social question": the social dislocation, economic suffering, and political turbulence which arose from modernization. Since the early 19th century, a number of Catholic thinkers responded to the revolutionary tide begun by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era. A new synthesis of Catholic
natural law
Natural law (, ) is a Philosophy, philosophical and legal theory that posits the existence of a set of inherent laws derived from nature and universal moral principles, which are discoverable through reason. In ethics, natural law theory asserts ...
primarily influenced by the writings of Thomas Aquinas, combined with the new social sciences of politics and economics, was embraced by the Vatican by the middle of the century; however, it took several decades for this synthesis to become established in Catholic social teaching. Pope Leo XIII, in a series of encyclicals spanning 20 years, formalized the modern approach to Catholic social teaching which combines evangelical teachings on love with natural law and social-scientific arguments about what constitutes human prosperity. These principles have been consistently reiterated by later popes over the subsequent century and more.
''Rerum novarum''
The publication of
Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...
's encyclical, ''
Rerum novarum
''Rerum novarum'', or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, which addressed the condi ...
'', on 15 May 1891
began the development of a body of social teaching in the Catholic Church. It was written when the once-agrarian populations of Italy and western Europe were undergoing rapid urbanisation in newly industrialized cities, with many living in squalor and poverty.
Similar trends developed in the Americas.
Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
(Leo's predecessor) had seen the end of church control of the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
, and become isolated in the Vatican.
Pius had railed against the unification of Italy during the
Risorgimento
The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...
, which consumed the last years of his pontificate, and lost the faith of the Romans, who voted to join the newly integrated Italy in 1870. Scholars have written that Leo, when he became pope without being temporal ruler of three million mainly-rural subjects, saw that the new industrial working class was the responsibility of the church; ''Rerum novarum'' was a response to the competition of communism, which analyzed in works such as ''
Das Kapital
''Capital: A Critique of Political Economy'' (), also known as ''Capital'' or (), is the most significant work by Karl Marx and the cornerstone of Marxian economics, published in three volumes in 1867, 1885, and 1894. The culmination of his ...
'' and ''
The Communist Manifesto
''The Communist Manifesto'' (), originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (), is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, commissioned by the Communist League and originally published in London in 1848. The ...
'' the social conditions facing the industrialized poor.
''Rerum novarum'' begins by saying that "some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class ... so that a small number of very rich men have been able to lay upon the teeming masses of the labouring poor a yoke little better than that of slavery itself."
Leo wanted to reject the solutions offered by communism:
"
ose who deny these rights
rivate ownershipdo not perceive that they are defrauding man of what his own labour has produced." He declared a "most sacred law of nature"
that humans have the right to private ownership, inheritable property, and providing for their children "all that is needful to enable them to keep themselves decently";
the "main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected".
He disputed a central idea of communism: that
class war
Class War is an anarchist group and newspaper established by Ian Bone and others in 1983 in the United Kingdom. An incarnation of Class War was briefly registered as a political party for the purposes of fighting the 2015 United Kingdom gener ...
was inevitable, and rich and poor were inexorably driven to conflict.
Leo stressed the need for justice as central to religion, with the church the most powerful intermediary to achieve justice and peace.
That justice relied on the equality of rich and poor, and extended to all citizens of a country. It went beyond the principle that "the interests of all, whether high or low, are equal",
to include a demand that "public administration must duly and solicitously provide for the welfare and the comfort of the working classes".
Leo elevated the family from the concepts of
serfdom
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...
and economic interest (or collectivism) by giving its interests, moral authority and importance "at least equal rights with the State".
The state would be guilty of a "pernicious error" if it exercised intimate control of a family. But "extreme necessity" should "be met by public aid" when a family was in need – the pre-eminence of the needs, protection and independence of a family unit was central to the teaching of the encyclical.
He stressed the equity of the employer-employee relationship. There should be shown "respect in every man for his dignity as a person",
balanced with proper performance of "the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon";
"capital cannot do without labour, nor labour without capital".
Where the rights of the poor and the worker are in jeopardy, they must be especially protected; the rich and powerful have other means of protecting their interests. The state must legislate to protect workers from low pay, over-long working hours or over-taxing work,
and avail themselves of the protection provided by trade unions.
Reaction
The encyclical was followed in parts of Italy with the creation of social movements which advocated the alleviation of local social concerns. Members of the church became involved in worker-support campaigns, for example a campaign for cotton workers. Financial and moral support for a strike which began on 22 September 1909 in Bergamo (known as the "fifty-day strike") was provided by Bishop
Giacomo Maria Radini-Tedeschi and Father Angelo Roncalli (eventually to become
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
), who saw the need for "pastoral modernity" in the church.
Support for social movements became unpopular, however, when
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
replaced Leo in 1903. Catholic involvement in Italian political life had been banned under previous popes; Pius allowed a network of spies to identify and report on supporters of social and political movements, and subjected them to questions, apostolic visits and pressures to desist.
''Rerum novarum'' dealt with persons, systems and structures, the three co-ordinates of the modern promotion of justice and peace now integral to the church's mission. It was followed by a number of encyclicals and messages on social issues; forms of Catholic action developed worldwide, and social ethics was taught in schools and seminaries. To mark the 40th anniversary of ''Rerum novarum'',
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
issued ''
Quadragesimo anno
''Quadragesimo anno'' () (Latin for "In the 40th Year") is an encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI on 15 May 1931, 40 years after Leo XIII's encyclical '' Rerum novarum'', further developing Catholic social teaching. Unlike Leo XIII, who addre ...
