CATHOLICISM 101

March 7, # 1

Social Teaching of the

Catholic Church

Introduction

1

MARCH 7, #1 & 2

OUTLINE

Questions from previous class:

Recap - > Last Session

Lent: A Season of Preparation

Why Penance? Sacrament of

Reconciliation

MARCH 7, #1

OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL

TEACHING OF THE CHURCH

WORKS OF MERCY

CORPORAL

SPIRITUAL

Introduction to Catholic

Social Teaching

Timeline through the Documents

1891 Rerum Novarum Leo XIII

1931 Quadragesimo Anno Pius XI

1961 Mother and Teacher John XXIII

1963 Peace on Earth John XXIII

1965 Church in the Modern World Vatican II

1967 The Development of Peoples Paul VI

1971 A Call to Action Paul VI

1971 Justice in the World Synod of Bishops

1979 Redeemer of Humanity John Paul II

1981 On Human Work John Paul II

1988 On Social Concern John Paul II

1991 The One Hundredth Year John Paul II

1995 The Gospel of Life John Paul II

2015 On the Care of Creation Francis

Modern Catholic Social Teaching Modern Catholic Social Teaching

Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891 (Of New Things)

Context: Industrial Revolution leads to

exploiting workers.

Message:

First comprehensive document of social justice.

Defends workers’ rights based on natural law.

Rights include work, private property, just wage,

workers’ associations.

Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, 1931 (The Fortieth Year)

Context: Fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum; Great

Depression underway; dictatorships growing in Europe.

Message:

States need to reform greedy capitalist systems to which

they have become slaves.

Communism dangerous because condones violence and

abolishes private property.

Labor and capital need each other.

Workers need just wage to acquire private property.

International economic cooperation urged.

Principle of “subsidiarity” introduced.

John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961 (Mother and Teacher)

Context: Science and technology advance in developed

nations, while millions live in poverty in Third World.

Message:

Disparity between rich and poor nations must be addressed.

Arms race contributes to poverty.

Economic imbalances cause threat to peace.

Rich nations must help poor ones while respecting culture.

Nations are interdependent and need to cooperate.

Catholics should know social teaching and be active.

John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 (Peace on Earth)

Context: Cold War, erection of Berlin Wall (1961),

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).

Message:

Peace ensured through social rights and responsibilities--

between people; between citizens and public authorities;

between states; among nations.

World needs to recognize rights of women.

Arms race goes against justice, reason and human dignity.

United Nations needs to be strengthened

Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 1965 (Church in the Modern World)

Context: Continuing Cold War and arms race.

Message:

Church is not separate from the world, but intimately intertwined with it.

Assesses the rapid cultural changes and technological advances in the light of the Gospel.

Overall warm and optimistic tone, but reflects pastoral concern for faith, family, transcendent destiny of man.

Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens, 1971 (The Coming Eightieth Year)

Context: World verging on recession. In U.S., see

civil rights and women’s movements, Vietnam war

protests.

Message:

Urbanization has presented problems, especially the “new

poor” – cities’ elderly, handicapped and marginalized.

Discrimination continues based on race, color, sex, religion.

Christians called to engage political process to address

injustices, applying gospel principles.

Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World,

1971 Context: Political upheavals of 60’s.

Increased focus on “liberation” especially in Latin America.

Message:

Structural injustices and oppression must be met by liberation rooted in justice. God is “liberator of the oppressed.”

Church must speak on behalf of the oppressed, be a witness for justice.

Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 1975 (On Evangelization in the Modern World)

Context: Rising atheistic secularism, consumerism,

growing consciousness of evil of oppression.

Message:

Evangelization crucial in a de-Christianized world.

Witness of evangelization should permeate

judgment, values, interests, thought, lifestyle.

Evangelization includes challenging injustice and

preaching liberation.

John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work)

Context: Great numbers of people are unemployed, migrant workers exploited. Both capitalist and communist systems exploiting the worker.

Message:

Work is part of man’s vocation and dignity, participation in God’s creative work. Has spiritual dimension.

Decent wages, rights and benefits of worker must be assured.

Work must serve the family, with special consideration for working mothers.

Steps must be taken to assure that disabled can participate in dignity of work.

U.S. Bishops, Economic Justice for All, 1986

Context: In U.S., 33 million poor, 20-30 million

needy, 8 million unemployed.

Message:

Inequalities of income, consumption, privilege and power

should be examined.

The poor should have most urgent claim on conscience of

nation.

Employment policy, tax and welfare systems, farm support,

role of U.S. in world trade should be examined.

Church must model justice in wages, management and

investment.

John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern)

Context: World economy in flux – debt,

unemployment and recession hitting both rich and

poor nations.

