By her very mission, "the Church . . . travels the same journey as all humanity and shares the same earthly lot with the world: she is to be a leaven and, as it were, the soul of human society in its renewal by Christ and transformation into the family of God."GS 40 # 2. Missionary endeavor requires patience. It begins with the proclamation of the Gospel to peoples and groups who do not yet believe in Christ,Cf. RMiss 42 47. continues with the establishment of Christian communities that are "a sign of God's presence in the world,"AG 15 # 1. and leads to the foundation of local churches.Cf. RMiss 48-49. It must involve a process of inculturation if the Gospel is to take flesh in each people's culture.Cf. RMiss 52-54. There will be times of defeat. "With regard to individuals, groups, and peoples it is only by degrees that [the Church] touches and penetrates them and so receives them into a fullness which is Catholic."AG 6 # 2.
If forms of property unknown in the past take on significant importance in the process of economic and social development, nonetheless, traditional forms of property must not be forgotten. Individual property is not the only legitimate form of ownership. The ancient form of community property also has a particular importance; though it can be found in economically advanced countries, it is particularly characteristic of the social structure of many indigenous peoples. This is a form of property that has such a profound impact on the economic, cultural and political life of those peoples that it constitutes a fundamental element of their survival and well-being. The defence and appreciation of community property must not exclude, however, an awareness of the fact that this type of property also is destined to evolve. If actions were taken only to preserve its present form, there would be the risk of tying it to the past and in this way compromising itCf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 69: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 58 (1966) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1966), 1090-1092.. An equitable distribution of land remains ever critical, especially in developing countries and in countries that have recently changed from systems based on collectivities or colonizationCf. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land. The Challenge of Agrarian Reform(23 November 1997), 27-31: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1997, pp. 28-31.. In rural areas, the possibility of acquiring land through opportunities offered by labour and credit markets is a necessary condition for access to other goods and services. Besides constituting an effective means for safeguarding the environment, this possibility represents a system of social security that can be put in place also in those countries with a weak administrative structure.
The relationship of indigenous peoples to their lands and resources deserves particular attention, since it is a fundamental expression of their identity.Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, Manaus (10 July 1980): AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 72 (1980) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1980), 960-961. Due to powerful agro-industrial interests or the powerful processes of assimilation and urbanization, many of these peoples have already lost or risk losing the lands on which they live,Cf. John Paul II, Homily at the Liturgy of the Word with the Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon Valley (5 February 1985), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 77 (1985) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1985), 897- 898; cf. also Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land. The Challenge of Agrarian Reform (23 November 1997), 11, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1997, p. 17. lands tied to the very meaning of their existence.Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 974-975. The rights of indigenous peoples must be appropriately protected.Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala (7 March 1983), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 75 (1983) at vatican.va — list of its scanned parts (1983), 742-743; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada (18 September 1984), 7-8: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See) (1988), 421-422; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador (31 January 1985), II,1: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 77 (1985) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1985), 861; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 10: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 976-977. These peoples offer an example of a life lived in harmony with the environment that they have come to know well and to preserve.Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 974-975; John Paul II, Address to Native Americans (14 September 1987), 4: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 21 September 1987, p. 21. Their extraordinary experience, which is an irreplaceable resource for all humanity, runs the risk of being lost together with the environment from which they originate.
If forms of property unknown in the past take on significant importance in the process of economic and social development, nonetheless, traditional forms of property must not be forgotten. Individual property is not the only legitimate form of ownership. The ancient form of community property also has a particular importance; though it can be found in economically advanced countries, it is particularly characteristic of the social structure of many indigenous peoples. This is a form of property that has such a profound impact on the economic, cultural and political life of those peoples that it constitutes a fundamental element of their survival and well-being. The defence and appreciation of community property must not exclude, however, an awareness of the fact that this type of property also is destined to evolve. If actions were taken only to preserve its present form, there would be the risk of tying it to the past and in this way compromising it Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 69: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 58 (1966) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1966), 1090-1092.. An equitable distribution of land remains ever critical, especially in developing countries and in countries that have recently changed from systems based on collectivities or colonization Cf. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land. The Challenge of Agrarian Reform(23 November 1997), 27-31: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1997, pp. 28-31.. In rural areas, the possibility of acquiring land through opportunities offered by labour and credit markets is a necessary condition for access to other goods and services. Besides constituting an effective means for safeguarding the environment, this possibility represents a system of social security that can be put in place also in those countries with a weak administrative structure.
The relationship of indigenous peoples to their lands and resources deserves particular attention, since it is a fundamental expression of their identity. Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, Manaus (10 July 1980): AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 72 (1980) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1980), 960-961. Due to powerful agro-industrial interests or the powerful processes of assimilation and urbanization, many of these peoples have already lost or risk losing the lands on which they live, Cf. John Paul II, Homily at the Liturgy of the Word with the Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon Valley (5 February 1985), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 77 (1985) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1985), 897- 898; cf. also Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land. The Challenge of Agrarian Reform (23 November 1997), 11, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1997, p. 17. lands tied to the very meaning of their existence. Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 974-975. The rights of indigenous peoples must be appropriately protected. Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala (7 March 1983), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 75 (1983) at vatican.va — list of its scanned parts (1983), 742-743; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada (18 September 1984), 7-8: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See) (1988), 421-422; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador (31 January 1985), II,1: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 77 (1985) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1985), 861; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 10: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 976-977. These peoples offer an example of a life lived in harmony with the environment that they have come to know well and to preserve. Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 4: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 974-975; John Paul II, Address to Native Americans (14 September 1987), 4: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 21 September 1987, p. 21. Their extraordinary experience, which is an irreplaceable resource for all humanity, runs the risk of being lost together with the environment from which they originate.