The YCW brings a perspective of work in dignity

By Dr. Heiner Wilmer SCJ

Bishop of Hildesheim, President of the Commission for Social and Societal Issues (VI) of the German Bishops' Conference

I send you my warmest greetings and congratulate you on the centenary of the Young Christian Workers (YCW). 100 years—on such anniversaries, it is customary to congratulate the centenarian on a lifetime of achievements and honor their accomplishments in the final stages of their life. But the YCW is different: it is a centenarian bursting with youth!

You are celebrating this as it should be, with an impressive program for a gathering of generations and international exchange. What would your founder, the future Cardinal Joseph Léon Cardijn, have said if he had known this in Brussels in the early days of your movement? He would certainly have been very proud. At the same time, I imagine he would be shocked by the working conditions that many people around the world still face every day. This is not a problem specific to one country—an international organization like the YCW certainly knows this better than I do. We are confronted with the concerns and problems of working people, especially young people and young adults, on our own doorstep in every country, wherever we live.

The YCW advocates a Christian and socio-ethical attitude

The YCW has a proven tool for identifying situations of abuse, recognizing them as such, and then empowering people to take responsibility. The formula for this method, which is also found in the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, is “see - judge - act.” If we commit ourselves to others in the footsteps of Christ, this is at least as necessary today as it was when the YCW was founded in 1925. I associate the attitude of the YCW above all with the following values and principles: human dignity, solidarity and justice, education and training, tolerance and an international outlook. These values and principles are reflected in the Christian view of humanity and society. I share the attitude of the YCW, which means that for me, for our dioceses, for the German Bishops' Conference and for the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) in Brussels, these values and principles are indispensable.

The YCW brings a perspective of work in dignity

Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclical letter Laborem exercens that work serves to make us “more human.” Pope Francis said during his general audience on May 1, 2013: “Work [...] fills us with dignity; it makes us similar to God.” This is the key point and the appropriate conclusion: good work is based on the dignity of every human being. On this subject, on April 2, 2025, the Commission for Social and Societal Issues of the German Bishops' Conference published a discussion paper entitled “The Reconciliatory Power of Work.” We are aware that the world of paid work causes conflicts, differences of interest, and questions of distribution. But it is precisely in the face of poor working conditions that we draw attention to the positive power of work. For work is not only a means to an end. Good work contributes to a fulfilling life and good coexistence. It creates community, because work brings together people from different backgrounds and with different life experiences. The YCW realized 100 years ago that work needed an ethical compass and that it presupposed the equal dignity of every human being.

Source : https://www.la-croix.com/Definitions/Bible/Saint-Joseph/Saint-Joseph-artisan

The YCW aims to promote the skills and social participation of young people

To achieve this, a good social and training policy is needed to enable people to do their jobs and participate in social life. Good work can therefore also be a place where democracy is learned in practice: in everyday working life, we learn to get involved, take responsibility and tolerate different opinions. These are not secondary things – they are basic democratic training! Work thus enables people to participate in social life. This has always been your goal within the YCW, especially for young people – in accordance with the spirit of your founder Joseph Cardijn. Thus, the conviction that “The life of a young worker is worth more than all the gold in the world, for he is a child of God” is perhaps more relevant than ever. That is why I would like to encourage you in your commitment to the YCW and send you my warmest regards, wishing you every success for at least the next 100 years and God’s blessing for your activities.

Bonn/Hildesheim, April 2025

Dr. Heiner Wilmer SCJ Bishop of Hildesheim, President of the Commission for Social and Societal Issues (VI) of the German Bishops' Conference and Bishop Delegate to the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE)