‘The theological foundation of the incarnation animates the pastoral care of the Church. Everything that is authentically human is also Christian, by virtue of Christ's choice of love to take on our humanity. The Word who became flesh inhabits the experiences of the human and makes them his own. [...] He shares them and transforms them from within, giving them renewed meaning. Work is one of these decisive experiences of Jesus‘ life in Nazareth’. With these words, the Secretary of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (DSSUI), Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, explains why the Church, in its reflection, also deals with the theme of work.
She did so in her speech at the Conference sponsored by the Spanish Episcopal Conference in Ávila, on 23 and 24 November 2024, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the publication of the document ‘The Pastoral Care of Work of the Whole Church’, approved in 1994. A two-day event hosted at the Centro Internacional Teresiano Sanjuanista (CITeS) - ‘Universidad de la Mística’, which was also attended by the Bishop of Ávila, Bishop Jesús Rico García, and the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Ms. Emilce Cuda. An initiative conceived as an opportunity to develop a reflection on the paths that can favour the evangelising mission in the world of work, which was attended by around 200 people including diocesan delegates of the labour pastoral and members of Catholic workers' movements.
Speaking of work as ‘an important dimension of being human’, Sr Smerilli observes that ‘work is yes, a means to live, but it is also so much more. Through work we tell the world who we are, what we know how to do [...]. Work is an expression of our dignity, but it is also commitment, effort, the ability to collaborate with others, because it is always ‘with’ or ‘for’ someone. And therefore it is never a solitary act. Work is cooperation, it is the place where we truly become adults, it is our contribution to making the world more beautiful'. Moreover,' she adds, ’work is always a spiritual activity, because before and behind any work activity [...] there is an intentional act of freedom, which is what makes the difference between a job well done and a job badly done. And it is therefore a noble human activity in every context in which it is performed'.
Highlighting, in the Old and New Testaments, the passages in which work is presented as a characteristic dimension of human beings compared to other creatures, Sr Smerilli cites - among others - St John Paul II's encyclical Laborem exercens to point out that work ‘is grasped not as a burden or fatigue, but as a place of sanctification’; and then Pope Francis‘ encyclical Laudato si’, highlighting that ‘work always presupposes an idea of relationship and makes it explicit: if man destroys the world or pollutes, relationships are sick; if, on the other hand, he cares, it means that the planet comes out beautified'. The recent Fratelli tutti also highlights that ‘fraternity can only be realised in a just understanding and appreciation of work, which allows each person to nurture the seeds that God has planted in each of us’.
Ultimately,' observes the DSSUI secretary, ’all forms of work are about relationships with others. And since work is a relationship, it must include the concept of care, because no relationship can survive without care. [...] Work as care is the promotion of the common good. Care is an integral component of work, enabling it to be transformative'.
In the context of the trip to Ávila, the Secretary of the Dicastery visited the Paul VI Foundation, based in Madrid. A cultural and higher education institution that offers courses of study in the scientific, technological, economic and social disciplines, promoting the dialogue of faith with politics, culture and society, for a leadership centred on the person and founded on the Social Doctrine of the Church.
During her travels, Sr. Alessandra Smerilli was accompanied by C. Maltagliati, an official of the Dicastery.