Major themes from Catholic Social
Teaching
The following ten principles highlight major themes
from Catholic social teaching
documents of the last century.
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1. |
- Dignity of the Human Person
- Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation
of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity
of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for
society. This principle is grounded in the idea that the person is made
in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among
us. See selected quotations.
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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. Human beings grow and achieve
fulfillment in community. Human dignity can only be realized and
protected in the context of relationships with the wider society.
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- How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and
policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals
to grow in community. The obligation to "love our neighbor"
has an individual dimension, but it also requires a broader social
commitment. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the good of
the whole society, to the common good.
See selected quotations.
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3. |
- Option for the Poor
- The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have
the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at
public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor. The
"option for the poor," is not an adversarial slogan that pits
one group or class against another. Rather it states that the
deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community.
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- The option for the poor is an essential part of society's effort to
achieve the common good. A healthy community can be achieved only if its
members give special attention to those with special needs, to those who
are poor and on the margins of society. See selected quotations.
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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. Every
person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things
required for human decency starting with food, shelter and clothing,
employment, health care, and education. Corresponding to these rights
are duties and responsibilities -- to one another, to our families, and
to the larger society.
See selected quotations.
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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.
All people have a right and a responsibility to participate in political
institutions so that government can achieve its proper goals.
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- The principle of subsidiarity holds that the functions of government
should be performed at the lowest level possible, as long as they can be
performed adequately. When the needs in question cannot adequately be
met at the lower level, then it is not only necessary, but imperative
that higher levels of government intervene. See selected quotations on the
role of government and subsidiarity.
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6. |
- Economic Justice
- The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers
have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe
working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organize and
join unions. People have a right to economic initiative and private
property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass
excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life.
Catholic teaching opposes collectivist and statist economic
approaches. But it also rejects the notion that a free market
automatically produces justice. Distributive justice, for example,
cannot be achieved by relying entirely on free market forces.
Competition and free markets are useful elements of economic systems.
However, markets must be kept within limits, because there are many
needs and goods that cannot be satisfied by the market system. It is the
task of the state and of all society to intervene and ensure that these
needs are met. See selected quotations on markets,
workers rights, and labor
vs. capital.
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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. There is a "social mortgage"
that guides our use of the world's goods, and we have a responsibility to care for these
goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users. How we
treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship, a sign of our
respect for the Creator. See selected quotations.
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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.
There is a close relationship in Catholic teaching between peace and
justice. Peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order
among human beings.
See selected quotations.
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9. |
- Participation
- All people have a right to participate in the economic, political,
and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice
and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a
minimum level of participation in the community. It is wrong for a
person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to
participate in society. See selected quotations.
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10. |
- Global
Solidarity and Development
- We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial,
economic and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for justice.
Authentic development must be full human development. It must respect
and promote personal, social, economic, and political rights, including
the rights of nations and of peoples It must avoid the extremists of
underdevelopment on the one hand, and "superdevelopment" on
the other. Accumulating material goods, and technical resources will be
unsatisfactory and debasing if there is no respect for the moral,
cultural, and spiritual dimensions of the person.
See selected quotations.
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