A. In this connection the greatest and m ost revolutionary aspect o f re
cent years was indicated som e years ago by the GC23 (203-210-212-214)
w hich spoke o f thè “ social dim ension of charity” , o f “education o f young people to com m itm ent and participation in politics”, “a sector som ew hat unrecognized by us, and hence neglected” .
We m ay therefore ask: Has there been som e change perhaps in our sys- tem o f lim iting our politicai activities to those o f the “O ur Father”? Should we perhaps be speaking from the pulpit about everything: violence, terror- ism , politicai rivalries, work etc.? Ought we to take up “Liberation Theolo- gy” ? B ut w hich “liberation theology” ? It seem s reasonable to m aintain that thè initial educational option o f D on B osco and thè consequent personal p roposai o f educators to exclude from their lives a m ilitant approach to politics has conditioned and lim ited thè social and politicai dim ension o f the form ation o f those being educated.
In addition to the objective difficulties created by the diverse politicai regim es w ith w hich D on B osco had to deal, there w ere others arising from educators inclined to conform ism or isolationism , ad those w ith insuffi- cient culture or lack o f know ledge o f thè historical and social context. Per
haps a solution can be found in the generic recourse to the form ula upright citizen and good Christian, or to the other one, clearly m ore restrictive “up
right Citizen” because “good C hristian” .
In any case there is no doubt that that things have changed and are stili changing, and w hile rem aining faithful to thè originai spirit and to the re- new ed C onstitutions, some development should take place, albeit w ith the running o f certain risks, otherw ise we shall go backw ards, dropping out o f history and betraying our m ission. Silence w ould certainly please many, but it w ould be like the pleasure felt by the w o lf at the silence o f the guard- dog w hen it broke into the henhouse.
A s educators we cannot ignore the fact that a billion people are today living in conditions w orse than those o f 15 years ago, that the situation in 89 countries is w orse than that o f 10 years ago, that 25% o f thè w o rld ’s population are living below the poverty level, that 1.4 billion people are living on less than a dollar a day, that 1 billion persons are illiterate. 6.3 billion dollars w ould be sufficient to ensure elem entary schooling for all the inhabitants o f the w orld, w hile in thè U SA alone 8.4 billion dollars are spent every year on cosm etics.
As educators we cannot be indifferent to the eyesore o f the m egalopolis o f thè southern part o f the w orld, the young people w ithout a future, the be- trayal o f the law ful expectations o f the poor, the hunger, pollution and
vio-lence - sm all-scale or institutionalized - the crisis o f ju stice, generalized corruption, the persistence o f a flourishing arm s industry, and in b rief all those elem ents that lead to tears, the shedding o f blood and the death o f mil- lions o f creatures every day. It is a civilization very far from that proposed by Pope Paul VI (“civiltà d e ll’am ore”) and endorsed by his successors.
B. In the light o f all we have said, it w ould seem that today we should proceed in tw o directions: 1. an updated reconfirm ation o f the “social, po
liticai and educative option” o f D on Bosco; 2. a m ore consistent practical em bodim ent o f it in the specific sector o f social and politicai education.
a. As far as the first p oint is concerned w e em phasized this m orning the historical im portance o f Don Bosco. It is to be found in the intellectual and em otive perception - and in the ability to com m unicate it to large num bers o f collaborators, benefactors and adm irers - o f the overall theological and social im plications o f the problem o f “abandoned” youngsters (the utopia o f the universal cooperation o f the faithful). This is a reality that now adays has re a c h e d w ell n ig h im m e a su ra b le d im e n sio n s w ith re s p e c t to D on B osco, both quantitatively (w ith a sw iftly grow ing im balance and a rapid fall in the birth-rate), and qualitatively (w ith w idely differing form s o f so
cial, econom ie and psychological inequality).
b. W ith respect to a reconsideration o f the social quality o f education - already im m anent, though not fully realized. in the fundam ental option for the young - Don B osco’s educational system has som etim es seem ed w eak (also from the standpoints o f statem ents and form ulas) in creating explicit experiences of social com m itm ent in the w idest sense, and also specifically in the politicai sense. A specific theoretical and vital com m itm ent m ust be im posed, inspired by a broader vision o f education itself, together with real- istic and concrete applications. Proclam ations, m anifestations and slogans are not enough. T heoretical concepts and practical operational projects are also needed and m ust be translated into definite and detailed program s.
L et us face the qu estio n i Is the S alesian C o n g reg atio n , the S alesian Family, our ow n Province doing everything possible in this line? Is our sol- id arity w ith you n g p e o p le only an act o f affectio n , so m eth in g we give them , or is it also a com petent contribution, a rational adequate and perti
nent contribution to the needs o f the poorest youngsters and o f m odera so
ciety in generai?
4. A first step forward: educate ourselves and others to politicai