Continuing Pope St. John XXIII’s reflection on farming, we pick up with the subject of taxation. Yes, the Church teaches that governments do have the right to impose taxes in order to pay for services to the common good. She also teaches that taxation systems should be “based on justice and equity,” meaning that tax raters are “proportioned to the capacity of the people contributing.” The pope point out that this means the system should note the particular challenges facing farmers because “they have to wait longer than most people for their returns, and these are exposed to greater hazards. Consequently, farmers find greater difficulty in obtaining the capital necessary to increase returns.” He also mentions that investors tend to prefer investing in industry rather than agriculture, making it harder for farmers to find adequate capital. So, John XXIII advocates for various systems to provide capital and insurance to farmers at a rate comparable to other sectors of the economy. He then goes on to praise the dignity of farmers and praise their contribution to the common good. It is clear that farmers held a special place in the heart of this pope.
Next, Pope John XXIII turns his attention to the difference between developed nations and nations that are still in the process of developing. He points out that the disparity in living conditions is drastic with nations of similar size and natural resources having vastly different standards of living. Recalling the principle of Solidarity, the pope reminds us that all human beings are members of a “common family” and so we should be concerned for all, not just those most similar to ourselves. In practice, this means that well-off nations have a duty to help those in greater need. When and where nations produce more goods than they need, they have an obligation to see that the excess is not wasted or destroyed, but made available to those who need them. We must no confuse this principle and assume the pope means we simply give stuff to other nations. The greater goal is to assist in their development so they can no only have the basic necessities of life, but also enjoy the dignity of work and relative self-sufficiency (while of course remaining dependent on God). So, the pope repeats his earlier advice and encourages developing nations to ensure that their progress does not come at the expense of their poorest members.
St. John XXIII then warns us of something that we often hear Pope Francis speak of today: colonialism. The obligation of wealthy nations to help poorer nations does not give the wealthy nations permission to control the poorer nations. As we will one day see when we get to Pope Francis’ writings, this extends to ideological colonialism as well. It is unjust to make poor nations agree to certain ideologies as a condition of them receiving economic assistance. Always aware that human beings are prone to pride, greed, and sin in general, John XXIII reminds us that “technical and financial aid” should be given “for the purpose of helping the less developed nations” and never for the sake of personal gain. This is very much an echo of the classic definition of love: to will the good of the other, without seeking one’s own benefit. We should help poorer nations for their sake and not because we’ve concocted some clever scheme of using our wealth and technology to gain control, make more money, or advance some kind of ideological agenda. It is here that the pope laments the inversion of values – the way in which “spiritual values are ignored, forgotten, or denied while the progress of science, technology, and economics is pursued for its own sake.”
John XXIII then takes an opportunity to point out that the Catholic Church is universal and has in fact brought many economic and social advantages to those she has evangelized. Authentic faith and evangelism brings with it a zeal for virtue and a protection of human dignity, which in turn leads to productivity and better living conditions when accepted. Unlike any given nation, the Church is not some merely outside or foreign power, but, by the grace of God, able to be closer to individuals than their own nations. Through the rebirth of faith, man is united to Christ and to other believers in a way deeper than mere location or earthly relationships. John XXIII points to Pius XII who praised the diversity of nations and cultures and rejected a false sense of uniformity. The Church’s universality cuts across national differences, but does not suppress them. Obviously, sinful institutions (human sacrifice for an extreme example) are destroyed by the Church’s influence when possible, but this does not eradicate culture or diversity. Working from within the souls of individuals, the Church seeks to work within nations to enrich them, not dominate them. This is a primarily spiritual task but, as said above, the growth in virtue that comes from conversion often brings some measure of material improvement as well.