'' expanding on some of its themes.
Pope John XXIII
During the
post–Second World War period, attention turned to the problems of social and economic development and international relations.
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
released ''
Mater et magistra'', subtitled "Christianity and Social Progress", on 15 May 1961. The encyclical expanded the church's social doctrine to cover relations between
rich
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense taste, flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
**Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated c ...
and
poor nations, examining the obligation of rich countries to assist poor countries while respecting their cultures, and the threat of global economic imbalance to world peace. John expanded further on this on 11 April 1963 in ''
Pacem in terris'' (''Peace on Earth''), the first encyclical addressed to Catholics and non-Catholics. In it, he linked the establishment of world peace to the laying of a foundation consisting of proper rights and responsibilities between individuals, social groups, and states from the local to the international level. John exhorted Catholics to understand and apply social teachings:
The encyclical, issued at the height of the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, also denounced the
nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was an arms race competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War. During this same period, in addition to the American and Soviet nuc ...
and called for a stronger
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
.
Second Vatican Council
The primary document from the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
concerning social teachings is ''
Gaudium et spes
(, "Joys and Hopes"), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions promulgated during the Second Vatican Council between 1963 and 1965. Issued on 7 December 1965, it was the last and longest publ ...
'', the Pastoral Constitution on the Church and the Modern World, which is considered one of the council's chief accomplishments. Unlike earlier documents, the constitution (by the bishops) covered a range of issues governing the relationship of social concerns and Christian action. It asserts the fundamental dignity of each person, declaring the church's solidarity with those who suffer and those who comfort the suffering:
Other conciliar documents, such as ''
Dignitatis humanae
''Dignitatis humanae'' (''Of the Dignity of the Human Person'') is the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom. In the context of the council's stated intention "to develop the doctrine of recent popes on the inviolable rights ...
'' (drafted largely by American Jesuit
John Courtney Murray
John Courtney Murray (September 12, 1904 – August 16, 1967) was an American Jesuit priest and theologian who was especially known for his efforts to reconcile Catholicism and religious pluralism and particularly focused on the relations ...
) also apply to the church's present-day social teachings on freedom.
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
noted disparities in wealth and development between the industrialized West and the
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...
in his 1967 encyclical, ''
Populorum progressio'' (''The Development of Peoples''). The encyclical asserted that free international trade alone was inadequate to correct these disparities, and supported the role of international organizations in correcting them. Paul called on rich nations to meet their moral obligation to poor nations, pointing out the relationship between development and peace. The church did not intend to take sides, but to promote basic human dignity: "There can be no progress towards the complete development of individuals without the simultaneous development of all humanity in the spirit of solidarity".
The May 1971 apostolic letter ''
Octogesima adveniens'' addressed the challenge of urbanization and urban poverty, stressing the personal responsibility of Christians to respond to injustice. For the tenth anniversary of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
on 26 October 1975, Paul issued ''
Evangelii nuntiandi
''Evangelii nuntiandi'' (''Evangelization in the Modern World''; abbreviation: EN) is an apostolic exhortation issued on 8 December 1975 by Pope Paul VI on the theme of Catholic evangelization. The title, taken from the opening words of the orig ...
'' (''Evangelization in the Modern World''). In it, he said that combating injustice was an essential component of modern evangelism.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
continued his predecessors' work of developing Catholic social doctrine. Of particular importance were his 1981 encyclical, ''
Laborem exercens'', and ''
Centesimus annus'' in 1991.
Not endorsing a political agenda, the church holds that this teaching applies in the public (political) realm as well as the private. ''Laborem exercens'' qualifies private ownership in relation to the common use of goods to which all people are entitled. The church "has always understood this right within the broader context of the right common to all to use the goods of the whole creation: the right to private property is subordinated to the right to common use, to the fact that goods are meant for everyone." Many of these concepts were reiterated in ''Centesimus annus'', issued on the 100th anniversary of ''
Rerum novarum
''Rerum novarum'', or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, which addressed the condi ...
'', and critiquing socialism and unfettered capitalism. The 2005 publication of the ''
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The ''Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church'' is a document issued by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2004 to offer "a complete overview of the fundamental framework of the doctrinal corpus of Catholic social teaching". T ...
'', a work entrusted to the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (''Justitia et Pax'') was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the ...
, was another milestone of John Paul's papacy.
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
's 2009 encyclical ''
Caritas in veritate
Caritas may refer to:
* The Latin term for charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practi ...
'' added perspectives to social teaching (including the relationships with charity and truth), and suggested the need for a strong "world political authority" to deal with humanity's most-pressing challenges and problems. This concept has been controversial, particularly among right-of-center U.S. Catholic thinkers who are suspicious or disdainful of supranational and international organizations such as the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. The concept was developed in a 2011 note from the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (''Justitia et Pax'') was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the ...
, "Towards reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the context of World Political Authority".
In ''Caritas in veritate'', Benedict set Paul VI's social encyclical ''Populorum progressio'' as a new point of reference for Catholic social thought in the 21st century. The scholar Thomas D. Williams wrote "by honouring ''Populorum progressio'' with the title of 'the ''Rerum novarum'' of the present age,' Benedict meant to elevate ''Populorum Progressio'', conferring on it a paradigmatic status not dissimilar to that enjoyed by ''Rerum novarum'' throughout the twentieth century." Williams said that the reason for the elevation was that ''Populorum progressio'', "for all its real deficiencies, effected an important conceptual shift in Catholic social thinking, by moving from the worker question (with its attendant concerns of just wages, private property, working environment, and labour associations) to the broader and richer social benchmark of integral human development."
