Charity to the Poor

The Duty of Charity to the Poor.—(a) According to Canon Law all beneficed clergy (Cardinals excepted) must give all the superfluous fruits of their benefice to charitable or pious causes (Canon 1473). But it is an extremely strict view which holds that all the secular clergy are beneficed.

(b) According to the divine law of charity (see 1226, 1252) even the unbeneficed clergy have the duty of giving alms from their surplus wealth. Thus, it would be unmerciful if a clergyman spent on himself all the fortune he had inherited from his relatives without thought of the poor; it would be often a source of scandal if a priest enriched his relatives with money received in ministerial ways, but left nothing to pious causes.

Canon 1473 on the Disposition of Superfluous Wealth by Beneficed Clergy.—(a) The Money to be Spent.—The Canon does not refer to the property of the Church (i.e., the foundation or endowment of the benefice), for of this the beneficed clergyman is only the administrator, and he would be unjust if he alienated its funds to other purposes; nor does it refer to the clergyman’s own property, such as goods received by inheritance or other profane title (patrimonialia), or by title of personal ministerial service, such as stipends and fees (quasi-patrimonialia). It refers, then, to the revenues of the benefice (e.g., the bishop’s or pastor’s salary) and to the amount that is left over after the deduction of all reasonable and customary expenses that have been made, or could have been made for decent personal support.

(b) The Use of Surplus Money.—The alms should be given to any pious or charitable cause, such as the promotion of divine worship, the assistance of needy missions, the spiritual or corporal works of mercy. The cleric is free to bestow his gift either during his lifetime (which is better) or to leave it in his will.

The Obligation of Canon 1473.—(a) The obligation is most probably not one of justice, since the holder of the benefice owns the superfluous fruits, but one of obedience to the Church. Some authors also consider this precept as binding in virtue of religion and charity, and regard its violation as a sacrilege or sin against charity. The holder of the benefice is not held to restitution, however, since neglect of the precept is not an injustice. As to his successors through gift inter vivos or testament, they are not bound to give the superfluities as an alms, since the church precept was for the cleric himself. Successors to an intestate should observe the wishes of the deceased, but, if the character of the goods they inherit is doubtful, they may usually be left in good faith.

(b) The obligation is grave, since it is commanded as an act of religion, or at least as an act of obedience in a very important matter. From the time of the Apostles it was customary to distribute to the poor what was left over of the goods of the Church, and the clergy were regarded as the fathers and protectors of the needy. Again, since the goods of a benefice originated in gifts offered to God Himself, it is most becoming that their superfluities be devoted to the causes most pleasing to God. Grave matter would be three times the amount required in theft, because a violation of this precept is not the taking of what is not one’s own, but the using in a forbidden way of what is one’s own.

830. Since, in many cases, workers can scarcely sustain and educate themselves and their own by their own strength, especially when the offspring is numerous, or when the father of the family, on account of illness or another cause, cannot work, it is equitable that the master relieve his own workers from his superfluous goods; for, as Cardinal Zigliara said,¹ "the work of the worker yields to the advantage of the master; therefore whenever the latter is driven by the precept of charity in individual cases to exercising the offices of charity, he is also bound to observe the order of charity. This order indeed makes workers carrying out long labor for his utility nearer to the master than other poor persons doing nothing for him. Wherefore a master able to exercise the offices of charity ought to prefer his own workers."

¹ Epistle to the Archbishop of Mechlin, for explaining the Encyclical Rerum Novarum, 1891.

But because it is better to prevent want than to give alms, charity demands that societies be instituted among the wealthier for providing aid to proletarians more wisely and efficaciously. Now, among those which have already been founded in various regions, the following stand out: -

831. 1. Societies for building healthy houses,² which can be rented or sold to workers at a lower price. This indeed is of the greatest importance: for when workers inhabit a decent home, they not only remain in good health, but also think less of entering taverns, and live a domestic life, which greatly favors good morals and social order. Hence among various nations, laws have been enacted by which advantages not to be despised are conferred upon these societies, especially immunity from certain taxes.³ But, in order that houses of this kind may remain healthy, it is very expedient that the wives and daughters of workers learn in schools⁴ the practical art of caring for domestic affairs cleanly and in order.

² Rostand, L'action sociale par l'initiative privee, t. I, p. 147; II, p. 313; Siegfried, Les Habitations a bon marche; Gans and Weber, L'Ouvrier stable et l'Habitation ouvriere, Paris, 1897; H. Barrau, Le Congres internat. des Habitations a bon marche, apud Musee social, July 1900; C. Wright and Gould, The Housing of the Working People, 1895; J. Perez Canto, El Obrero propietario, Santiago de Chile, 1903; Reforme sociale, March 1, 1904, p. 382-395.

³ For France, see P. Pic, op. cit., n. 1368, where the laws of Nov. 30, 1894 and March 31, 1896 are set forth; for other regions, Ann. de legislation etrangere, 1898, p. 546; 1900, p. 26, etc.

