Taking every avenue

The Church addresses the problems of the world in every single location, large and small, where people need help. Here’s a most unusual one: Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road.

The document – published in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian – is divided into four sections: The pastoral care of road users, pastoral ministry for the liberation of street women, the pastoral care of street children, and the pastoral care of the homeless.

This outreach covers so much ground, I’m putting the whole release here. I’m really impressed with the thought that went into it and the action that comes out of it. I mean….look at this social justice acitivism, searching out the roadways and alleyways for people who need care and protection.

Commenting on the first part of the document, Cardinal Martino expressed the view that “Church and State, each in its own field, must work to create a generalized public awareness on the question of road safety and promote, using all possible means, … an adequate education among drivers, travelers and pedestrians.”

So maybe the approaches by both Church and State can calm the road rage and bad manners out there that makes driving more tense and treacherous in many places. The motor clubs that run safety campaigns will be mighty relieved for the help. 

Referring to the evangelization of the road, the president of the pontifical council recalled that the Church also aims at “the religious formation of car drivers, professional transporters, passengers, and all those people who, in one way or another, are associated with roads and railways.” In this context, he recalled the fact that in many countries there are “fixed or mobile highway chapels, and pastoral workers who visit motorway service areas and periodically celebrate liturgies there.”

What great thinking! Start with the interior disposition – the mood and mindset – of the drivers and others who use public transportation. Heaven knows, that whole arena needs evangelizing about good manners.

But this pastoral care of the road ministry is looking for every possible suffering person on the byways, to bring them relief.

For his part, Archbishop Marchetto explained the remaining three parts of the document: pastoral ministry for the liberation of street women, the pastoral care of street children, and the pastoral care of the homeless.

In order to respond effectively to the first of these, said the archbishop, “it is important to understand the factors that push … women into prostitution, the strategies used by intermediaries and traffickers to make them submit to their will, the paths along which they move from their countries of origin to those of destination, and the institutional resources needed to face the problem.

This is a whole new and rather radical ‘street-sweeping’ operation. It’s not getting any public attention. But it deserves a lot.

Fortunately the international community and many non-governmental organizations are seeking ever more energetically to combat criminal activities and to protect the victims of human trafficking, developing a vast range of resources to prevent the phenomenon and to rehabilitate its victims back into social life.

“The Church,” he added, “has the pastoral responsibility to defend and promote the human dignity of those exploited by prostitution, and to work towards their liberation, providing economic, educational and formative support to this end. She … must also prophetically denounce the injustices and violence perpetrated against street women and invite people of good will to commit themselves to the defense of their human dignity, … putting an end to sexual exploitation.”

Now this is a revolutionary ‘women’s rights’ campaign.

And one that protects, defends and cares for the children.

Archbishop Marchetto described the issue of street children, as “a phenomenon of unimaginable proportions, … 150 million according to the International Labor Organization.” He identified its causes in “the increasing disintegration of families, … immigration which uproots people from their familiar environment and disorientates them, and conditions of extreme poverty.”

“In order for children to have a future in life, it is of fundamental importance to infuse in them a feeling of self-confidence, self-respect and dignity, … in order for them to develop a genuine desire to resume studying … and to create dignified and gratifying life projects, through their own efforts and not dependent upon others.” In this area, he continued, “it is necessary to seek out and meet the young people in the places they gather, on the streets, … and in the ‘hotspots’ of our metropolises.”

It’s the Church’s version of ‘leave no child behind.’

Look, there are some very high profile celebrities out there getting big media attention these days for their activism on behalf of migrants, orphans and other children of the Third World, and that’s great. They’re doing fine work and because of their huge popularity, they can and do bring necessary attention to the plight of our brothers and sisters who suffer outside our own comfort range, off our radar and out of our sight.

But this Church activism is mighty powerful and global and resourceful, and deserves headlines that could appeal to the huge populations of people with good hearts who say ‘someone should do something’, who need to hear about this work.

“Generally speaking, street dwellers are considered with diffidence and suspicion, and the fact of not having a house becomes the start of a progressive loss of rights. Thus they become a multitude without a name and without a voice, incapable of defending themselves or of finding the resources to improve their future.” Fortunately, “there is no lack of pastoral responses, … though insufficient, by parishes Catholic organizations ecclesial movements and new communities. There are people who go out to seek these brothers and sisters in need, creating a network of friendship and support and giving life to generous initiatives of solidarity.”

This sure offers a new way…for most people….to think about street dwellers.

In closing, Archbishop Marchetto highlighted “the close link of the pastoral care of the road with its source, Christ the Lord in the mystery of His incarnation, and with the Church and her preferential option for the poor, who must be evangelized while respecting everyone’s freedom of conscience and letting oneself, in turn, be evangelized by them.”

There’s a lot in that sentence. First of all, the pastoral care of the road makes a lot of sense when you think about how often Scripture passages makes some reference or other to “the way”, the things that happen “along the way” or “on the way to” or “on the road to”….like the one to Damascus, when Saul was struck down, or the one to Emmaus, which really captures the imagination to think about what took place on that road.

And think about the term “preferential option for the poor.” It’s a strong feature of the Church’s mission that gets overlooked. But note that in that mission, the Church ultimately respects “everyone’s freedom of conscience”. Which means freedom ordered to truth, freedom to do the right thing, as Aquinas elaborated.

Then look at the last words. The poor must be evangelized alright, but we must allow ourselves to, “in turn, be evangelized by them.” Wow.