15-Vitto, Kevin Alvinson M.

February 6, 2019

BSAc1 CFE 102 – 2:00-3:00 PM (MWF) – D405 – Sir Joey S. Soliman

What is Catholic Social Teachings?

The Catholic Social Teaching is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters
of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state. Its foundations
are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical letter Rerum
Novarum, which advocated economic Distributism and condemned Socialism.

According to Pope Benedict XVI, its purpose "is simply to help purify reason and to contribute,
here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just…. [The Church] has to
play her part through rational argument and she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without
which justice…cannot prevail and prosper“

According to Blessed Pope John Paul II, its foundation "rests on the threefold cornerstones of
human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity". 1999 Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in America, 55)

• An authoritative Church teaching on social, political and economic issues

• It is informed by Gospel values and the lived experience of Christian reflection

• It analyses that lived experience of Christian reflection from different historical, political and
social contexts

• It provides principles for reflection, a criterion for judgment and guidelines for action

• Thus, it enables us in our struggle to live our faith in justice and peace

What is it all about?

Catholic Social Teaching touches upon many different aspects of life, from the family to
international development, how we think of those who are homeless to how we care for the
environment, and from how we shop and consume to the rights of workers and the dignity of
work. All the different areas that Catholic Social Teaching touches upon have developed from
practical reflection on the realities of modern life in the light of the principles and themes of
Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build
his kingdom of peace, love and justice. It holds that God has a special place in this story for
each of us, whoever we are. Our part in this plan isn’t just limited to things ‘spiritual’, or things
we might do on Sundays, but that it involves every aspect of our lives, from the things we pray
about, to how we live as a responsible global citizen. Our part in this story is a kind-of vocation
for the common good, a call to treat everyone as your brothers and sisters and is something that
we all share. Catholic Social Teaching is the tradition of papal reflection about how we live this
vocation for the common good in our world.

Themes of Catholic Social Teachings

1. Dignity of the Human Person

•Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all

Catholic social teaching.

2. Common Good and Community

•The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and rights in

relationship with others, in community.

3. Option for the Poor

•The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.

4. Rights and Responsibilities

•Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only

if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.

5. Role of Government and Subsidiarity

•The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human

dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good.

6. Economic Justice

•The economy must serve people, not the other way around.

7. Stewardship of God's Creation

•The goods of the earth are gifts from God, and they are intended by God for the

benefit of everyone.
8. Promotion of Peace and Disarmament

•Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-oriented concept. In the

words of Pope John Paul II, "Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves

mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves

collaboration and binding agreements.”

9. Participation

•All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society.

10. Global Solidarity and Development

•We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic
and ideological differences.

What Catholic Social Teaching is not:

• A ‘third way’ between liberal capitalism and Marxist collectivism. It constitutes a category of its
own. (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, paragraph 41).

• It is not an ideology, but rather the result of a careful reflection on the complex realities of
human existence, in society and in the international order, in the light of faith and the
Church’s tradition… It therefore belongs to the field of moral theology and not of ideology.
(Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, paragraph 41).

• It is not a model: the Church has no models to present; models that are real and effective can
only arise within the framework of different historical situations, through the efforts of all
those who responsibly confront concrete problems in their social, political and cultural
aspects, as these interact with each other. (Centesimus Annus, pargraph 43).

Why should church meddle in politics?

Political involvement: Responding to the privatisation of religion and the political apathy this
engendered, Vatican II gave fresh emphasis to the Church’s shared responsibility for secular as
well as sacred history. Quadragesimo Anno – “On the Fortieth Year” sees politics as aimed at
the transformation of society. In this sense political involvement is a must. Christians and the
Church itself must be prepared to take a prophetic stand in bearing witness to the peace and
justice of the kingdom.
What are the roles of the Church in politics and public policy formation?

 Educating Catholics and others on the teachings of the Church as they relate to social
policies.
 Analyzing and measuring policies against the values of the Gospel.
 Speaking out on issues, such as those involving the life and dignity of the human person,
social justice, the promotion of the common good, and the life of the Church in society.
 Encouraging voters to participate fully in the political process.

The importance of Catholic Social Teachings to the society:

Catholic Social Teaching recognizes that the poor are the most defenseless to environmental
impact and endure disproportional hardship when natural areas are exploited or damaged.

References

http://catholicsandimmigrants.org/wp-content/uploads/10-Major-ThemesHNDOUT.pdf

http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/principles/info/

https://www.ilcatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/Guidelines_for_Political_Activity_2011.pdf

https://www.slideshare.net/jojoguiang/politics-and-catholic-social-teaching-apayao