Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1062

of the natural moral law. This has led, in effect, to the imposition of a notion

of law and politics which ultimately makes consensus between states - a

consensus conditioned at times by short-term interests or manipulated by

ideological pressure - the only real basis of international norms. The bitter

fruits of this relativistic logic are sadly evident: we think, for example, of the

attempt to consider as human rights the consequences of certain self-centred

lifestyles; a lack of concern for the economic and social needs of the poorer

nations; contempt for humanitarian law, and a selective defence of human

rights. It is my hope that your study and reflection during these days will

result in more effective ways of making the Church's social doctrine better

known and accepted on the international level. I encourage you, then, to

counter relativism creatively by presenting the great truths about man's

innate dignity and the rights which are derived from that dignity. This in

turn will contribute to the forging of a more adequate response to the many

issues being discussed today in the international forum. Above all, it will help

to advance specific initiatives marked by a spirit of solidarity and freedom.

What is needed, in fact, is a spirit of solidarity conducive for promoting as

a body those ethical principles which, by their very nature and their role as

the basis of social life, remain non-negotiable. A spirit of solidarity imbued

with a strong sense of fraternal love leads to a better appreciation of the

initiatives of others and a deeper desire to cooperate with them. Thanks to

this spirit, one will always, whenever it is useful or necessary, work in colla-

boration either with the various non-governmental organizations or the re-

presentatives of the Holy See, with due respect for their differences of nature,

institutional ends and methods of operation. On the other hand, an authentic

spirit of freedom, lived in solidarity, will help the initiative of the members of

non-governmental organization to create a broad gamut of new approaches

and solutions with regard to those temporal affairs which God has left to the

free and responsible judgement of every individual. When experienced in

solidarity, legitimate pluralism and diversity will lead not to division and

competition, but to ever greater effectiveness. The activities of your organi-

zations will bear genuine fruit provided they remain faithful to the Church's

Magisterium, anchored in communion with her pastors and above all with the

successor of Peter, and meet in a spirit of prudent openness the challenges of

the present moment.