Message:

Critiques economic gap between northern and southern

hemispheres and global debt. Should be one united world.

East-West tensions and competition block world

cooperation and solidarity.

Critiques consumerism and waste, as well as international

trade practices that hurt developing nations.

John Paul II, Centesimus Annus,

1991 (The Hundredth Year)

Context: 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum.

Collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Message:

Critiques fundamental error of communism – atheistic view

of humanity.

Gives qualified support to free market as most efficient

system for utilizing resources and responding to needs. Free

market also recognizes freedom of human person.

Warns against consumerism, as well as making capitalist

system an all-encompassing ideology.

John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995 (The Gospel of Life)

Context: Prevalence of “culture of death” – abortion,

euthanasia, death penalty.

Message:

Gives overview of threats to human life both past and

present, and brief history of the many Biblical prohibitions

against killing.

Speaks out against abortion, euthanasia and the death

penalty.

Calls for a “culture of life” embracing truth, life and love.

Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 2005 (God is Love)

Context: First Encyclical of Benedict XVI. Comes in the midst of a culture of relativism.

Message:

Encyclical divided into two parts:

Part One: Explains the true meaning of love and shows how human love is raised up, not destroyed, by divine love.

Part Two: Affirms the Church’s irreplaceable vocation to carry the charity of Christ into a world in need.

Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 2009 (Charity in Truth)

Context: Worldwide economic crisis centered on

weakness in financial institutions and the collapse of

the housing market.

Message:

True human development requires charity lived out in truth,

including respect for the common good, religious freedom,

and the sanctity of human life. Only an economy of

communion, a business ethic centered in persons and not in

profit, will be a sufficient response to the present economic

and financial crisis.

Human dignity

Respect for Human Life

Family, Participation, Community

Rights and duties

Option for the poor

Economic Justice/Common Good

Stewardship of Creation

Solidarity

Role of Government/Subsidiarity

Promotion of Peace

Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

1 2

3

4 5

6

7

8 9

Wheel of Justice

1. Human dignity

The teaching on the inherent dignity of the

human person is the foundation of all

Catholic social teaching. It is Grounded in

the idea that persons are created by God in

God’s image and likeness. Human dignity is

the starting point for a moral vision of

society.

2. Respect for Human Life

Each person, from the moment of

conception to the moment of natural death,

has a right to life consistent to his or her

inherent dignity.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the

womb I knew you, and before you were

born I consecrated you; I appointed you a

prophet to the nations.”

3. Family, Community,

Participation

The fact that human beings are social

by nature indicates that the

betterment of the person and the

improvement of society depend on

each other.…humanity by its very

nature stands completely in need of

life in society. Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World

4. Rights and duties

Civil/political

Economic/social

Every person has a right to the basic

material necessities required to live a

decent life.

5. Option for the Poor

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

(Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs

of the poor and vulnerable

Long Biblical & Church Tradition

More on USCCB website: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-

believe/catholic-social-teaching/option-for-the-poor-and-

vulnerable.cfm

6. Economic Justice

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. People are more important than things; labor is more important than capital.

All workers have a right to productive work, to decent wages, to safe working conditions; and they have a right to organize and join unions.

People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life. (cf. Basil the Great)

7. Stewardship of Creation

The goods of the earth are gifts.

We hold them in trust, as stewards.

“God destined the earth and all it contains for all people

and nations so that all created things would be shared

fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice

tempered by charity.”

Pope Paul VI, 1967, On the Development of Peoples; also Pope Francis Encyclical,

Laudato Si on the Care of Creation, May 2015

8. The Virtue of Solidarity

“It is a firm and persevering

determination to commit oneself

to the common good; that is to

say, to the good of all ...because

we are all really responsible for

all.”

Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern, 1987

9. Role of Government

The state has a positive moral function.

It is an instrument for promoting human dignity,

protect human rights, and build

the common good

Subsidiarity

County Office Level

Federal Office Level

10. Promotion of Peace

Peace is not just the absence of war

“If you want peace, work for

justice.”

Pope Paul VI, 1972, World Day of Peace Message

Charity & Justice in

Christian Discipleship

* Charity = Direct service to

meet immediate

basic needs of suffering

* Justice = Ongoing work to

change root causes

of suffering/injustice

Why is Social Justice

Important? 1. Identifies the Church as a Community of

Mt. 25:35-40

“I was hungry and you gave me food…”

2. Integrates faith and action; teaching and

practive in order to transform the world like

leaven in the dough

Mt. 13:33 “The kingdom of heaven is like a

woman who puts 3 measures of leaven ane

put it in the dough until it is all leavened.”