⁴ Schools of this kind have been instituted in certain cities, which are called ecoles menageres; concerning which see Van Gehuchten, Guide de la jeune menagere, Lierre (Belgium), 1894; F. de Diesbach, L'enseignement menager, Paris, 1903; Max Turmann, Initiatives feminines, Paris, 1905, p. 87-149.

832. 2. To these can be joined societies which rent gardens to workers gratuitously or sell them at a modest price;⁵ for they can cultivate these by their own hands, and receive fruits from them by which they are helped not a little in domestic affairs. Besides, experience has found that the cultivation of gardens makes relations better between the rich, who rent them gratuitously or for a modest price, and the workers who enjoy the same, - that drunkenness is diminished, - thrift increased, - and the vanity of socialism made apparent, insofar as cultivators of gardens better perceive the utility of private ownership.

⁵ L. Riviere describes the origin, utility, and practical organization of these societies, La Terre et l'Atelier, Jardins ouvriers, Paris, 1904. Cf. D. Lancry, Une visite aux Jardins ouvriers de Sedan, apud Democratie chretienne, Oct. 1897; Lemire, who wrote various things on this matter in the periodical Le Coin de terre et le Foyer.

833. 3. To these can be added various associations of insurance against accidents, old age, or involuntary cessation from labor. For since the workers themselves often cannot pay the whole sum of money for protecting themselves against diverse dangers, it is indeed expedient that they be helped by the wealthier in this matter: this can be done so that when the former provide such a sum of money, benefactors bestow another equal or even twice greater.⁶ - In certain regions, as in Germany, insurance is prescribed by civil law, and a fund is constituted from which pensions can be paid to all workers who labor under illness or old age: to this fund the workers themselves, masters, and the State contribute a determined sum of money. This system indeed has been attacked by many as invading too much the rights of private persons; nevertheless in reality it has had rather happy effects;⁷ whence, in other regions, laws more or less similar to the law which prevailed in Germany are being prepared. Catholics can favor these, watching however that excessive power not be granted to the State, but that their rights be preserved for private societies and individuals.

⁶ L. Lefebure, Le Devoir social, Paris, 1890, p. 217-247; 292-297.

⁷ P. Pic, n. 1388-1391, 1394. - Ibid., n. 1392-1393, what has been established in other regions is set forth; and n. 1396-1397, what has been proposed in France on this matter. Cf. Salaun, Les retraites ouvrieres en Belgique, apud Musee social, June 1901, July 1902; Ghio, Les retraites ouvrieres en Italie, Musee social, Dec. 1902; Lemire, Discours sur les Caisses de retraites ouvrieres; Les Questions actuelles, t. LIX, 1901, pp. 354, 386, 418; t. LX, 1901, p. 2, 72, 107, 112, 130; t. LXVII, 1903, p. 56-63; t. LXXVII, 1905, p. 212, 240.

A remedy cannot be brought so easily to involuntary cessation from labor (chomage force). Yet this brings with it many evils; for it hands over a strong worker to idleness, and to all the vices which follow from it, deprives him of the means of sustaining himself and his own honorably, and not rarely makes the same a beggar, vagabond, and drunkard.⁸ This miserable condition is indeed sometimes alleviated by private charity, especially when not only alms are given, but also labor to be furnished is offered; or also by workers' associations, which provide to their members a modest sum of money until they are hired;⁹ or by those private or public institutions by whose aid workers can more easily be hired (bureaux de placement),¹⁰ without being forced for this reason to undergo useless expenses; and indeed it is very much to be desired that institutions of this kind be multiplied among Catholics. But since, notwithstanding all these means, not a few are forced to be idle from work, in certain regions a new form of insurance has been created, by force of which the fund is increased which workers' associations divide among members hired by no one. Likewise in certain cities subsidies have been granted to these associations; this indeed can be expedient at a time when a special crisis flourishes; but outside this case it is indeed better so to order the production of things that the number of those who involuntarily cease from work is diminished.

⁸ Varlez, Les Formes nouvelles de l'assurance contre le chomage, Paris, 1903, vividly describes these evils, p. 13-15; and also the remedies, p. 23-265; cf. Rostand, t. II, p. 817-897; t. III, p. 609-629; Gide, Econ. sociale, p. 235-244; Crafts, Practical Christian Sociology, New York, 1896, p. 138-146.

⁹ Thus in the periodical Bulletin de l'Office du Travail, June 1903, p. 485-488, it is set forth what the Federation of Typographers furnished in this matter; cf. M. Lecoq, L'Assistance par le Travail en France, Paris, 1900.

¹⁰ Le Bailly, Bureaux Municipaux de Placement gratuit, Paris, 1890.