Pope Benedict has criticized capitalism, characterizing it as a system which recognizes no duties or obligations towards human beings and crediting it with creating a destructive type of individualism which "encourages selfishness, as men are concerned exclusively with what they should receive from society and unconcerned with what they can or should contribute to it."
Catholic teaching recognizes the common good as a key requirement for prosperity; capitalism disregards it for the pursuit of profit, leading to exploitation and the erosion of moral limitations. Benedict was concerned about the role of charity in capitalism, criticizing capitalism for its indifference towards charity and for its discouraging respect for the interests of others in favour of one's own self-interest. He blamed capitalism for an increasing alienation and
anomie
In sociology, anomie or anomy () is a social condition defined by an uprooting or breakdown of any moral values, standards or guidance for individuals to follow. Anomie is believed to possibly evolve from conflict of belief systems and causes b ...
in modern societies,
citing the prevalence of drugs, alcohol, and "deceptive illusions of happiness" as evidence of this alienation. Benedict described this alienation as stemming from capitalism's self-centred emphasis, "where individuals act in their own self-interest, seeking the satisfaction of their own wants - man is not concerned with his fellow man, except insofar as he may be instrumental in satisfying his wants."
Pope Francis
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
described mercy as "the very substance of the Gospel of Jesus", and asked theologians to reflect this in their work.
He emphasized the importance of mercy, declaring 2016 an
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
From 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016, Francis wanted church members "to place the sacrament of God's mercy—which is the sacrament of penance and reconciliation—into the central pastoral life for the Church."
In his
apostolic exhortation ''
Evangelii gaudium'', Francis said: "It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare." He affirmed "the right of states" to intervene in the economy to promote "the common good":
Francis has warned about the "idolatry of money":
In his second encyclical, ''
Laudato si'
''Laudato si'' (''Praise Be to You'') is the second encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled "on care for our common home". In it, the Pope criticizes consumerism and irresponsible economic development, laments environmental degradation and gl ...
'', Francis makes a "biting critique of
consumerism
Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...
and irresponsible development with a plea for swift and unified global action" to combat
environmental degradation
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...
and
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
.
[Jim Yardley & Laurie Goodstein]
Pope Francis, in Sweeping Encyclical, Calls for Swift Action on Climate Change
''New York Times'' (18 June 2015). According to Daniel Schwindt, "
me writers seem to suggest (as is common among persons who've never taken the time to read the encyclicals themselves), that Pope Francis' ''Laudato Si'' represents some new venture on the part of the Church—a departure from its customary range of subject matter." But, Schwindt argues, Francis' approach to climate change, however, continues that of his predecessor. Pope Benedict XVI wrote,
Francis' apostolic exhortation ''
Gaudete et exsultate'' emphasized the call to perfect charity, based on the "service of your brothers and sisters" (No. 14) and the church's social-teaching tradition.
Principles
No official canon of principles or documents exists.
Human dignity
Human
dignity
Dignity is a human's contentment attained by satisfying physiological needs and a need in development. The content of contemporary dignity is derived in the new natural law theory as a distinct human good.
As an extension of the Enlightenment- ...
is a principle of Catholic social thought. According to the church's
catechism
A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
, "Being in the image of God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession, and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give."
Subsidiarity
Subsidiarity
Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines subsid ...
in Catholic social thought originated with
Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler, Bishop of Mainz in the mid-to-late 19th century, and was incorporated into Pope Pius XI's encyclical ''
Quadragesimo anno
''Quadragesimo anno'' () (Latin for "In the 40th Year") is an encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI on 15 May 1931, 40 years after Leo XIII's encyclical '' Rerum novarum'', further developing Catholic social teaching. Unlike Leo XIII, who addre ...
'':
It was written forty years after ''Rerum novarum'' – like a number of modern social encyclicals, during the intensifying struggle between communism and capitalism. Promulgated in 1931, ''Quadragesimo anno'' is a response to German
Nazism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
, Soviet
communism
Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
, and Western European and American capitalism. The primary author of the 1931 encyclical's "subsidiarity" section was the German
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
and economist
Oswald von Nell-Breuning
Oswald von Nell-Breuning (8 March 1890 – 21 August 1991) was a Roman Catholic theologian and sociologist.
Born in Trier, Germany into an aristocratic family, Nell-Breuning was ordained in 1921 and appointed Professor of Ethics at the S ...
.
Gregory Beabout suggests that subsidiarity also draws upon an older concept: the Roman military term ''subsidium''. Beabout writes, "the role of the ''subsidium'' (literally, to sit behind) is to lend help and support in case of need." In Beabout's etymology, subsidiarity indicates that the higher social unit ought to "sit behind" the lower one to lend help and support as needed. According to another etymological interpretation, subsidiarity means "to 'seat' ('sid') a service down ('sub') as close to the need for that service as is feasible". Either interpretation indicates a
hermeneutic
Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication.
...
of subsidiarity, in which the higher social body's rights and responsibilities for action are predicated on their assistance to (and empowerment of) the lower.
Francis McHugh says that in addition to the "vertical" dimension of subsidiarity, there is also a "horizontal" dimension which "calls for a diversity of semi-autonomous social, economic, and cultural spheres". ''Quadragesimo anno'' presents these "spheres" as occupying the space between individual and state:
These associations, or "lesser societies", are encouraged because they are the vehicle by which society functions most effectively and corresponds most closely with human dignity. Examples of these associations include the family, unions, nonprofit organizations, religious congregations, and corporations of all sizes.
