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Bernardino da Siena e l’Osservanza: la proposta di una religione civile

Summary: This study highlights the contribution made by St. Bernardine of Siena to social and political ethics. Through the virtue of caritas, translating the voluntary paupertas, of St. Francis, St. Bernardine indicates to the cives fideles a model of behaviour for the safeguarding of the res publica. On the lips of the Observant preacher, the Gospel code would become the guiding norm for the civitas as it is engaged upon the distribution of the common good, a criterion for distinguishing between licit and illicit commercial practices, for the whole of the Franciscan school of economics. Commercial goods do not an objective value, but acquire their meaning inasmuch as they are being exchanged without damaging the value of the goods, their price, and the persons who produce them, exchange them and use them. In conclusion there is presented a crucial element of reflection concerning Bernardinian civil thought in its historical dimension: How far does the community extend, to which the bonum commune is applied, in which it increases and within which it is distributed? What is the concrete horizon of civil caritas?

Sumario: El estudio pone en evidencia la contribucion a la etica social y politica de S. Bernardino de Siena, quien a traves de la virtud de la caritas, traduccion de la paupertas voluntaria de S. Francesco,indica a los cives fideles un modelo de comportamiento para la salvaguardia de la res publica. En los labios del predicador observante, el codigo evangelico se convertiria entonces en norma de referencia para la civitas dedicada a la distribucion del bonum commune, criterio de discriminacion entre practicas mercantiles licitas e ilicitas para toda la Escuela economica franciscana. Toda mercancia no tiene un valor objetivo, pero adquiere un sentido propio si es intercambiada sin producir lesiones al valor de la mercancia, a su precio y a las personas que la producen, la intercambian y la utilizan. En conclusion se plantea un elemento de reflexion crucial que concierne al pensamiento civil bernardiniano en su dimension historica: .hasta donde se extiende la comunidad a la que se aplica y se comunica, se acrecienta y se distribuye el bonum commune? .Cual es el horizonte concreto de la caritas civil?