DEFORM OR STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES

After watching a tv documentary about supporters of Franco's dictatorship nowadays, there was some reference to the so called "curas obreros", those priests that got close to the working class and became active defending their rights, opposing the regime and thus, the more official sectors of the pro-Franco Catholic Church. I quite disagree with religious hierarchies and those powerful ones boastful about religious values but who seem to think more about power and structures rather than about the people. I had already heard about that sort of leftist priests several years ago but this time something else came to my mind; what about in left-wing regimes? I thought of the story of Jerzy Popiełuszko, who ended up being a victim of the Polish communist regime, because of his struggle together with workers to defend social and labour rights. We might oppose many aspects of Catholic Church and not even consider ourselves christian (and much less catholic), but the values behind the actions toward a fair society, healthier communities, the protection of rights and better conditions are to be praised. Besides, in my opinion, such postures within the Church are more coherent with the religious message of Christianism. What matters should be the well being of people, as a community, the construction of tight bonds which enable a more peaceful and harmonious society, not those baroque discourses from the hierarchy, formalities and closeness to power. I see several dichotomies here:

• togetherness vs. conflict based on confrontation or emphasizing differences
• bonds beyond identities vs. poisoning identities to divide people,
• comforting people vs. remaining powerful,
• realism and closeness to real lives of communities vs. fictional and distant dimension of formality and power (closeness to the power, politics)
• flexibility vs. dogmatism

What matters should be making the society a better place, not getting better lives for a few by means of the society.