Subsidiarity charts a course between
individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...
and
collectivism
In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, struct ...
by locating the responsibilities and privileges of social life in the smallest unit of organization at which they will function. Larger social bodies (the state or others) are permitted and required to intervene only when smaller ones cannot carry out the tasks themselves. Such intervention must be temporary, empowering the smaller social body to carry out such functions on its own.
Solidarity and the common good
Solidarity is a firm, persevering determination to commit oneself to the
common good
In philosophy, Common good (economics), economics, and political science, the common good (also commonwealth, common weal, general welfare, or public benefit) is either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, o ...
, not merely "vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others". Flowing from faith, it is fundamental to the Christian view of social and political organization. Each person is connected to (and dependent on) all humanity, collectively and individually.
Charity
According to ''
Caritas in veritate
Caritas may refer to:
* The Latin term for charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practi ...
'', "charity is at the heart of the Church". Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity, which according to Jesus is the synthesis of the entire Law (Matthew 22:36–40). It gives substance to the relationship with God and neighbour, and is the principle of micro-relationships and relationships with friends, family members and small groups.
The church chose the concept of "charity in truth" to avoid a degeneration into sentimentality in which love becomes empty. In a culture without truth, there is a risk of losing love. Prey to subjective emotions and opinions, the word ''love'' is abused and distorted to the point where it means its opposite. Truth frees charity from an emotionalism which deprives it of relational and social content, and of a
fideism
Fideism ( ) is a standpoint or an epistemological theory which maintains that faith is independent of reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths (see natural theology). The ...
that deprives it of human and universal breathing space. In truth, charity reflects the personal and public dimensions of faith in God and the Bible.
Distributism and social justice
Distributism
Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching princi ...
is a school of economic and social thought developed by the Catholic thinkers
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic.
Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...
and
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...
. It holds that social and economic structures should promote
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
, which is best served by a broad distribution of ownership. Distributists cite ''
Rerum novarum
''Rerum novarum'', or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, which addressed the condi ...
'':
This principle is used as a basis for
progressive tax
A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases. The term ''progressive'' refers to the way the tax rate progresses from low to high, with the result that a taxpayer's average tax rate is less than the ...
rates,
anti-monopoly laws and economic cooperatives, including credit unions. ''Rerum novarum'', ''
Quadragesimo anno
''Quadragesimo anno'' () (Latin for "In the 40th Year") is an encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI on 15 May 1931, 40 years after Leo XIII's encyclical '' Rerum novarum'', further developing Catholic social teaching. Unlike Leo XIII, who addre ...
'' and ''
Centesimus annus'' advocate a just
distribution of income
In economics, income distribution covers how a country's total GDP is distributed amongst its population. Economic theory and economic policy have long seen income and its distribution as a central concern. Unequal distribution of income causes ...
and wealth. In ''
Caritas in veritate
Caritas may refer to:
* The Latin term for charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practi ...
'', Pope Benedict XVI used the term "redistribution" eight times (all positively).
Key themes
Although there is no official list of key themes,
the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...
(USCCB) has identified the seven key themes of Catholic social teaching. Other sources identify more (or fewer) themes, based on their reading of key documents of the social
magisterium
The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition". According to the 1992 ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ...
.
Sanctity of human life and dignity of the person
The foundation of Catholic social teaching is the
sanctity of human life
In religion and ethics, the sanctity of life, sometimes described as the inviolability of life, is a principle of implied protection regarding aspects of sentient life that are said to be holy, sacred, or otherwise of such value that they are not ...
. Catholics believe in an inherent human dignity, from conception to death, and human life must be valued above material possessions.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
wrote and spoke on the inviolability of human life and dignity in his encyclical, ''
Evangelium Vitae
''Evangelium vitae'' () translated in English as 'The Gospel of Life', is a papal encyclical published on 25 March 1995 (on that year's Feast of the Annunciation) by Pope John Paul II. It is a comprehensive document setting out the teaching ...
'', ("The Gospel of Life").
Catholics oppose acts considered attacks and affronts to human life, including
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
,
fornication
Fornication generally refers to consensual sexual intercourse between two people who are not married to each other. When a married person has consensual sexual relations with one or more partners whom they are not married to, it is called adu ...
(including
contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
),
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
,
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
, genocide, torture, the
direct and intentional
The principle of double effect – also known as the rule of double effect, the doctrine of double effect, often abbreviated as DDE or PDE, double-effect reasoning, or simply double effect – is a set of ethical criteria which Christian philoso ...
targeting of noncombatants in war, and every deliberate taking of innocent human life. In the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, ''
Gaudium et spes
(, "Joys and Hopes"), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions promulgated during the Second Vatican Council between 1963 and 1965. Issued on 7 December 1965, it was the last and longest publ ...
'' ("Joy and Hope"), "from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care." The church did not historically oppose war in all circumstances, and
Catholic moral theology
Catholic moral theology is a major category of doctrine in the Catholic Church, equivalent to a religious ethics. Moral theology encompasses Catholic social teaching, Catholic medical ethics, sexual ethics, and various doctrines on individual mo ...
has generally emphasized
just war theory
The just war theory () is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of #Criteria, criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. I ...
since the mid-third century. However, Francis' encyclical ''
Fratelli Tutti
''Fratelli tutti'' (''All Brothers'') is the third encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled "on fraternity and social friendship"; it was released in 2020. In the document, Francis states that the way the COVID-19 pandemic was managed by world co ...
