The Justice Legacy of Populorum Progressio: A Jesuit Case Study

Abstract

This essay examines the question “What is the proper role of the church and church organizations in regards to social justice?” It does so in light of the social justice legacy of Populorum Progressio and in three steps. Part I will consider the work of the Jesuit Refugee Service, a major Catholic organization that embodies Paul VI’s integral model in its work with forcibly displaced people around the world. Part II will then consider this experience considering the two major post-conciliar models of mission, starting with the integral framework presented in Populorum Progressio. Finally, this paper concludes by briefly examining the legacy of Paul’s integral model in the papacy of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, who both develops and expands the model offered by Populorum Progressio.