As a result of yesterday’s post, a question has come up as to where one can find a copy of the Russian Orthodox Church’s statement, “The Basis of the Social Concept.” Thankfully, you can find an English copy of the document posted by the Russian Orthodox Church herself at https://mospat.ru/en/documents/social-concepts/. It is a document worth reading in that no equivalent document has been published by the hierarchs of the New World.
Let me give you one example. We are in the midst of a national healthcare debate. What does the Russian Church say to us through her document?
XI. 3. For the Church, the problem of personal and national health is not an external and purely social, because it has a direct bearing on her mission in the world damaged by sin and infirmities. The Church is called to participate, in collaboration with state structures and concerned public circles, in the development of such a conception of national healthcare whereby every person would exercise his right to spiritual, physical and mental health and social welfare under maximum life expectancy. …
Without giving preference to any organisational model of medical aid, the Church believes that this aid should be maximum effective and accessible to all members of society, regardless of their financial means and social status, also in the situation of limited medical resources. To make the distribution of these resources truly equitable, the criterion of «vital needs» should prevail over that of «market relations». The doctor should not link the measure of his responsibility for giving medical aid exclusively with the financial reward and its amount, turning his profession into a source of enrichment. At the same time, worthy payment for the work of medical workers appears to be an important task for society and state. …
The Church reminds the faithful that physical health is not self-sufficient, since it is only one of the aspects in the integral human being. It should be admitted, however, that in order to maintain the personal and national health it is important to take preventive measures and to create real conditions for people to engage themselves in physical culture and sports. …
The whole section on health has much more to say to us. But, catch some of what it says here. In the first paragraph, it states that the Church needs to regard the problem of national healthcare as one which is part of the Church’s mission. In that sense, they would agree with those in the USA who have been arguing that it is the Church’s job to take care of the sick. But, in the next sentence, they make it clear that they would not agree with those in the USA who then continue to say that the State has therefore no part in that healthcare. Rather, the Church is to partner, not only with the State, but also with other “concerned public circles,” what we would call non-profits and the UN would call NGO’s, in order to ensure that national healthcare happens.
There is an acknowledgement by the Russian Church that healthcare resources may be limited. Nevertheless, the call is for a national healthcare that distributes medical resources in an “equitable” fashion with priority being given to “vital needs” over “market relations.” In other words, “without giving preference to any organizational model of medical aid,” the Russian Church makes it clear that whatever healthcare system is set up must be national, must be equitable, and must be a partnership between the Church, the State, and NGO’s. In addition, whatever model is set up for healthcare cannot be a purely market-oriented model. A market model is not precluded. But, such a market model could not run without constraints. This would be a market model whose orientation cannot simply be the maximization of profits or an unfettered right to riches. It would be a market model with a different orientation. It would be using the best of the free market to accomplish the best of the mandate for national healthcare. Note that a State-run model of healthcare is not ruled out either. Rather, the statement says that whatever model is chosen, must meet certain criteria.
Can you see why this is a statement worth reading?
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