'' says that in light of modern
weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...
, it is increasingly harder to meet the criteria of a just war; the encyclical calls for an end to war. The post–Vatican II
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' (; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a reference work that summarizes the Catholic Church's doctrine. It was Promulgation (Catholic canon law), promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 ...
said about capital punishment:
Applying this argument to the United States, in 2005 the USCCB launched "a major Catholic campaign to end the use of the death penalty". In 2018, Pope Francis amended the catechism to oppose all uses of the death penalty in the modern world (but not calling it intrinsically evil).
Believing that men and women are made in the image and likeness of God, Catholic doctrine teaches respect for all humans based on an inherent dignity. According to John Paul II, every human person "is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God." Catholics oppose
racial prejudice
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race or ethnicity over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination ...
and other forms of
discrimination
Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
. In 2007, the USCCB wrote:
A belief in the inherent dignity of the human person requires basic human needs to be adequately met, including food, health care, and shelter. The bishops have seen this as a basis for supporting social-welfare programmes and governmental economic policies which promote the
equitable distribution of income
In economics, income distribution covers how a country's total GDP is distributed amongst its population. Economic theory and economic policy have long seen income and its distribution as a central concern. Unequal distribution of income causes ...
and access to essential goods and services.
Call to families and communities and pursuing the common good
According to the
Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...
,
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
said: "It is not good for the man to be alone". The church teaches that man is a sacred and a social person, and
families
Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
are the basic units of society. It advocates a
complementarian view of marriage, family life, and religious leadership. Full human development takes place in relationship to others. The family is a sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of
children
A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...
. Families form
communities
A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place (geography), place, set of Norm (social), norms, culture, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Ide ...
, communities form states, and each person is part of the human family. How these communities organize themselves politically, economically and socially is of the utmost importance. Each
institution
An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...
must be judged by how much it enhances, or detracts from, the life and dignity of humanity.
Catholic social teaching opposes
collectivist
In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, struct ...
approaches (such as
communism
Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
), unrestricted ''
laissez-faire
''Laissez-faire'' ( , from , ) is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations). As a system of thought, ''laissez-faire'' ...
'' policies, and the notion that a
free market
In economics, a free market is an economic market (economics), system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of ...
automatically produces
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
. The state has a positive moral role to play, since no society will achieve a just and
equitable distribution
Division of property, also known as equitable distribution, is a division of property and debt between spouses when the marital relationship is ending. It may be done by agreement, through a property settlement, or by judicial decree.
Distribut ...
of resources with a totally free market. All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society and, under the principle of
subsidiarity
Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines subsid ...
, state functions should be carried out at the lowest practical level. Catholic social teaching values the role of intermediary organizations such as labour unions, community organizations, fraternal groups and parish churches.
Rights and responsibilities about social justice
Every person has a fundamental right to life and to the necessities of life. The right to exercise
religious freedom
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
publicly and privately by individuals and institutions and freedom of conscience need to be defended. The right to freely express religious beliefs protects all other rights.
The church supports
private property
Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental Capacity (law), legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which is owned by a state entity, and from Collective ownership ...
, and teaches that "every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own". The right to private property is not absolute, however, and is limited by the concepts of "universal destiny of the goods of the earth" and of
social mortgage. It is moral and just for Catholics to destroy property used in an evil way by others, or for the state to redistribute wealth from those who have unjustly
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
ed it.
[The Busy Christian's Guide to Social Teaching](_blank)
Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to one another, to one's family, and to the larger society. Rights should be understood and exercised in a moral framework rooted in the dignity of the human person and social justice. Those who have more have a greater responsibility to contribute to the common good than those who have less.
The encyclical ''
Laborem exercens'' (1981) by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
describes
work
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an ani ...
as key to the social question and a
vocation
A vocation () is an Work (human activity), occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.
...
. Work includes every form of action by which the world is transformed, shaped or maintained by humans; through work, fulfillment is achieved. To fulfill themselves, people must cooperate and work together to create a
common good
In philosophy, Common good (economics), economics, and political science, the common good (also commonwealth, common weal, general welfare, or public benefit) is either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, o ...
. Justice is the state of
social harmony Social harmony may refer to:
* Group cohesiveness, the strength of bonds linking members of a social group to one another and to the group as a whole
* The opposite of class conflict
* Harmonious Society, a Chinese socioeconomic concept assoc ...
in which the actions of each person best serve the common good.
According to natural law, freedom is the empowerment of good. Free people have responsibilities; in human relationships, this implies responsibilities towards each other. The Catholic bishops of England and Wales said in "The Common Good" (1996), "The study of the evolution of human rights shows that they all flow from the one fundamental right: the right to life. From this derives the right to a society which makes life more truly human: religious liberty, decent work, housing, health care, freedom of speech, education, and the right to raise and provide for a family" (section 37). The right to life means that every person has a responsibility to help sustain and develop the lives of others.
The Ten Commandments reflect natural law as it applies to humanity. The first three are the foundation: the love, worship and sanctity of God, and the building of people around God. The other seven commandments deal with the love of humanity, describing the ways in which people must serve the common good (Exodus 20:3–17). Jesus summarized the commandments with a
New Commandment
The New Commandment is a term used in Christianity to describe Jesus's commandment to "love one another" which, according to the Bible, was given as part of the final instructions to his disciples after the Last Supper had ended, and after Ju ...
: "Love one another, as I have loved you" (John 13:34, 15:9–17). The mystery of Jesus is that of love. In a homily to government leaders and politicians, Pope John Paul II said:
Human rights according to the catechism
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' (; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a reference work that summarizes the Catholic Church's doctrine. It was Promulgation (Catholic canon law), promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 ...
explains that every person has human rights. It lists some of these rights, including the right to life from conception unto natural death, to be treated as a person, to socioeconomic and legal equality, to political rights (such as to vote and to free expression and association), to follow one's conscience, to criticism, to
civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...
, to nonviolent and violent civil resistance, to justice and peace, to enjoy the goods of the earth, to private property, to access to transportation and employment, to the fruits of one's labor (such as a just wage), to contribute to society and economy, to self-defense, to regulate the production and sale of weapons, to discontinue medical procedures, to marriage and family, to have children, to basic needs (such as food, water, clothing, housing, medicine, liberty, assistance for the needy, and benefits), to do good deeds and practice virtue, to humane treatment for the dying and the dead, to the protection of health and safety, to immigrate, to choose a job and state of life, to reparation, to the presumption of innocence and to respect and a good reputation, to privacy, to bodily integrity, to rehab and a merciful punishment before being reinstated into society, to know and live by the truth, to publish and receive information, to educate one's children, to choose children's school, to science and technology, to the arts and entertainment (such as comedy), to rest and leisure, to one's culture, to annulment and civil divorce, and to freedom of religion (such as to the public and private practice of all Catholic and non-Catholic religion, to worship, to not practice or belong to religion, to conversion and make converts, and to study the Catholic faith and receive baptism).
Even though the church regards civil divorce to be a sin, it also regards the criminalization of all or even most sins to be itself a sin: coercion.
According to the church, the right to life is fundamental. Pope John Paul II wrote in
Evangelium Vitae
''Evangelium vitae'' () translated in English as 'The Gospel of Life', is a papal encyclical published on 25 March 1995 (on that year's Feast of the Annunciation) by Pope John Paul II. It is a comprehensive document setting out the teaching ...
: "...the first of the fundamental rights, the right to life... the fundamental right and source of all other rights which is the right to life, a right belonging to every individual."
Option for the poor
Jesus taught that at the
Last Judgement
The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism.
Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
,
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
will ask each person what they did to help the poor and needy: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
[ Matthew 25:40.] This is reflected in the church's canon law: "The Christian faithful are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources."
In words, prayers and deeds, people must demonstrate solidarity and compassion towards the poor; public policy must emphasize the
option for the poor
The option for the poor, or the preferential option for the poor, is a Catholic social teaching that the Bible gives priority to the well-being of the poor and powerless. It was first articulated by the proponents of Latin American liberation th ...
. The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members, and the poor have the most urgent moral claim on a nation's conscience.
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
taught that "love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel". According to the church, this preferential option for the poor and vulnerable includes all who are marginalized: unborn children, persons with disabilities, the elderly and terminally ill, and victims of injustice and oppression.
Dignity of work
Society must pursue economic justice, and the
economy
An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
must serve people. Employers must not "look upon their work people as their bondsmen, but ... respect in every man his dignity as a person ennobled by Christian character." Employers contribute to the common good through the goods or services they provide, and by creating jobs which uphold the dignity and rights of workers.
Workers have a right to work, to earn a
living wage, and to form
trade union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
s to protect their interests. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. Workers also have responsibilities: to provide a fair day's work for a fair day's pay, to treat employers and co-workers with respect, and to work in ways which contribute to the common good. Workers must perform the work they have agreed to do.
The ''Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church'' asserts that women have a right to work and sets out to recognise and defend that right and the contribution made by women in the workplace.
In 1933, the
Catholic Worker Movement
The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in the United States in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ". One of its guiding prin ...
was founded by
Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day, Oblate#Secular oblates, OblSB (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist and Anarchism, anarchist who, after a bohemianism, bohemian youth, became a Catholic Church, Catholic without aba ...
and
Peter Maurin. It was committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the marginalized and poorest in society. There are over 185 Catholic Worker communities around the world who advocate against injustice, war, racial prejudice, and violence.
Solidarity and earthly goods
Pope John Paul II wrote in the 1987 encyclical ''
Sollicitudo rei socialis
''Sollicitudo rei socialis'' (Latin: ''The Social Concern'') is an encyclical letter promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 30 December 1987, on the twentieth anniversary of '' Populorum progressio''. It deals once more with the theme of developme ...
'', "Solidarity is undoubtedly a Christian virtue. It seeks to go beyond itself to total gratuity, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It leads to a new vision of the unity of humankind, a reflection of God's triune intimate life." A person must be their brother's keeper, although they may be separated by distance, language or culture. Jesus taught that people must love their neighbors as themselves, and the parable of the
Good Samaritan
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil. The specific meaning and etymology of the term and its ...
shows that compassion should extend to all people. Solidarity includes the scriptural call to welcome the stranger, including immigrants seeking work, a safe home, education for their children, and a decent life for their families.
Solidarity
Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
at the international level primarily concerns the
Global South
Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...
, and the church has habitually insisted that
loans be forgiven as needed. Charity to individuals or groups must be accompanied by transforming unjust political, economic and social structures. The world and its goods were created for the use and benefit of all God's creatures, as reflected in
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
and limits on private property.
Care for God's creation
A Catholic vision of justice is more comprehensive than civil equity, encompassing right relationships among all members of God's creation. Earthly goods are available for humanity to use under a
social mortgage which entails responsibility to
protect the environment as a gift from God, intended to benefit everyone. Man was given dominion over creation as a steward, rather than an exploiter.
