Reviewed Book: Sheridan, Edward F. Do Justice: The Social Teaching of the Canadian Catholic Bishops (1945-1986). Montreal: Editions Paulines, 1987

Pfrimmer, David G. A.

English

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Do Justice: The Social Teaching of the Canadian Catholic Bishops (1945-1986)

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 15Issue 2 Theology of the Cross: Theory and Practice Article 2211-1-1989Do Justice: The Social Teaching of the CanadianCatholic Bishops (1945-1986)David G. A. PfrimmerFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationPfrimmer, David G. A. (1989) "Do Justice: The Social Teaching of the Canadian Catholic Bishops (1945-1986)," Consensus: Vol. 15 :Iss. 2 , Article 22.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol15/iss2/22Book Reviews 141colonizing patterns.” “The feminists envisage the Christian concept of ser-vice not as servitude but as the process of empowerment in community.”What is ministry? “Ministry does not refer to the work of clergy butto the activity of all Christians as they live out their sense of vocation.Ministry is what enables people to live their commitments and expresstheir understanding of the source of their identity and meaning.”Rhodes is listening carefully—and has let us enter the process—to whatan experienced and committed group of feminists have learned throughtheir journeys as ordained clergy and parish pastors. For me, the basicstrength and contribution to ministry and theology of this book is thatit is a forthright and deeply reflective discourse by women about theirown experiences-in- relationship as pertains to the four designated themes:authority, salvation, mission and vocation.This text deserves to be on the reading lists of seminary courses inpastoral theology, especially those dealing with contextual ministry. Givenits affirming and challenging style, it is also a book that needs to be read,digested and discussed by clergy and theologians serving in the field ofministry.Arnold D. WeigelWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryDo Justice! The Social Teaching of the CanadianCatholic BishopsEdited by E. F. Sheridan, S.J.Sherbrooke, Quebec: Editions Paulines, 1987459 pp. $15.00Fr. Sheridan’s recently published volume. Do Justice^ is a welcomeedition for those interested in social justice. In this one volume Sheridanhas brought together the social statements of the Canadian Conference ofCatholic Bishops. Together, they provide a perspective of the recent socialvision of Canada’s Roman Catholic Bishops.With the relecLse of the Bishops’ statement, “Ethical Reflections onthe Economic Crisis” in December 1982, many people were surprised thatthe Canadian Roman Catholic hierarchy should be commenting on suchcamplex subjects. What role does religion have in the world of economicsand politics? In fact, there were many who strongly recommended thatthe Bishops stick to more “religious matters”. In Do Justice^ Fr. Sheridaneffectively documents that such a concern for the world of economics andpolitics and the ensuing effect it has upon people is not something “new” forthe Bishops, nor the Roman Catholic community, nor the broader Christiancommunity for that matter.142 ConsensusDo Justice, in bringing together the various significant social state-ments, briefs, and public letters, has done a great service to RomanCatholics and those interested in social justice. Being able to read many ofthe significant documents together helps the reader see the evolution andcontinuity of Catholic social teaching in Canada. “Ethical Reflections” wasnot a radical departure by uninformed bishops. Rather it was the fruit ofyears of observing Canadian and global reality.Sheridan has captured the essence of these years of observation in awonderful Introduction. These thirty-five pages oflfer a concise yet thoroughsummary of the major events in Roman Catholic social teaching. Beginningwith Rerum Novarum (1891), Sheridan traces the evolution of Catholicsocial teaching through the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the LatinAmerican Bishops Conference in Medellin, Colombia (1968) and in Puebla,Mexico (1979). This global backdrop sets the stage for the social teachingof Canadian Bishops. The Introduction goes on to provide a brief history ofthe Canadian experience since the inception of the Canadian Conference ofCatholic Bishops in 1943, the basic principles that run through the Bishops’teachings, and lastly a section on the structure of the CCCB in order tounderstand better the source of the various statements. The Introduction istruly a gem within the book and a key to understanding the various entriesthat follow.Do Justice offers a helpful example of the role that consistent and com-mitted theological reflection can play in shaping the worldview of a Chris-tian community. While one may not share all the Bishops’ views, one cer-tainly has to respect their social witness which probes beneath the surfaceof their tradition and searches out the theological depths of their faith forimportant truths appropriate for our own time. As Sheridan aptly observesabout the current climate:For many religion has become so privatized, so exclusively a matterbetween the individual and God, that the church should concernitself with public worship, limiting its moral catechesis at most toan individualistic ethics, as though the arecLS of public policy, of thecommon good, of the economy, politics and justice were beyond thejudgement of the Gospel or the concern of church leaders... (32).The result of such a “religion” is a certain shallowness and lack ofsophistication. The work of the Bishops points to a deeper theologicalreality that must be tapped by those pursuing social justice if a crediblewitness is to be made in the corridors of legislature, the marketplace ofbusiness, and the broader social arena.Do Justice is also a helpful resource in the continuing ecumenical part-nership for social justice. When the Canadian Council of Churches wasformed in 1944, a principal reason was to consider the impact of “indus-trialism” on Canadian society. Likewise it is interesting to note that withthe formation of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, one of thefirst units established was the “Social Action Department”. This is evi-dence of a uniquely Canadian approach to “ecumenism” which begins withBook Reviews 143working together for justice and then “dialogue” on the distinctive theolog-ical characteristics of each tradition. Sheridan recognizes this by includingas an appendix a list of the many ecumenical coalitions and inter-churchagencies. Admittedly there hcis not been as much discussion about thetheological baisis for “action (s)” as there has been about the strategies oractions themselves. Do Justice will certainly make a valuable contributionto those discussions and will be a valuable resource for those who want tounderstand better Roman Catholic positions.No single volume can be all things to all readers. While Do Justice doesinclude within many of the footnotes the social context that precipitated aparticular focus, it would have been helpful to have had each document in-clude a brief introductory note. Where these occur, they are most helpful.As well, it would have been helpful if some closing chapter, similar to theintroduction, would have been included. Such a section might have endeav-oured to project the future directions of Roman Catholic social teaching.Given many of the emerging issues such as in the area of bioengineeringand reproductive technologies, it would be interesting to speculate as towhat questions will face our society.Lastly, it would have been interesting and helpful to include a bit ofcritical reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the Bishops’ socialteaching. I realize this may not be appropriate within the context of thecurrent volume. However, each Christian tradition has brought a variety ofgifts and insights to the pursuit of justice and our common understandingof God’s world. As we sharpen our awareness of our own limitations, wealso sharpen our awareness of our important contribution to the work ofsanctification and solidarity.Do Justice is not light reading. It will best serve as a good referenceto be called upon in considering particular social questions. It will notprovide a lot of specific answers, but it will help in developing a fullerreligious-historical perspective on the political and economic questions thatshould be considered in shaping our future. As Sheridan aptly observes,“.. . statements will not make Canada a just society ” However, as hegoes on to say in quoting the Bishops themselves, “Our primary role is tobe moral teachers in society ... we have a responsibility to stimulate ethicalreflections on the values, priorities and structures of this country’s socio-economic order” (43-44). Simply stated. Do Justice may not give us neatlittle answers, but it may help us get the question right!David PfrimmerWaterloo Lutheran Seminary Institute for Christian Ethics

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Do Justice: The Social Teaching of the Canadian Catholic Bishops (1945-1986)

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