No one, then, can remain excluded because of his or her place of birth, much less because of privileges enjoyed by others who were born in lands of greater opportunity. The limits and borders of individual states cannot stand in the way of this. As it is unacceptable that some have fewer rights by virtue of being women, it is likewise unacceptable that the mere place of one’s birth or residence should result in his or her possessing fewer opportunities for a developed and dignified life.
Development must not aim at the amassing of wealth by a few, but must ensure “human rights – personal and social, economic and political, including the rights of nations and of peoples”. 99Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30 December 1987), 33: AAS 80 (1988), 557. The right of some to free enterprise or market freedom cannot supersede the rights of peoples and the dignity of the poor, or, for that matter, respect for the natural environment, for “if we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all”. 100Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 95: AAS 107 (2015), 885.
Business activity is essentially “a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving our world”. 101Ibid., 129: AAS 107 (2015), 899. God encourages us to develop the talents he gave us, and he has made our universe one of immense potential. In God’s plan, each individual is called to promote his or her own development, 102Cf. Saint Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 265; Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 16: AAS 101 (2009), 652. and this includes finding the best economic and technological means of multiplying goods and increasing wealth. Business abilities, which are a gift from God, should always be clearly directed to the development of others and to eliminating poverty, especially through the creation of diversified work opportunities. The right to private property is always accompanied by the primary and prior principle of the subordination of all private property to the universal destination of the earth’s goods, and thus the right of all to their use. 103Cf. Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 93: AAS 107 (2015), 884-885; Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 189-190: AAS 105 (2013), 1099-1100.