To the Officials of the Bureau International du Travail (BIT)

On Tuesday, 15 June 1982, the Holy Father addressed the Officials of the Bureau of International du Travail (BIT), to whom he spoke of the need for collaboration between competing ideologies. And yet "the search for a platform of understanding and a common denominator should not derive from a certain neutral agnosticism, but rather from the desire to arrive at a superior objective truth, placed above the limiting ideologies that are at the service of selfish blocs." It is here that Christianity historically has played a central role. 

1. I was very pleased to join this private meeting, as it offers me the opportunity to establish a more personal dialogue with you about the meaning

Ladies and gentlemen, and value of your work in the service of social justice. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your role as international officials at the prestigious institution that is the Bureau International du Travail, and through you I extend my greetings and thanks to all those who carry out their work in the service of international social justice.

The exercise of your profession requires a balanced synthesis between human qualities, specific preparation, professional competence , experience, constructive and disinterested collaboration, and all of this must be oriented towards an ideal of justice and peace. If it is true that any act takes meaning and value from the purpose towards which it is directed, your work is certainly very noble. I hope that the austerity inherent in this complex office work, of which you yourselves sometimes only know partial aspects, never weakens in you that ideal of social justice on which the International Labor Organization is based and which inspired them. through the generations people eager for equality, peace, human dedication. In this regard, we cannot help but remember the figure of Albert Thomas, the first Director General of the BIT, whose fiftieth anniversary of his death this year marks.

2. As international officials, the justice you intend to promote is an international common good , which does not mean the sum of private goods, but rather a set of conditions essential to the development of each man and the orderly and peaceful life of peoples. Regardless of the problems that characterize your country of origin, you will have to keep alive a spirit of openness, of universal synthesis , you will have to rise to a higher level, the aim of which is justice for all and total justice. You will have to consider the complex reality and the real and specific good of the people and groups in question, beyond the interests of this or that group, beyond simple economic and political objectives, finally beyond unilateral or fragmentary conceptions of ideology or certain sciences. This is one of the many reasons why it is right that you form a permanent corps of international officials equipped with a strong perception of what the international common good is, in order to communicate it to those who have a less broad horizon of vision. You open up perspectives. In analyzing problems you highlight aspects that would otherwise go unnoticed, or at least minimized. Intelligently try to reconcile divergent interests and unblock paralyzing opposition. Isn't this a task of primary importance?

3. In your profession you always find yourself faced with conceptions, systems, groups which undoubtedly have complementary, but also sometimes opposite, aspects. This situation forces you to use the method of agreement, of collaboration between different elements, which moreover corresponds to the complex character of our society. However, the search for a platform of understanding and a common denominator should not derive from a certain neutral agnosticism, but rather from the desire to arrive at a superior objective truth, placed above the limiting ideologies that are at the service of selfish blocs. The fight for social justice is worthy of this name when it is a fight for the truth of man, inspired by love for man himself, without discrimination.

4. Christianity fits into this context , with its historical contribution and its original contribution. This was well understood by Albert Thomas, who, despite belonging to a different social movement, made use of Christian-inspired forces from the beginning to realize his great project of international justice. For the Church and for Christians it is their duty to provide with the utmost honesty and a spirit of fraternal collaboration their point of view and their zeal in building an international economic order based on justice and inspired by love. As I was saying this morning, they put man in first place: yes, man considered as the subject, central point and end of all economic activity. With testimony and commitment they seek, imitating the example of their Master, to favor the poor and developing countries. For this reason I hope that the collaboration between the ILO and the Church , which already has a tradition, can intensify more and more and give the best results for the good of international society.

5. I express to all those who welcomed me here and who listened to me, deep gratitude and cordial wishes: first of all for the serenity of their work and the effectiveness of their efforts at the Bureau International du Travail; so that a spirit of collaboration, and dare I say brotherhood, continues to exist among all those who work in this institution; and for all your loved ones. I think of your families, of your dear children whom I now greet with pleasure. I wish these young people to grow in joy and in the spirit of service, enriched by the experience deriving from having attended these international centers in Geneva, and accompanied by the friendship of God who is never far from any of us.

May God bless you all!

© Copyright 1982 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Copyright © Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana