Catholic Social Teachings
Excerpts from the book, The Challenge and Spirituality of Catholic Social Teaching, by Marvin L. Krier
The seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching comes from the 1995 statement of US bishops titled, “Sharing Catholic Social Teaching”
Theme #1: Dignity of human life:
“This central Catholic principle requires that we measure every policy, every institution, and every action by whether it protects human life and enhances human dignity, especially for the poor and vulnerable.” (p.8)
Theme #2: Call to family, community and participation
USCC Bishops (2002, A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God’s Children) “A table is where people come together for food. For many, there is not enough food, and in some cases, no table at all…. A table is where people meet to make decisions—in neighborhoods, nations, and the global community. Many people have no place at the table. Their voices and needs are ignored.” (p.128)
Theme #3: Rights and Responsibilities
Pope John XIII (1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris) “A well-ordered human society requires that men 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 progressively more sincerely and effectively acknowledged and fulfilled. It is not enough, for example, to acknowledge and respect every man’s right to the means of subsistence. One must also strive to ensure that he actually has enough in the way of food and nourishment.” (p.121)
Theme #4: Option for the poor and vulnerable
“To make an option for the poor is to choose to disengage from serving the interests of the powerful, and instead to take the side of those who are relatively powerless. The option for the poor links the religious insight of the Judeo-Christian tradition (that God has made an option for the poor) with the political arena as the space where this option becomes a reality…. Option for the poor means that we acknowledge that faith has political implications….The option for the poor teaches that we cannot be neutral. Being neutral means opting for the current realities, which, from the perspective of the poor, are unjust.” (p.107)
Theme #5: Dignity of work and the rights of workers
Pope John Paul II (1984) “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; and production to meet social needs over production for military purposes.” (p.138)
USCC of Bishops (1996, Ten Principles that can Serve as Ten Commandments of Economic Justice) “The economy exists for the person, no the person for the economy….A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring….In economic life, free markets have both clear advantages and limits; government has essential responsibilities and limitations; voluntary groups have irreplaceable roles, but cannot substitute for the proper working of the market and the just policies of the state…. Workers, owners, managers, stockholders, and consumers are moral agents in economic life. By our choices, initiative, creativity, and investment, we enhance or diminish economic opportunity, community life, and social justice…. The global economy has moral dimensions and human consequences. Decisions on investment, trade, aid, and development should protect human life and promote human rights, especially for those most in need wherever they might live.” (p.140)
Theme #6: Solidarity
Pope John Paul II (1983, encyclical) – spoke of the “virtue of solidarity” which is not just a vague feeling of compassion, but “a firm and preserving determination to commit oneself to the common good.” (p.160)
Theme #7: Care for God’s creation
“When the image of stewardship dominates our imagination, God can be removed from the scene as human beings are given oversight of the earth…humans enjoy being in charge and may forget that we do not own creation, that we are only caretakers.”
“The discovery that every part of creation, including ourselves, is a sacrament of God’s love is the beginning of a great reverence for creation. The sacraments of creation are to be appreciated and respected for what they are, and not seen as a tool to achieve human goals.” (p.36)
