A Church in Solidarity is a patriotic and social duty in the face of the abandonment of the elderly.

Translated by: Rubén David Bonilla Ramos
Edited by: Erica Saunders

On one occasion, I came across an article written by Josean Ramos (a Puerto Rican writer and journalist) for the University of Puerto Rico's University Newspaper Diálogo. In it, he shared about a Boricua Songbook that was created with "war songs" that emerged in both World Wars. One of these songs was "Despedida" written by Don Pedro Flores, portraying a man going to war, concerned about leaving his poor mother unattended. "It only breaks my soul and condemns me. To leave my mom so alone, my poor mother who is still alive. Who will remember her in my absence?" These lines capture the anguish a son or daughter might feel when fearing their parents will be left alone in their absence. It is unfortunate that today this anguish seems non-existent for many in Puerto Rico when we see the neglect suffered by the elderly in the island's hospitals.

According to the Department of Family, by mid-2023 there had been a reported 125% increase in cases of elderly people abandoned in hospitals. For the fiscal year 2017-2018, the reported cases were 285 compared to the fiscal year 2022-2023 with a preliminary number of cases rising to 769, as reported by Felipe Gómez Martínez.[1] The lamentable reality of what is happening with this population in Puerto Rico is that they not only suffer abandonment but also struggle with issues like a lack of doctors, economic and physical limitations to afford their various services, rent, and food. Simultaneously, they experience abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation, according to reports from the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control in Geriatrics.[2] Faced with this reality of Puerto Rico's elderly, I wonder if, as Christians, we are concerned about this problem with our aging population. What missionary role should the Puerto Rican Christian Church have in the face of this problem?

Eugenio María de Hostos, in his work "Social Morality," spoke of the "duty of duties." Initially, when Hostos refers to the "duty of duties," he means fulfilling all the duties and rights each person has, and the fulfillment of each right is a duty that should be carried out at all times and under all circumstances; this duty goes beyond the individual, encompassing the duty to the family, the neighboring community, society, the homeland, and ultimately, all humanity.[3] For Hostos, humans are not just biological components, but also social ones. Through his thought, it seems Hostos invites us to care for the community of elderly people as an integral part of our lives. Don Pedro illustrated in his song the soldier's fear of his mother's loneliness. For Hostos, the duty of duties involves a social responsibility that addresses, with solidarity and love, the needs of the elderly communities on the island. Hostos said that our "duty of duties" is a social responsibility not just with our own race or origin. Our duty is to fight for the rights of our elderly and to be in solidarity, feeling the weight, the responsibility, and the love to assist those forgotten people.

The Hebrew Bible considers old age as a symbol of wisdom, justice, and dignity.[4] Hostos believed in the value of each person, in the right of every human being to learn and become transformed through education to create a better homeland. It seems important, then, to embrace the desire to dignify the lives of the elderly living in solitude.

What is the role of the Puerto Rican Christian Church with this community? The theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, in his book "Theology of Liberation: Perspective," suggests that the church's participation should focus on two roles: prophetic (protest) and solidarity.[5] The Christian Church has been called to point out the oppression experienced by marginalized communities, denouncing injustices and being a sympathetic voice for the oppressed and undervalued. Likewise, it is called to denounce itself when it remains silent and does not practice solidarity with marginalized communities. The church must be an active representative in the struggle and dignification of every marginalized community, imitating the representative action of God through His incarnation in Jesus.

Christian theologian Jon Sobrino claims that "Jesus is the one who carries out a practice aimed at transforming an oppressive society into a society of fraternity and justice, in accordance with the ideal of the Kingdom of God."[6] According to Sobrino, the church's mission consists of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, and this Good News is not limited to orthodoxy (correct doctrine)[7] but is embodied in orthopraxis (correct practice)[8] seeking to transform society through solidarity. For Gutiérrez, solidarity is "a way of life, a break with one's social class of origin, contributing to the poor and dispossessed becoming aware of their situation of exploitation and seeking to free themselves from it."[9] This definition is, in turn, a pointer to the questioning of the Puerto Rican Christian Church and its active participation with the elderly communities in Puerto Rico.

Assuming active and effective responsibility for the elderly in our country transcends social duty and becomes a patriotic one. For Hostos, each individual is indebted to others through a bond of gratitude. This bond compels us to be people connected with our family and our common society. In this way, this bond "relates the individual to the National Society," which evokes "a true duty of patriotism."[10] The Puerto Rican Christian Church should similarly emulate this feeling of true patriotism from solidarity and action in favor of the elderly. It is meritorious that the Puerto Rican Christian Church contributes to a better homeland, as Hostos refers to when we exercise the duty of duties through the bond of gratitude, and we as the Puerto Rican Christian Church can achieve this through establishing the Kingdom of Christ through the message of the good news of His Gospel.

———————————————————————

Notes:

[1] Felipe Gómez Martínez, “Incrementan los casos de abandono a envejecientes”, Wapa.tv.com. 16 de julio de 2023, in https://wapa.tv/noticias/locales/incrementan-los-casos-de-abandono-a-envejecientes/article_b9eed008-243d-11ee-8d6b-f3e99cde1.doc.html Accessed January 17, 2023.

[2] R. Díaz-García, M. R. Felici, A. Cases, y K. Ruiz-Serrano. “Adulto Mayor 2019”, en División de Prevención y Control de Enfermedades Crónicas Programa de Geriatría (Puerto Rico: Secretaría de Promoción para la Salud del Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, 2021), in https://www.salud.gov.pr/CMS/DOWNLOAD/5543 Accessed February 11, 2023.

[3] Eugenio María de Hostos, La Moral Social (Santo Domingo: Colección Pensamiento Dominicano, 1968), 107, 112.

[4] R. Esteban Montilla, “Viviendo la tercera edad: un modelo integrar de consejería para el buen envejecimiento” (Barcelona: Clie, 2004), 28. 

[5] Gustavo Gutiérrez, Teología de la liberación: Perspectiva, 7ma ed. (Salamanca: Ediciones Sígueme, 1975), 386.

[6] Jon Sobrino, “Cristología desde América Latina: Esbozo a partir del seguimiento del Jesús histórico”, 2a ed., Colección teológica latinoamericana (Ciudad México: Ediciones CRT, 1977), 136.

[7] Justo González, Diccionario manual teológico, (Barcelona: CLIE, 2010), 210.

[8] González, Diccionario manual teológico, 211. 

[9] Gutiérrez, Teología de la liberación: Perspectiva, 383.

[10] Hostos, La Moral Social, 57-58