ireland?”, “What went wrong?”
The question I am being asked in Ireland, however, is “what will the future hold?” The current economic crisis has raised questions about the past but above all about the future, especially about the future for the concrete lives of individuals and families.
An economy is not an end in itself. An economy has a social function. An economy works within a society; an economy is there to serve a society. Certainly an economy must follow the norms, rules and processes of an economy and it needs an appropriate climate of freedom to do this. For it to work effectively and to realise its function in society, an economy also requires an appropriate ethical and juridical framework.
Economic activity and especially free-market economic activity requires a climate of trust. It thus requires an ethical and juridical framework where trust is fostered but also regulated. Norms are there to protect the weak and to curb the natural tendency of the powerful towards arrogance. No society, no component of society can claim to be exempt from establishing such norms and from seeing that they are respected.
Ethics is a real dimension of real life. Ethics in the field of the economy and of business is a real dimension of the real world of business and the economy. It is not an optional extra or a feel good veneer. It is not just a matter for individuals in their private lives. No sector of public life is exempt from ethical evaluation.
This ethical reality is realised on various levels. It is not simply a question of regulation to avoid abuse. There is need for a positive ethical thrust which firmly lays down the challenge of fostering the common good, and especially of the protection of the weakest and most vulnerable.
Growth and profit are essential dimensions of the economy, but they should be set within a framework of sustainability both in purely economic terms as also in terms of the society they generate. Growth with sustainability or growth with equity can be shown, I believe, to make sense not just in philanthropical terms, but in terms of long-term economic viability.
We need such a positive ethical thrust adapted to the needs of the times. A focus on the marginalized must be part of cost-cutting measures; a focus on the weakest is an essential dimension of planning for renewed growth. A poverty strategy, understood as focussed attention to helping people to realise their God-given talents, is not a luxury for times of prosperity, but an essential dimension of a policy to renew growth. Without targeting policies to enhance the talents of the vulnerable, the marginalised will emerge at the end of a recession even more marginalised and society will be all the more fragile.
Today, solidarity cannot remain just the narrow solidarity of near neighbours. A globalised world, like any other body, is as strong as its weakest link. Global international solidarity is not something that can be put aside in times of economic austerity. Global international solidarity is an imperative for renewed global growth. The Millennium Development Gaols were not just targets of international philanthropy; they are part of a project for global sustainability and of a model of human solidarity.
Ireland and Irish believers wish to be part of a strong European programme for renewed growth with equity and solidarity. This desire is a natural fruit of Ireland’s strong European vocation rooted in its unique history, which includes its religious heritage. A future Europe cannot be just a Europe of the more powerful States. Ireland needs Europe, but Europe also needs Ireland, as it needs the heritage of its various cultures. A pluralist Europe does not mean a secularist Europe; Europe needs its religious heritage and con only benefit from welcoming and respecting that religious heritage. Hopefully Ireland’s believers will feel more and more welcome to play their part in the future of Europe, as they have done right throughout their history.
