I noticed in a Catholic school newsletter recently that the Bishops' inspiring message of the Gospel of Salvation, sorry, I mean the Gospel of the Environment and Fairtrade is seeping into Catholic education as I read with hearty laughter a Fairtrade Prayer:
"Lord. We pray that we will learn to shop responsibly. Open us to the full impact of our purchases, to the people behind the products. Make us better stewards of creation and more loyal servants of your Kingdom, where the weak are made strong, just; and the just, compassionate. Amen."
Hmm...here's a prayer I composed more apt for Catholic schools:
"Almighty and Merciful God. We pray that Catholic schools may never tire of teaching the Holy Gospel of Salvation to young minds. Inspire within teachers and pupils zeal for Your Holy Gospel and inspire within all school teenagers a love of prayer, the gift of chastity, fidelity to the Church, understanding of the Faith, regular frequency of Confession and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, because when it comes to teenagers, Fairtrade and the Environment is the least of Your concerns."
Fairtrade is a worthy cause but it does not address the underlying reasons why Third World farmers are often poor, the principal one being lack of access to good land, which is often in the hands of a small number of big landholders.
ReplyDeleteBut land distribution is not the solution either, as has been demonstrated spectacularly in Zimbabwe but also more subtly in El Salvador.
If one does not understand the economics - and it is not the job of bishops to do that - it is best to stick to core issues of faith.