Our religions traditions can be powerful forces for change. The way in which that will operate in society will change in each context.
We need to look positively of course at the contribution religion can make to society. It is generally accepted, as Jacques Racine has admirably pointed out, that religion can help society and the people in society discover meaning in their life together. It can contribute to sustaining in particular those who are marginalized, who suffer setbacks, who are seriously ill or who are in prison. Religion can help us find common ground in living together and in resolving conflicts. Our religious traditions believe it is important to contribute a sense of transcendence, of reconciliation and of solidarity to society. Religions can help orient and sustain the search for peace.
In the Catholic tradition there is a wealth of possibilities for making a significant contribution to society. For example the little-known social doctrine of the Church can support the dignity of the human person, the responsablity for participation in society, the search for the common good. It insists on the universal destination of goods, in other words, sharing, solidarity. Finally, the social doctrine of the Church insists on the principle of subsidiarity: that decisions be made at the level of those who are most affected. The Catholic tradition, with its option for the poor, demands that society include those who are marginalized.
