Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale364

nature in proposing principles capable of guiding individuals and commu-

nities in the pursuit of a social order marked by justice, freedom, fraternal

solidarity and peace. At the heart of that teaching, as you well know, is the

principle of the universal destination of all the goods of creation. According

to this fundamental principle, everything that the earth produces and all that

man transforms and manufactures, all his knowledge and technology, is

meant to serve the material and spiritual development and fulfilment of

the human family and all its members.

From this integrally human perspective we can understand more fully the

essential role which charity plays in the pursuit of justice. My predecessor,

Pope John Paul II, was convinced that justice alone is insufficient to estab-

lish truly humane and fraternal relations within society. ''In every sphere of

interpersonal relationships'', he maintained, ''justice must, so to speak, be

'corrected' to a considerable extent by that love which, as Saint Paul pro-

claims, 'is patient and kind' or, in other words, possesses the characteristics

of that merciful love which is so much of the essence of the Gospel and

Christianity''.2 Charity, in a word, not only enables justice to become more

inventive and to meet new challenges; it also inspires and purifies humanity's

efforts to achieve authentic justice and thus the building of a society worthy

of man.

At a time when ''concern for our neighbour transcends the confines of

national communities and has increasingly broadened its horizon to the

whole world'',3 the intrinsic relationship between charity and justice needs

to be more clearly understood and emphasized. In expressing my confidence

that your discussions in these days will prove fruitful in this regard, I would

like briefly to direct your attention to three specific challenges facing our

world, challenges which I believe can only be met through a firm commit-

ment to that greater justice which is inspired by charity.

The first concerns the environment and sustainable development. The

international community recognizes that the world's resources are limited

and that it is the duty of all peoples to implement policies to protect the

environment in order to prevent the destruction of that natural capital whose

fruits are necessary for the well-being of humanity. To meet this challenge,

what is required is an interdisciplinary approach such as you have employed.

Also needed is a capacity to assess and forecast, to monitor the dynamics of

2 Dives in Misericordia, 14. 3 Deus Caritas Est, 30.