Father John Flynn, Zenit news agency
October 29, 2006

A recent Vatican document summarizing some of the lessons learned in the fight against corruption recommends increased public exposure of wrongdoers and punishment for the guilty, as well as more cooperation between governments in extraditing criminals.

On October 4, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace published a note entitled “The Fight Against Corruption,” following a symposium held early in June of this year in the Vatican, where high-level representatives of international organizations, together with scholars and diplomats, discussed the ravages of corruption with Holy See officials.

Corruption has always existed, the note acknowledges, but in recent years it is drawing greater attention and action. There is also a growing awareness of the damage it causes, both for richer nations and developing countries. This process was stimulated by the end
of ideological divisions following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the increased flow of information due to globalization, Father John Flynn writes for the Zenit news agency.

Calculating precisely the level of corruption is difficult, and estimates vary widely, he  notes.

The Vatican document observes that the phenomenon of corruption is not limited by politics or geography and is prevalent in all areas of society, not just among public officials or the business sector.

Corruption, it said, “exploits the human person, disdainfully using men and women for selfish interests” and “represents an obstacle for achieving the common good, because it is based on individualistic criteria of selfish cynicism and illicit special interests.”

As well, the note continued, “corruption contradicts solidarity, because it gives rise to injustice and poverty. And it harms the poor, by distorting the distribution of resources intended for them.”

To counteract these dangers, the church proposes what it terms a “human ecology.” A concept set out by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical “Centesimus Annus,” which conceives corruption as a breakdown in human ecology as a result of families failing to transmit moral values, unjust laws and degraded social conditions.

Other factors facilitating corruption include a lack of transparency in international finances, with the corrupt being able to make use of financial havens. In addition, the lack of cooperation among states, and the differences in their legal systems, complicates matters. In some countries the lack of a free press, or a well-functioning democracy, means that corruption is easier to get away with.

At the international level, there needs to be greater transparency in economic and financial transactions and a move to uniformity of legislation. The note also recommends more cooperation between governments in extraditing criminals, given the international nature of organized crime.

These efforts can be assisted by international conventions, but they need to be actively implemented by all countries. Poor countries require help in fighting against corruption as their legal systems are often inadequate. Attention is also required to avoid corruption
resulting from the activities of international companies or agencies in underdeveloped countries.

Reducing bribery by companies from wealthier countries has been helped by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Anti-Bribery Convention. But OECD membership does not extend to developing nations, meaning that nations such as China, India and Russia remain outside the treaty.

The Vatican note concludes by recommending the part local churches can play in fighting against corruption by helping to form a civil conscience and in promoting a society governed by law.

“They will have plenty of work to do,” writes Father Flynn. www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3760 [PDFver here]