834. 4. Among workers, women, whether married or unmarried, merit special benevolence. For, on the one hand, other things being equal, they earn less wages than men, so that often they either waste away from hunger or hand themselves over to vice, unless they are helped at an opportune time;¹¹ and, on the other hand, a few weeks before or after childbirth, they ought to cease from labor, if they wish to provide for their own health and that of their offspring. And indeed it is to be desired that mothers can remain at home, for nursing and educating their offspring.¹² - There are certain kinds of labors for which, on account of the weakness of the sex, they are unfit: thus they cannot stand for long hours without undergoing danger of contracting certain illnesses.¹³ - Otherwise, in workshops, women are liable to many temptations, and, unless they are helped, easily fall into vice. Therefore it is necessary that special associations be fostered for bringing remedy to these evils.

¹¹ Concerning this miserable condition of women, among others, these have discussed: J. Simon, L'Ouvriere, Paris, 1861; Ch. Benoist, Les ouvrieres de l'aiguille a Paris, Paris, 1895; d'Haussonville, Miseres et salaires de femmes, Paris, 1900; Bonnevay, Les ouvrieres lyonnaises; Abbe du Lac, Le fil et l'aiguille, Paris, Lecoffre, 1903; M. Turmann, Initiatives feminines, p. 151-250; H. Wadlin, Women in Industry, Boston, 1890; Mary A. C. Reilly, Women Wage Earners; Helen Campbell, Prisoners of Poverty.

¹² Fauquet, La protection legale des femmes avant et apres l'accouchement, Paris, Alcan, 1903; M. Turmann, op. cit., p. 157-165.

¹³ M. Turmann, op. cit., p. 167-193.

In reality, in various regions, societies of wealthier women have been founded for bringing remedy to these evils. First, unions have been instituted in which rich and poor meet together, so that the former may provide the latter with labor, decent habitation, or other helps.¹⁴ There are other unions in which women workers alone meet, for protecting their rights; but to these are often attached societies called mutual, to which wealthier women contribute money and time.¹⁵ - Besides, in order to protect women workers, honorable women have created a league among buyers (ligues d'acheteurs, consumers' league), who promise that they wish to buy nothing except from merchants treating women workers well; thence the condition of women in many workshops has been made not a little better.¹⁶ - To relieve mothers, before or after childbirth, maternal and infant societies have likewise been created, by which care is taken for the health of the mother about to give birth and of infants.¹⁷ Moreover, in order to educate as Christians the children whom the wives of workers are forced to leave at home in order to procure food for themselves and their own, pious women do not disdain to teach catechism.¹⁸

¹⁴ Abbe du Lac, Le fil et l'aiguille; M. Turmann, op. cit., p. 209-222.

¹⁵ Mlle Rochebillard, Synd. d'ouvrieres lyonnaises, Paris, Lecoffre; M. Turmann, op. cit., p. 194-208.

¹⁶ M. Turmann, op. cit., p. 281-324.

¹⁷ M. Turmann, p. 339-335.

¹⁸ M. Turmann, op. cit., p. 256-258: "In the diocese of Paris, nearly three thousand ladies thus contribute to making known the principles of religion to more than thirty-two thousand children." - Concerning another means of alluring the poor to a better life, which in English is called settlement, and in French residence sociale, colonie sociale, see M. Turmann, p. 325-337.

In one word, Christian charity wisely and lovingly accommodates itself to the various necessities of the poor and of workers. But because there are still many women who uselessly spend time in trifles or pleasures, the duty is incumbent upon priests of exhorting Christian girls and wives opportunely and prudently, that they spend not only part of their superfluous goods, but also part of their superfluous time in works of charity: for thus, avoiding the dangers of idleness and luxury, they will show themselves pleasing to God and useful to the neighbor, and in the exercise of charity will experience greater happiness than in earthly pleasures.

835. 5. Even when all these means and others of this kind have been wisely employed, there are certain poor persons who, broken in strength or worn out by old age or illness, cannot suffice for themselves. Therefore various institutions have deservedly been created for helping their necessities. Among these stand out those called Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul, which F. Ozanam happily instituted and propagated;¹⁹ for the members frequently visit the poor, the sick, the aged, and provide them not only temporal food and other things necessary for sustaining life, but also the bread of the divine word and of human consolation. Thus indeed they have profited greatly in soothing the sorrows of many; yet it is very much to be desired that, in our days, they devote themselves more and more to social works, and furnish to strong workers the means by which they may be able honorably to earn daily bread.²⁰

¹⁹ C. A. Ozanam, Vie de Fred. Ozanam, 2nd ed., Paris, Poussielgue, 1882, ch. 4-5, where the beginnings and evolution of these Conferences are described; J. Schatt, Adolphe Baudon, Paris, 1897.

²⁰ In the letter Notre charge apostolique, His Holiness Pius X exhorts bishops to choose priests learned in social matters who are to be placed over works of Catholic action.