Justice

Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues, and there are many ways in which it is practiced. “Social” justice became important in our understanding beginning with the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII in 1891 called “Rerum Novarum.” It deals with the rights and duties of both capital and labor at a time when working people (mostly in factories) were struggling for recognition of their rights to live with dignity and form labor unions. This encyclical affirmed the right to have private property and to form unions while rejecting both socialism and unrestricted capitalism. Most popes since Leo have written on social justice, including John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XV, and Francis. In all of their writings human dignity and the common good are the foundation of their teaching. If we believe in the dignity of the unborn infant, how can we neglect the dignity of mature people? And following the teaching of Jesus to “love one another as I love you” means that the good of all must be worked for before my own benefit or safety. Pope Francis stresses this strongly.

I was in Kwangju, Korea, in 1980 when a general took over the government, arresting his main opposition leader who was very popular in the country. The general threatened to kill him. The citizens of Kwangju rose in protest with very massive demonstrations. Riot police couldn’t control them with batons and tear gas so three army divisions were called in to put down the protests. They came in with bayonets, then rifles. In three days between 200 and 2,000 people were killed. The number is unknown. I was there when this happened. Five of us Columbans evacuated the city after almost a week of being encircled by tanks, machine guns, helicopters, and 30,000 armed troops loyal to the general. We crossed on foot to a Passionist Retreat House outside the city. The next morning, we awoke to the sound of tanks and attack helicopters heading into the center of the city to put down the opposition.

The following years saw rapid growth in the Korean economy as hundreds of thousands of young people came into the cities from farms to work in the factories.

The economy grew while the workers who made it happen suffered in very poor working conditions – long hours, dirty, noisy, dangerous areas. Many were killed or lost hands or feet or arms in the machines. Here was the challenge: is the “economy” more important than those people who create the economy? Is there any way to both respect the workers and maybe let the economy grow a little slower?

We Columbans were very much with the workers and their demand for dignity. Some worked in centers with them studying their rights and supporting their struggles. Some of our friends were arrested and imprisoned, some tortured. It was a time of fear and anger. In times of oppression like this the Columbans and other religious were known by the workers as friends and allies. The experience of marching with them confronting the famous “Darth Vadar”-like riot police, being teargassed, running in fear, smearing toothpaste around our eyes and mouth to be able to withstand the gas are deeply embedded in me.

All of us are called to live justly, to pray for justice, to work for justice. “Justice” simply means being “fair.” It’s very simple but hard to do sometimes. These days we are called to work so that our country is “fair” to people who need to come here to escape threats to their lives, to find hope for their families. There has to be a way to look from both sides and find a solution. Any coin has two sides, and we can’t just look at our side and say this is the coin. Justice demands it.