Catholic social teaching recognizes that the poor are the most vulnerable to environmental impact and endure disproportional hardship when natural areas are exploited or damaged. US bishops established an
environmental justice
Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...
programme to assist parishes and dioceses who wanted to conduct education, outreach and advocacy of these issues. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops Environmental Justice Program (EJP) calls Catholics to a deeper respect for God's creation and engages parishes in activities that deal with environmental problems, particularly those affecting the poor.
Encyclicals and other official documents
* ''
Rerum novarum
''Rerum novarum'', or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, which addressed the condi ...
'' (1891), encyclical of
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
;
* ''
Singulari Quadam'' (1912), encyclical of
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
;'
* ''
Quadragesimo anno
''Quadragesimo anno'' () (Latin for "In the 40th Year") is an encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI on 15 May 1931, 40 years after Leo XIII's encyclical '' Rerum novarum'', further developing Catholic social teaching. Unlike Leo XIII, who addre ...
'' (1931), encyclical of
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
;
* ''
Divini Redemptoris
''Divini Redemptoris'' (from the incipit "", Latin for "the promise of a Divine Redeemer") is an anti-communist encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI. It was published on 19 March 1937. In this encyclical, the pope sets out to "expose once more i ...
'' (1937), encyclical of Pope Pius XI;
* ''
Fulgens radiatur'' (1947), encyclical of
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
;
* ''
Exsul Familia'' (1952), apostolic constitution of Pope Pius XII;
* ''
Mater et magistra'' (1961), encyclical of
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
;
* ''
Pacem in terris'' (1963), encyclical of Pope John XXIII;
* ''
Dignitatis humanae
''Dignitatis humanae'' (''Of the Dignity of the Human Person'') is the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom. In the context of the council's stated intention "to develop the doctrine of recent popes on the inviolable rights ...
'' (1965), declaration of the
Second Council of the Vatican;
* ''
Gaudium et spes
(, "Joys and Hopes"), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions promulgated during the Second Vatican Council between 1963 and 1965. Issued on 7 December 1965, it was the last and longest publ ...
'' (1965), constitution of the Second Council of the Vatican;
* ''
Populorum progressio'' (1967), encyclical of
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
;
* ''
Humanae vitae
(Latin, meaning 'Of Human Life') is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and dated 25 July 1968. The text was issued at a Vatican press conference on 29 July. Subtitled ''On the Regulation of Birth'', it re-affirmed the teaching of the Catho ...
'' (1968), encyclical of Pope Paul VI;
* ''
Octogesima adveniens'' (1971), apostolic letter of Pope Paul VI;
* ''
Laborem exercens'' (1981), encyclical of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
;
* ''
Sollicitudo rei socialis
''Sollicitudo rei socialis'' (Latin: ''The Social Concern'') is an encyclical letter promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 30 December 1987, on the twentieth anniversary of '' Populorum progressio''. It deals once more with the theme of developme ...
'' (1987), encyclical of Pope John Paul II;
* ''
Centesimus annus'' (1991), encyclical of Pope John Paul II;
* ''
Evangelium vitae
''Evangelium vitae'' () translated in English as 'The Gospel of Life', is a papal encyclical published on 25 March 1995 (on that year's Feast of the Annunciation) by Pope John Paul II. It is a comprehensive document setting out the teaching ...
'' (1995), encyclical of Pope John Paul II;
* ''
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The ''Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church'' is a document issued by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2004 to offer "a complete overview of the fundamental framework of the doctrinal corpus of Catholic social teaching". T ...
'' (2004);
* ''
Deus caritas est
''Deus caritas est'' (), subtitled ''De Christiano Amore'' (''Of Christian Love''), is a 2005 encyclical, the first written by Pope Benedict XVI, in large part derived from writings by his late predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Its subject is ...
'' (2005), encyclical of
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
;
* ''
Caritas in veritate
Caritas may refer to:
* The Latin term for charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practi ...
'' (2009), encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI;
* ''
Evangelii gaudium'' (2013), apostolic exhortation of
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
;
* ''
Laudato si'
''Laudato si'' (''Praise Be to You'') is the second encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled "on care for our common home". In it, the Pope criticizes consumerism and irresponsible economic development, laments environmental degradation and gl ...
'' (2015), encyclical of Pope Francis;
* ''
Gaudete et exsultate'' (2018), apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis;
* ''
Fratelli tutti
''Fratelli tutti'' (''All Brothers'') is the third encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled "on fraternity and social friendship"; it was released in 2020. In the document, Francis states that the way the COVID-19 pandemic was managed by world co ...
'' (2020), encyclical of Pope Francis.
Catholic social teaching in action
Holy See
Several teams in the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
are dedicated to social issues. The
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (''Justitia et Pax'') was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the ...
is tasked with promoting "justice and peace in the world, in the light of the Gospel and of the social teaching of the Church."
It works to clarify, expand on, and develop new teachings in the areas of peace, justice, and human rights. The council also collaborates with local and international Catholic organizations working in those areas, and with the social welfare organs of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
through the
Secretariat of State. The
Pontifical Council Cor Unum
The Pontifical Council ''Cor Unum'' (One Heart) for Human and Christian Development was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church from 1971 to 2016.
History
''Cor Unum'' was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 July 1971. It ...
is the Holy See's primary group devoted to charitable works, and supervises the activities of
Caritas Internationalis
Caritas Internationalis (Latin for ) is a confederation of 162 national Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. The name Caritas Internationalis refers to both the ...
