Today, December 20, is Human Solidarity Day. The UN has identified solidarity “as one of the fundamental and universal values that should underlie relations between peoples in the 21st century.”
The UN was “founded on the basic premise of unity and harmony among its members, expressed in the concept of collective security that relies on the solidarity of its members to unite “to maintain international peace and security.”
“It is in the spirit of solidarity that the organisation relies on “cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character” as well…Solidarity is identified in the Millennium Declaration as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st century, wherein those, who either suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most.
Consequently, in the context of globalisation and the challenge of growing inequality, strengthening of international solidarity is indispensable.”
Solidarity is a fundamental social justice principle. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to solidarity as a “virtue” (no. 1942). It is linked to the principle of the common good, which recognises our shared humanity and our interdependence.
The Catholic Church teaches that “we are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other transcend national, racial, economic and ideological differences.
Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that ‘loving our neighbour’ has global dimensions in an interdependent world.”
The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) produced 16 official documents, categorised as four Constitutions, three Declarations, and nine Decrees. The last text issued was “Gaudium et Spes,” the “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.”
December 7, 2025, marked the 60th anniversary of this important document. The “common good” is defined in Gaudium et Spes by Pope St Paul VI as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily.”
The opening words of this document are worth noting: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.”
And see para 27 for a list of some of the “infamies” that “poison human society, ” those who practice them and dishonours the Creator.
In our fragmented world in which individualism and selfishness threaten to overwhelm us, it is essential that we commit to promote the virtue of solidarity. Only then will we stand a better chance of building a more just and equitable world.
Pope St John Paul II said in his encyclical Solicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) that solidarity is an authentic moral virtue, “not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress … On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say the good of all … because we are all really responsible for all” (no. 38).
Pope Francis rightly said solidarity involves creating a mindset which thinks “in terms of community and the priority of life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few.”
More than that, he says solidarity “is a matter of justice...While modern society places more importance on one’s own interests regardless of or even to the detriment of others…(true Christians) ban individualism in order to encourage sharing and solidarity...The many situations of inequality, poverty and injustice, are signs not only of a profound lack of fraternity, but also of the absence of a culture of solidarity.”
And in his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, he said: “Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community. It means that the lives of all are prior to the appropriation of goods by a few” (no. 116).
The UN reminds us that “International Human Solidarity Day is:
• A day to celebrate our unity in diversity;
• A day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements;
• A day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity;
• A day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty eradication;
• A day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.”
Let’s build a culture of solidarity in T&T/the world.
