PUT MAN, NOT MONEY, AT THE CENTER OF WORK

VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was Pope John Paul's Letter to Laurent Katame, president of the World Movement of Christian Workers, on the occasion of its general assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Written in French, it is dated May 7.

"By their work," the Pope writes, "men have the mission of building a just and fraternal world, where the place and the dignity to which workers have a right is recognized. By caring for creation, they preserve and develop the goods of the earth. Doing this makes them turn to God, Whose creative work they extend. ... Work also turns man towards his brothers by putting into practice love for one's neighbor."

He underlines that the world movement "must, at all of its levels, have solicitude for the spiritual, moral and intellectual formation of its members.
Saying "work is not all there is to life," John Paul II stresses the importance of "leisure time, personal and family life and Sunday rest which allows one to turn towards God."

He also underscores the importance of putting man, not money, at the center of work, especially in view of the phenomenon of globalization. Writing of the "enormous transformations which today overwhelm economies and the world of work, ... the great technological advances and new political and cultural situations," the Pope says "no one must be resigned to a globalization which is founded solely on economic criteria. ... Workers should commit themselves to avoid the dangers of a globalization and technology which crush people."

The Holy Father asked that "special attention be given to young people looking for their first job, to the unemployed, and to those with insufficient wages or who lack material means."

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