Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Principles of Catholic Social Teaching*[1]

The Catholic social teaching and actions surge from Catholic social doctrine. The following ten principles represents the major regulatory principles in brief and precise approach.

 I. The HUMAN DIGNITY

 II. The COMMON GOOD

 III. The SUBSIDIARITY

 IV. The SOLIDARITY

 V.  The RIGHTS & The RESPONSIBILITIES

VI. The DIGNITY & The RIGHTS of WORKERS

VII. The POOR & The VULNERABLE

VIII. The STEWARDSHIP

 IX.  The ECONOMIC JUSTICE

X. The PEACE

1. The HUMAN DIGNITY

In a world warped by materialism and declining respect for human life, the Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Our belief in the sanctity of human life and inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of our social teaching.

« A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect of the transcendent dignity of the human person. The person represents the ultimate end of society. The social order and its development must invariably work to the benefit of the human person… not the other way around. ».  Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, No. 132

2. The COMMON GOOD

In a global culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. 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. Our Church teaches that the role of government and other institutions is to protect human life and human dignity and promote the common good.

« God intended the Earth with everything contained in it for the use of all human beings and peoples. Thus, under the leadership of justice and in the company of charity, created goods should be in abundance for all in like manner. ».  Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 69

3. The SUBSIDIARITY

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. Conversely, it is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society.

« It is clearly laid down that the paramount task assigned to government officials is that of recognizing, respecting, reconciling, protecting and promoting the rights and duties of citizens. ». Saint John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 77

4. The SOLIDARITY

Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Solidarity means that « loving our neighbour »  has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

« [Solidarity] is a word that means much more than some acts of sporadic generosity. It is to think and to act in terms of community, of the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few. It is also to fight against the structural causes of poverty, inequality, lack of work, land and housing, the denial of social and labor rights. It is to confront the destructive effects of the empire of money: forced displacements, painful emigrations, the traffic of persons, drugs, war, violence and all those realities that many of you suffer and that we are all called to transform. ». Pope Francis, World Meeting of Popular Movements 2014

5. The RIGHTS & The RESPONSIBILITIES

 tradition teaches that 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. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

« A well-ordered human society requires that people recognize and observe their mutual rights and duties. It also demands that each contribute generously to the establishment of a civic order in which rights and duties are more sincerely and effectively acknowledged and fulfilled. ». Saint John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 31

6. The DIGNITY of WORK & The RIGHTS of WORKERS

In a marketplace where too often the quarterly bottom line takes precedence over the rights of workers, we believe that the economy must serve people, not the other way around. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected – the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join unions, to private property and to economic initiative.

« All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions, as well as to organize and join unions or other associations. ». United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, 5

7. The POOR & The VULNERABLE

Catholic teaching proclaims that a basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

« The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion; production to meet social needs over production for military purposes. » Saint John Paul II, Address on Christian Unity in a Technological Age, Toronto, 1984

8. The STEWARDSHIP

Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions which cannot be ignored.

« The family needs a home, a fit environment in which to develop its proper relationships. For the human family, this home is the earth, the environment that God the Creator has given us to inhabit with creativity and responsibility. We need to care for the environment: it has been entrusted to men and women to be protected and cultivated with responsible freedom, with the good of all as a constant guiding criterion. ». Pope Benedict XVI, World Day of Peace 2008, 7

9. The ECONOMIC JUSTICE

The state has a positive moral function as an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good. Its purpose is to assist citizens in fulfilling their responsibility to others in society. In today’s complex society these responsibilities cannot adequately be carried out on a one-to-one basis. Citizens need the help of government to fulfill these responsibilities and promote the common good.

« Global interconnectedness has led to the emergence of a new political power, that of consumers and their associations. This is a phenomenon that needs to be further explored, as it contains positive elements to be encouraged as well as excesses to be avoided. It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral—and not simply economic—act. Hence the consumer has a specific social responsibility, which goes hand-in- hand with the social responsibility of the enterprise… A more incisive role for consumers, as long as they themselves are not manipulated by associations that do not truly represent them, is a desirable element for building economic democracy. ». Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 66

10. The PEACE

Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-oriented concept. « Peace is not just the absence of war »  said Pope John Paul II, « it involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements ». Peace and justice are linked: Peace is the fruit of justice.

« Peace is not merely an absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice. ». Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 78

*[1] Robert P. Maloney C.M., Ten Foundational Principles in the Social Teaching of the Church, Vicentiana, 1999.