The Wisdom of Pope John Paul I

John writes:

During the 1970s, Albino Luciani, then Patriarch of Venice, wrote a series of letters to various historical and fictional figures for a Christian publication in Italy. In 1976, the collection of letters was published in Italy as a book with the title Illustrissimi, or "To the Illustrious Ones." Luciani would later become pope in 1978, taking the name John Paul. Unfortunately, Pope John Paul I would pass away on September 28, 1978, after a brief reign of only 33 days.

While John Paul I is probably best known for his sudden and tragic passing as well as his humble and friendly demeanor, leading many to dub him the "Smiling Pope," Papa Luciani also had a keen understanding of the world. In his February, 1971 letter to British author Charles Dickens, the future pope makes clear his opinion of capitalism, especially the laissez-faire variety, writing:

"The union of workers in defense of their own rights was, in fact, first declared illegal, then it was tolerated, and finally it was recognized by law. The State at first was a 'policeman-state,' declaring labor contracts a completely private matter, forbidding collective bargaining; the boss had the upper hand; laissez-faire reigned without control. 'Are two bosses after the same worker? Then the worker's wages will rise. Are two workers pleading with a boss for a job? Then wages will drop.' This is the law, people said, and it leads automatically to a balance of power! But, on the contrary, it led to the abuses of a capitalism that was, and in some instances still is, a 'wicked system.'" (Luciani, Albino. Illustrissimi: Letters from John Paul I, trans. William Weaver, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1978: 6).

While recognizing that workers, especially in the First World, had made important gains in rights and living standards, Luciani still understood that much work had to be done as injustice remained even in the rich countries. He writes:

"But even in these privileged countries there are many pockets of poverty and insecurity. Many workers are unemployed or fear for their jobs. They are not always sufficiently protected against accidents, and often they feel treated as mere tools of production and not as human protagonists." (Luciani 1978: 7).

Luciani also discusses the problems of consumerism, the abuse of the natural world and conflicts between the Third World and the rich nations. What answer did the Patriarch of Venice have for suffering humanity? Nothing less than solidarity between people and trust in God, writing:

"We are all in the same boat, filled with peoples now brought closer together both in space and in behavior; but the boat is on a very rough sea. If we would avoid grave mishaps, the rule must be this: all for one and one for all. Insist on what unites us and forget what divides us." (Luciani 1978: 7-8).

In our age of extreme individualism, the words of John Paul I offer us a great challenge. Can we survive as a civilization when we are willing to ignore the degradation of the weak while concentrating only on our own comfort? Will it take even more economic shocks, wars, and other catastrophes to wake us up to the reality that we have not arrived at the "End of History," but instead, are facing the possibility of a grim future? Hopefully, more of us will listen to the wisdom of John Paul I and see that it is impossible to escape the coming storms without faith and solidarity.