. It also operates the
John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel and the
Populorum Progressio Foundation. The
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences promotes the study of the
social sciences
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
. The academy works with a number of
dicasteries, particularly the Council for Justice and Peace, to develop the church's social teachings. The Holy See has established the
World Movement of Christian Workers as the church's organization for working men and women to advance Catholic social initiatives.
Europe and the Americas
Christian democracy
Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics.
Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...
(a political movement in a number of countries in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
) is influenced by Catholic social teaching, which has also influenced other political movements worldwide. Subsidiarity (which originated in ''
Rerum novarum
''Rerum novarum'', or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, which addressed the condi ...
'') was established in
European Union law
European Union law is a system of Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...
by the
Treaty of Maastricht
The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the p ...
, which was signed on 7 February 1992 and enacted on 1 November 1993.
Progressio Ireland, a nongovernmental development organization based in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, was founded on the principles of Catholic social teaching. It works to achieve
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
and the eradication of poverty in the world's underdeveloped nations.
Mondragon Cooperative Corporation
The Mondragon Corporation is a corporation and federation of worker cooperatives based in the Basque region of Spain.
It was founded in the town of Mondragón in 1956 by Father José María Arizmendiarrieta and a group of his students at a te ...
, a cooperative based in
Mondragón
Mondragón (in Basque: Arrasate) officially known as Arrasate/Mondragón, is a town and municipality in Gipuzkoa Province, Basque Country, Spain. Its population in 2015 was 21,933.
Toponymy
The current official name of the municipality is Arrasa ...
, Spain, was also founded on the principles of Catholic social teaching.
Pax Romana
The (Latin for ) is a roughly 200-year-long period of Roman history that is identified as a golden age of increased and sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonic power, and regional expansion, a ...
is active worldwide, particularly in Europe, the Americas, and Africa. ''
Choosing the Common Good'' was published by the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Overview
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic Bishop ...
before the
2010 United Kingdom general election
The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, to elect 650 Members of Parliament (or MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The first to be held after the minimum age for candidates was ...
.
Social Catholic Movements were popular in Latin America, beginning in the late 19th century. These movements became the training grounds for activists involved in
liberation theology circles, which that became influential in the 1960s and 1970s. Social Catholic organizations helped cultivate the social networks and leadership skills that were paramount in boosting Liberation Theology following
Vatican II
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilic ...
. Latin America, influenced by Catholic
social activism
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
, was often more progressive than Vatican II had been.
Social Catholic teaching originated within the church but often took on a reality that was more led by the laity in Latin America with a political and economic bent. The roots of social Catholic Movements within the church offered a safe space for Liberation theology and other to develop. In Brazil, that meant that progressive bishops could provide a limited shield for leftist activists as early as the 1920s. In Chile similar work occurred, and political organizations, known as Specialized Catholic Action, drew on church-created groups like the
JOC for their leadership.
See also
*
Luigi Taparelli
Luigi Taparelli (born Prospero Taparelli d'Azeglio; 24 November 17932 September 1862) was an Italian scholar of the Society of Jesus and counter-revolutionary who coined the term social justice and elaborated the principles of subsidiarity as ...
*
Adolph Kolping
*
Catholic theology
Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholi ...
*
Christian finance
*
Christian socialism
Christian socialism is a Religious philosophy, religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...
*
Christian theology
Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...
*
Distributism
Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching princi ...
*
Fidesco International
*
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...
*
Liberation theology
*
Catholic Church and politics
The Catholic Church and politics concerns the interplay of Catholicism with religious, and later secular, politics.
The Catholic Church's views and teachings have evolved over its history and have at times been significant political influences ...
*
Social market economy
The social market economy (SOME; ), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system with social policies and enough re ...
*
Social teachings of the papacy
*
Solidarism
*
Third Way
The Third Way is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by advocating a varying synthesis of Right-wing economics, right-wing economic and Left-wing politics, left-wing so ...
*
Ukraine prison ministries
*
Catholicism and socialism
*
Catholic communism
Catholic communism, also known as Catholic Bolshevism, Christian Bolshevism, Left-Catholicism or White Bolshevism, and whose supporters are known as Catholic communists, Catholic-Bolshevists or Christian Bolsheviks, is a form of Christian communi ...
Notes
References
*
* Curran, Charles E, (2002)
''Catholic Social Teaching: 1891–Present'' Georgetown University Press, .
*
* Daniel Schwindt, (2015),
Catholic Social Teaching: A New Synthesis (Rerum Novarum to Laudato Si)', .
* Williams, Thomas D, (2011),
The World As It Could Be: Catholic Social Thought for a New Generation', .
External links
"Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation"mdash;Vatican foundation established in 1993 to make Catholic Social Teaching more widely known and better understood.
''Catholic Social Teaching''mdash;Provides a comprehensive index of Papal teaching on Social Doctrine as well as articles by Catholic scholars.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Reflections of the U.S. Catholic Bishops
()
CST ToolkitCaritas Australia—Catholic Social Teaching and poverty reduction in aid and development work
Catholic Social Teachingmdash;
OpenCourseWare
OpenCourseWare (OCW) are course lessons created at universities and published for free via the Internet. OCW projects first appeared in the late 1990s, and after gaining traction in Europe and then the United States have become a worldwide means ...
from the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
VPlater project modules on CST for on-line study from Newman University, UK
Teachingmdash;List of the social teachings.
''Solidarity: The Journal of Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics''
{{Authority control
Social teaching
Social teaching
Social ethics
Social justice