Syrian Civil War And Catholic Social Thought

Running head: SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT
Syrian Civil War challenging the Common Good
When I read about the ongoing Syrian Civil War, I completely agreed with the statement
made by Pope Francis who designated it as the “worst humanitarian disaster” after the Second
World War. The conflict continues to devastate lives and property even after eight years after it
began in 2011. World Vision reported that more than twelve million people in Syria are in need
of humanitarian assistance. It also reported that the country’s healthcare systems, hospitals,
schools, sanitation and water systems and other utilities have been completely damaged
(Worldvision.org, 2019). The head of the refugee agency of the United Nations expressed
concern over the issue and stated, “We are witnessing an extended failure of political action by
states to find a solution to this war and an increasing internationalization of the conflict”
(Ncronline.org, 2019).
As evident from the facts mentioned above, the principles of Common Good as well as
other principles of the Catholic Social Thought (CST) have been gravely breached in the war
both globally and locally. However, before I proceed towards explaining the way the principles
were challenged, I must first explain the principles clearly. According to my understanding of the
Common Good principle, every individual on earth deserves to have equal access to all the
resources and equal rights to life. The primary definition of the principle is as follows, “the sum
total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their
fulfillment more fully and more easily”. The principles of Dignity of the Human Person,
Subsidiarity and Solidarity also derive from the Common Good principle because all these talk
about upholding the freedom and dignity of every individual irrespective of caste, creed,
ethnicity, color of the skin and so on.

2
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT
Due to the conflict, thousands of Syrians had to evacuate their land and take refuge in
other countries including Australia. According to the Catholic teachings, migration is a challenge
for communities because it “profoundly impacts society” (Tomasi, 2017). Syrians migrated
heavily to Australia with 12,000 asylum seekers being granted visas in the country
(Thenation.com, 2019). As migrants, the people have had to adjust to the new life and the natives
have had to accept them with warmth and without prejudice. In such situations, the common
good was not completely realized. In the global context, the Syrian conflict affected not only the
people of Syria but also those who were involved in it such as the US, the UK, Russia and other
Arab countries.
Three ways to address the challenge
The Syrian Civil War that began officially on March 15, 2011 resulted in the killings of
thousands of innocent people (Bbc.com, 2019). The war also led to the end of the socio-
economic and cultural ties that “bound neighbors to their community” (Worldvision.org, 2019)..
Viewed from the perspective of the CST principles, the crisis in Syria could be understood as
violating the norms of humanity. The nine principles of CST are the common good, the dignity
of the human person, subsidiarity, solidarity, preferential option for the poor, universal purpose
of goods, stewardship of creation, promotion of peace and participation (Caritas.org.au, 2019).
Achieving the common good is the foundation of all these principles. As the principle of human
dignity explains, each individual’s dignity is recognized when she or he has easy access to water,
food, education, healthcare, employment and leisure. In Syria, the people did not have any access
to these facilities and even if they did, it was very difficult for them to access. The principle of
common good when seen from a global perspective means that humans do not exist to serve their