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Chapter 8

What is Solidarity?

What is Solidarity?

Concern for our neighbour transcends the confines of national communities and has increasingly broadened its horizon to the whole world. The Second Vatican Council rightly observed that among the signs of our times, one particularly worthy of note is a growing, inescapable sense of solidarity between all peoples.State agencies and humanitarian associations work to promote this, the former mainly through subsidies or tax relief, the latter by making available considerable resources. The solidarity shown by civil society thus significantly surpasses that shown by individuals.

Solidarity and Immigration


The ultimate resolution of the problems associated with forced migration and illegal immigration lies in changing the conditions that drive persons from their countries of origin. Accordingly, we urge the governments of the world, particularly our own government, to promote a just peace in those countries that are at war, to protect human rights in those countries that deny them, and to foster the economic development of those countries that are unable to provide for their own peoples. We also urge the governments of the "receiving" countries to welcome these immigrants, to provide for their immediate needs, and to enable them to come to self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in DiversityIssued by the NCCB/USCC, November 15, 2000


"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!From the poem, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus

Solidarity and Peace


There are a number of skills we can use to help us deal with a conflict situation. These skills do not have to be used in any particular order. They can be used individually or in combination. Many people will use different combinations of skills to deal with a conflict situation depending on:their experience and comfort with that skill or methodwho the conflict is with the extent of conflict occurringthe desired outcomes needed.


Civil disobedience is the public act of willfully disobeying the law and/or the commands of an authority figure, to make a political statement. Participants expect to be arrested, and are frequently charged with crimes such as trespass, failure to disperse, or failure to obey an officer. Civil disobedience is generally understood to be nonviolent, although some have argued that violent acts can also be considered a form of civil disobedience.

The purpose of civil disobedience is to convey a political message, which is accomplished through increased media coverage of the issue. Also, if the law broken is the law being protested, it sends the message to authority figures that people consider the law so unjust, they are willing to openly disobey it. Woolworth sit-in Greensboro, NCFebruary, 1960

Absolute pacifists Someone who refuses to kill whatever the circumstances. Even in self-defense.Conditional pacifists Someone who generally opposes war, but may accept there are times when it is necessary, for example, when youre country is invaded and you are defending your family and country.Selective pacifists Someone who will decide whether a war is morally justified or not. For example, they may refuse to fight for their country if they feel that their country is engaging in an unjust war. Selective pacifists may particularly oppose war using weapons of mass-destruction, e.g. nuclear weapons, biological weapons.Solidarity and Peace

Discrimination: An Offense Against Solidarity


Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father. Racism is the sin that says some human beings are inherently superior and others essentially inferior because of races. It is the sin that makes racial characteristics the determining factor for the exercise of human rights. It mocks the words of Jesus: "Treat others the way you would have them treat you." Indeed, racism is more than a disregard for the words of Jesus; it is a denial of the truth of the dignity of each human being revealed by the mystery of the Incarnation.


If you want peace, work for justice. Blessed Pope Paul VI1897 - 1978

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