All societies on earth today face the threat of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2. Our economies get paralyzed, and our relationships are disrupted by the pandemic and the lockdown. In the face of the pandemic, we share the same fears and the same hopes. It should be a time of unity and solidarity. Only together we are strong enough to defeat this enemy.
Ordo Socials is a network of theologians and social scientists who appreciate and promote Christian social ethics and the social doctrine of the Church. The global common good is one of the key issues of modern catholic social teaching. It has never been more urgent to fight for this global common good. As a small contribution to these efforts we start to publish impressions and thoughts from our members from all over the world on the epidemic in their home countries and the related socio-ethical challenges.
Prof. Dr. Dennis Gonzalez, St. Vincent School of Theology Quezon City, Metro-Manila (Philippines)
What is the current situation in the Philippines during this pandemic?
Dennis Gonzalez: So far, the health care system is still able to cope because the strict quarantine measures of nearly two months has slowed down the reproduction of cases to a little less than one per infected person. The government, however, has eased the quarantine measures in order to revive the economy, even though it is not able to do enough mass testing with only around 20,000 tests a day in a population of more than 100 million people. Thus, there are reasonable fears that new cases will increase exponentially in a few weeks, and the health care system might be overwhelmed.
The corona-pandemic is not only a challenge for the health care system, but it also causes huge social problems. Can you describe the current social situation and the development with regard to your country?
Gonzalez: With the easing of the quarantine measures, the government wants 50-75% of economic activity lost during the strict quarantine to return. But many ordinary workers, day-laborers, and people in the informal sector are still jobless and, for survival, remain dependent on their relatives and friends and some government relief goods and limited unemployment subsidies. It appears that many lost jobs will not return soon. Also, a survey shows that at least 80% of respondents are afraid to go out of their homes.
Do you fear that the social balance will be permanently damaged by this development? What needs to be done to promote social justice in this crisis?
Gonzalez: The social balance is not (yet) permanently damaged. Many citizens, rich, middle class, and poor are reaching out to the more vulnerable persons and households with inspiring acts of kindness and generosity even to strangers. The government’s relief efforts are uneven and partly hampered by limited resources, inefficiency, and significant corruption. The churches and religious and educational institutions are doing their share especially in helping people find meaning in their struggles, but their financial and technological resources are even more limited.
In the face of the pandemic, all people around the world are “in the same boat”, Pope Francis said. We all share the same fears and the same hopes. What do you think, will this crisis bring the world closer together and even help us to develop an idea of the global common good?
Gonzalez: A crisis, especially of this scale, can bring out the best and the worst in us. We see some people and institutions developing a better vision of local and global society, while others are becoming more protectionist as regards their small or narrow circles of belonging. All conscientious persons, households, communities, and institutions will have to exert effort to help tilt the world toward the better and the best, otherwise the worse and the worst are still on the horizon.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Kohler, Concurrent Professor of Law and Philosophy, Boston College Law School (USA)
What is the current situation in the USA during this pandemic?
Thomas Kohler: The situation in the U.S. is chaotic. In contrast to Germany, for example, our vaunted federalism simply disappeared. States were left to compete with one another and with the federal government in obtaining basic protective equipment such as gowns, gloves and masks, as well as ventilators and other sorts of supplies. There was little co-ordination. States have taken widely different approaches to closures and “re-opening the economy.” This is in itself not a bad thing. The U.S. is vast and different areas were differently affected. Nevertheless, in some cases, states bordering one another did not co-ordinate their policies and procedures, which put the residents of one at danger from the actions of the other. The New England states and states in the West have co-ordinated their approaches. It appears that the federal government is not taking either a leadership role nor does it seem to be acting in a manner of subsidiarity.
The corona-pandemic is not only a challenge for the health care system, but it also causes huge social problems. Can you describe the current social situation and the development with regard to the USA?
Kohler: Many hospitals are in grave financial danger because of the manner of re-imbursement typically used in the U.S., which is fee for service. The numbers of people making hospital visits for treatment has declined steeply. Particularly at risk are hospitals in rural areas—where many hospitals have closed for financial reasons over the past few decades. The pandemic has once more highlighted how many workers have no paid leave, and therefore appear for work while ill.
Do you fear that the social balance will be permanently damaged by this development? What needs to be done to promote social justice in this crisis?
Kohler: Growing income disparities, significant differences in life chances, etc., have an increasing problem in the U.S. for some decades now. The pandemic seems very likely to increase these difficulties. For example, unemployment rates in the U.S. are at record levels, of a sort not seen since the Great Depression. I cannot answer in a few words what needs to be done to promote social justice. A starting point might be the reminder that as human beings, we owe one another obligations. We have duties toward one another. Solidarity is a term unfamiliar to Americans, and our extreme notions of individualism foreclose much discussion of a common good.
In the face of the pandemic, all people around the world are “in the same boat”, Pope Francis said. We all share the same fears and the same hopes. What do you think, will this crisis bring the world closer together and even help us to develop an idea of the global common good?
Kohler: I am doubtful that over the short term, much will move us closer together—I would like to see a start to that within the U.S., and then, like Aquinas’ notions of friendship, for those circles to grow outward. I would love to be pleasantly surprised, however.
